Daily Independent Online.
*
Wednesday, June 16, 2004.
Making deregulation functional
The usual way of running Nigeria -
sell the oil, share the money amongst the states and then comes the end of the
story - without any meaningful development, will not help to move Nigeria
forward.
Before now, it can be said that there was no
foundation on which Nigeria rests as a nation. The supply of electricity is
still epileptic, telecommunication is still for the privileged few, there is no
meaningful transportation system in place and the education system is still haphazard.
Government should be given a free hand to be a little
drastic in taking decisions that will ameliorate the situation. It may be
painful, but we need to bear it for the above reasons.
The government, on its part, should put in place the
machinery that will cushion the effects of the deregulation of the downstream
oil sector. This could be in the form of youth mass employment in the
agriculture sector and the provision of a cheap mass transit system in the
urban centres.
If it is deregulation that will allow Nigeria to get
to the promised land, why not allow it, even if we have to sacrifice one thing
or the other? We should give the FG a free hand to perform, so that the nation
can witness appreciable development.
F.
Soji,
9,
Odunlami Street,
Anthony
Village,Lagos State.
