I also discerned from Ms Adelakun’s piece, taken in context, that she was only expressing her frustration with the state of the nation. She had made reference to Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly, two honchos of this administration speaking out exasperatedly at the very sad turn of things in the country in the first few months of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. “How does a government that promised massive “change” begin to write its own epitaph so early?” is Ms Adelakun’s damning question.
I honestly feel her pain. I am probably more pained and Nigerians of goodwill must have their face badly furrowed by worry today. These days you catch yourself already throwing those harsh words we threw at ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Less than one year after crusading so much to usher in PMB, one has already written nearly a dozen critical articles against his administration. We never bargained for this.
But it is the sense of hopelessness that galls most critics. The utter inertia and rudderlessness currently pervading the polity have left even die-hard supporters of PMB disillusioned.
Many federal civil servants have not been paid for about three months. “Even Jonathan’s time was not like this,” many are heard saying now. Fuel scarcity never lingered for so long a spell in Jonathan’s time, is the refrain at filling stations, as Nigerians go through harrowing time over a problem that ought to have been managed six months ago.
Why do we love the company of few cranky republics like Russia (24), Mexico (18), Pakistan (14), Morocco (11), Kuwait (13), Philippines (10) and Nigeria (14, now 9) have at least a dozen craft in their presidential fleet? Most others have less than five and some like Britain has none at all with her prime minister flying public airlines, such as British Air or Virgin Atlantic. US, probably world’s number one manufacturer of aircraft, has only two jets designated to the presidency, while Saudi Arabia with all the money in the world also has two. Whatever the case may be, whether he promised or not, cutting the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet is one of the quick wins Nigerians expected from a Buhari administration, considering that it ought to be an exemplar of frugality and good sense. Especially so, now, that the country is in dire straits and needs to shed fat quickly. Apart from Arik Air, it is doubtful if any other Nigerian airline can boast of 10 planes in its fleet. Why then would the presidency keep all these planes and for what purpose? And the impertinence of insinuating that he not promised rectitude and good governance!
It is for some of these reasons that one wanted to direct one’s humble thoughts towards some crucial ministries and some tested individuals manning key MDAs. Chief Audu Ogbeh, the current Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), is one such. Over the years, he has grown to be one of the better respected politicians of his time. Going by his trajectory in public life, he was a minister at a young age in the 80s and can be said to be the ‘last’ chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s final annexure of the party.
One actually expected Chief Ogbeh to play more advisory roles in the PMB era, but being a farmer, it is just as well that he mans the agric beat, which is probably most crucial today. And if Chief Ogbeh fails, Nigeria would have sunk deeper into economic morass. Unfortunately, he hasn’t much time, thus he must identify the quick wins and win them quickly.
He said recently in Kano that Nigeria expends N1.3 trillion on food importation annually. It is great that he has those grave numbers, but we are not interested in them. The last person on that seat, a popinjay, spent over four years bandying outlandish figures and doing little. The next time chief throws a figure at Nigerians, it must be followed by his immediate, medium and long-term measures to turn the tide of massive food importation in the next three years.
Here are a few ideas for him to ponder upon: on July 24 (“A ‘drumstick’ for PMB”) and August 14 (“Chicken season”) this year, one had said it all on this page. And the idea is simple: we can start a fresh agric revolution beginning with poultry economy. Consider the economic effect of producing all our poultry products in a Nigeria of about 170 million people. Consider the entire poultry value chain.
Poultry products were banned in Nigeria 15 years ago but no enforcement. Customs officials and their co-travellers (smugglers) have been the chief beneficiaries of that law. Chief Ogbeh can pick the gauntlet now. He can rally all the stakeholders; Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) led by Dr. Ayoola Oduntan has been doing marvellous work. They need structured, institutional support.
Chief Ogbeh must rally the Customs, the chicken producers, the feed-millers, the maize farmers, cold room owners, chicken and egg processing groups, vets, Ministry of Information (for massive campaign), governors, etc. By Christmas 2016, Nigerians must consume wholly home-grown poultry; that will be a huge milestone to celebrate, that will be the real agric revolution. In two years we can consume wholly Nigerian rice and in four years, we should have banished imported milk from our shores with model ranches boasting milk and meat processing lines. If these things are as difficult as rocket science, I want to be educated.
We trust that Chief Ogbeh can drive this change through the MARD and begin to deliver quick, concrete results in no time.
NATION
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