During the era of the cold war the Russian government had what was known as “sleepers” or moles planted in western nations like the United States of America. These were Russian agents or spies who were sent or recruited in America with the aim of working in a clandestine manner for the Russian government. The beauty in this was that these agents will be left to operate a normal life thereby integrating into the American society and once they have reached a certain level or status in their host nation,(after many years) they are then “activated” to either spy on the government or sabotage a vital aspect of the host nation. With recent happenings in Nigeria, one can only conclude that Yardua and his cabinet members are “sleepers” (don’t ask me if that’s the reason the government seems to be sleep walking in all its actions) who have now been activated by a hostile country to destroy the Nigerian economy.
There was a recent newspaper report in one of the Nigerian dailies that the Ghanaian government was throwing incentives at major companies in Nigeria for them to abandon shop in Nigeria and move over to Ghana. This was the same period Yardua was wining and dining with the visiting Ghanaian President! The report further stated that while some companies have actually relocated to Ghana others have reached advanced stages in their plans to move to Ghana. If the Yardua government was not planted to sabotage the Nigerian economy why have they not deemed it fit to address the hostile economic environment? When the tyre manufacturing company Dunlop threatened to close shop, and follow another tyre company Michelin to Ghana, the government made a couple of promises to assist the company. After waiting in vain for the promises to be redeemed the company had to close its factory. Can someone honestly say that this government is not out to destroy the economy when they are not in any way worried that factories are shutting down daily?
The much talked about bail out for the textile industry has after two years remained in Aso rock while Nigeria, a nation that could a couple of years back boast of over 100 thriving textile factories can at best now only boast of one or two epileptic factories. Let your mind figure out the number of persons and families that are negatively affected by the closure of these factories and government’s gross insensitivity to their plight then, you will begin to realize that the Yardua government does not augur well for Nigeria. With all the noise about the power probe, the millions, nay, billions that went down the drain one would have thought that the Yardua government would have put in place measures to recover the money and set things right. Alas! They have decided to throw more money down the drain by awarding fresh contracts for jobs that were paid for but not completed, and some people are saying there is progress in the energy sector! Even the Minister of Power said he has knows very little of the power sector reform agenda. If a whole minister of power is in the dark about the power sector reform, then obviously there is no light at the end of the tunnel, yet Yardua says things will soon improve in the energy sector. Pray do tell, who is fooling who?
Not only are the roads bad, they are death traps. Nobody is talking about the railroads (do they still exist?).The ports are congested, clearing of goods at the ports takes forever, we produce fuel yet the government thinks its better to import fuel rather than repair our refineries, anytime we annoy the government, fuel queues spring up and as soon as our attention is diverted from the inadequacies of government, to how to get a couple of liters of fuel, they glibly announce” I promise that fuel will be available in two weeks time” and in their myopic mind they truly expect us to applaud and show appreciation once the fuel queues actually disappear in two weeks. To be candid, compared to Nigeria, Ghana looks like a developed nation!
Our honourable members rush to Ghana for retreats, our cabinet members have personal houses in Ghana, Ghanaian schools play host to children of top Nigerian politicians, and weekends is a time for members of the ruling party to converge in Ghana to discuss on ways to move this great country inhabited by good people forward.
The Nigerian economy is rolling gradually into an abyss, the danger signals are there for all to see. These companies moving to Ghana are not moving with their Nigerian staff, they will not continue to pay tax to the Nigerian Government, their various suppliers will wind up their operations, and those that were actively engaged in civic social responsibilities will shift their attention to their new host communities in Ghana.
Suddenly fifty billion naira that would have gone a long way to improve the economic situation in the Niger Delta has emerged to facilitate the amnesty granted the Niger Delta militants (or freedom fighters, depending on which side of the fence you are standing).Who wants to bet that more than half of the amount will find its way into the private accounts of politicians, while the militants are left staring into the glare of media cameras. What will be the effect of pumping fifty billion naira into unproductive sectors of the economy? What will happen to the top government officials who use the militants in oil bunkering? Will they willingly give up the lucrative illegal business of oil bunkering? Will a sane government not arrest top politicians and military men behind oil bunkering before deciding to embark on cleansing the Niger Delta of militants or offering amnesty?
Recently some foreigners who have major business concerns in Nigeria were deported over their alleged role in tax evasion. A number of questions spring forth from their deportation. What has happened to their Nigerian collaborators? Could the government not have forced them to pay the tax before thinking of an appropriate punishment? What happens to the several companies in Nigeria owned by this family? What of the staff of these companies? What happens if they move their major business to Ghana, who will lose? who will gain? Are other foreigners operating in Nigeria paying the appropriate tax or was the family that suffered deportation giving the treatment because they failed to grease the appropriate palm? Is it justified to deport a family that employs labour and contributes some form of vigor to the economy and leave a government that has contributed to massive layoff of workers and has contributed negatively to the development of the economy? We have a government whose performances are revealed solely through government controlled media organs, while Nigerians feel the pains of having an inept government. This government can be regarded as the fifth column destroying the Nigerian economy. Perhaps someday we will discover the nation that planted Yardua to wreck Nigeria, and maybe, this big secret might never be revealed but it’s certain that one day a book will emerged titled ‘How Yardua underdeveloped Nigeria (apologies to Walter Rodney).
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