12th February, 2014
By Samuel Akpobome Orovwuje
As an ordinary citizen with no political and social affiliation or Godfather at the state or Abuja, I had thought that, I could have lunch with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the number one citizen and the first among equals in the Nigerian state enterprise and indeed the most powerful man in Nigeria today. But I just realised that I needed several security checks and screening to get into Aso Rock and I had also thought about having the privilege and the audacity to sit with the president over a plate of sumptuous meal but this is wishful thinking on my side. Additionally, I also think that I do not have the political weight to write an open letter to the president on a number of issues bordering me before I am accused of seeking relevance and attention.
However, I had to summon courage as a responsible citizen and a concerned and disillusioned youth and indeed, a young man with growing aspirations for our great and dear country and in the spirit of the centenary celebration (100 years) scheduled for February 2014 and, looking at the president’s implicit desire to transform and bring hope for the hopeless through his proposals for a people-driven national conference give me confidence and temerity as the Americans would say that I have got to have lunch with my President and I think it is deserving of a law abiding citizen to do so!
When I get into the Aso Rock – the hotbed of Nigeria’s political shenanigans to have an unscheduled lunch with my amiable president and the commander-in-Chief, I will be sharing key policy issues of concern with him in a relaxed manner. One of them is the seeming disconnect between government agents and ordinary citizens who do not have access to him on daily basis, I would like the president to address during his centenary anniversary speeches and his state of the nation address for 2014 that will really make a transformational difference in our lives together. Although he has many people helping him to shape his vision, the policy solutions do not have trickle-down effect on the citizens.
The issue on the top of my list for discussion with Mr. President for 2014 is: now that you have finally settled your political party’s internal squabbles with the stepping aside of Bamanga Tukur, discussing solutions to grow our economy and giving young Nigerians a fair shot at sustainable livelihood is very critical, particularly in the year that precedes 2015 general elections which is still being speculated that you are likely to offer yourself for re–election, if you successfully grab your party ticket. The constitution of Nigeria guarantees you that inalienable right and indeed the right of every Nigerian adult to aspire to any political office they so desire.
Two, Mr. President, our economic reforms should focus on creating an economy that works for our generation. Sir, you should focus on access to and success in higher education, youth employment, and other economic issues including the speedy implementation of the federal budget, and progressive and sustainable development agenda. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the traditional yardstick for measuring economic performance – per capita gross national product(GNP/GDP) cannot alone provide adequate information about the life chances of the ordinary citizen of our great country. But your finance and super minister of the growth economy has recently made us to swallow bittersweet APC pills without taking cognizance of the realities of other development paradigms and indicators like the human development index (HDI) and most importantly the Physical Quality of Life Index(PQLI) which her former employer(The World Bank) will gladly use in discussing loans with you in the name of development partner!
The point being made Mr. President is that the recent explanation on the performance of the economy under your watch in the last two years or so looks blurred and negates all development benchmarks and poor people friendly agenda which are the hallmark of governance and leadership. Therefore, it will be morally and administratively expedient for your economic managers to use other best practices like PQLI to take a broader look at the various sectors within the country and ask the following basic development questions: Are the needs of women met as those of the men? Are there differences among the federating states? Among social – demographic groups? Between rural and urban areas? What changes have occurred in your administration over time? And perhaps what is obtainable at the Federal Executive Council meeting sessions where contract sums are announced by a minister and what is real about the people that are not in the corridors of power and the executive myopia that is displayed by your corrupt bureaucracy? These are pertinent questions begging for real answers. Regrettably, life chances of individuals in terms of life expectancy, infant mortality and illiteracy is also alarmingly on the rise. We need your direct intervention in these matters. Some of the political challenges that you are facing are equally inherent in literacy ratio to understanding the workability of presidential system in a multi-ethnic environment. This will be subject of another discourse with you at later date.
Three, although there is no legislation to my knowledge on the minimum wage increase over time, I would like to advocate through your good office that you index the cost of living allowance (COLA) and make minimum wage of one half of the average income. This has become necessary to ensure the welfare of the average Nigerian that is on life support machine just waiting for the last breath. Even most of federating units governors who come to Abuja for monthly allocation, in my view, are also rent seekers. They are not targeting the multiple faces of poverty. Therefore, we need a new strategy to enhance fiscal federalism and productivity with the utmost aim of wealth creation and securing meaningful life chances of Nigerian. At the moment, you have made some remarkable strides in the Sure-P and You- Win transformation initiatives of creating about one million jobs in a country of 170 million People! We require you to urgently deliver more on your promises to us most especially in the area of job creation in order to reduce youth restiveness and squarely address the nebulous and chronic question of poverty.
The mission of your administration going forward is to present an innovative, imaginative and creative policy of a trickle up program by making the poor work their way out of poverty by helping to launch smaller businesses.Mr. President, the ordinary citizens, think you mean well, but there are gaps between the official reports given to you and the reality on ground. For instance, an unscheduled visit to project sites will surprise you particularly about the information of the completion of some of the major federal roads by your coordinating minister of the economy.
Four, one area of profound concern is education and it is indeed, the number and quality of teachers in schools at all levels. Sadly, the ASUU and the politics of fair wage face –off were not properly handled by your supervising minister of Education in my view because of the centrality of education and national capacity and development. If the dictum ‘no education can rise above the quality of its teacher’ is true, then the calibre and quality of persons recruited into teaching and teacher education programmes across the country may not be able to see the nation to the promised land of education for all by 2020 and beyond. It is my belief that the nation can only attain education excellence if the quality of its teacher is enhanced and the President must make deliberate efforts to addressing these challenges by focusing on primary education and strongly I am the of the view, that a new proposals for funding through Alumni, research – to – industry initiatives and endowments will help shape the future of our education.
One of most difficult realities going forward is also appropriate pricing of tuition fees in federal universities and above all, student and work –to- study loans access would enhance international ratings of education. Admittedly, another major challenge to education is the problem of incessant disruptions of academic programmes at all levels of education. At the heart of these disruptions is the issue of funding of education. Academic staffs at all level declare strike for improved funding, better and improved working condition and upgrading of teaching and learning facilities must be taken seriously in 2014. The Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with some International donor agencies, like UNICEF, the World Bank, UNESCO, DFID should collaborate with your government at all levels with a view to coming up with a holistic approach in addressing educational concerns raised with you. Indeed, UNICEF for example, is promoting the education sector strategic and operational plan. These measures is to take care of identified concerns of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Non-formal education that will propel citizens to your transformation agenda sloganeering.
Mr. President, your agenda for 2014 should also explore ways to engage young people in the electoral process and civic engagement, including voting rights, voter education, and civic participation. Efforts must be made by your good self and your administration to pursue the One Man, One Vote mantra to deepen democratic norms and values. Therefore a constant and constructive civic engagement through various non – state actor platforms like the traditional and new media must be deployed constantly to set the agenda for national development and aspirations. The recent Afro barometer public opinion survey in Nigeria says that a majority of the citizens describe the present economic condition of the country as very bad. The Afro barometer (AB) is a comparative series of public opinion surveys that measure public attitudes toward democracy, governance, the economy, leadership, identity, and other related issues across Africa. Lest I forget, you should also use your presidential voice to draw attention to the growing political insecurity and the crisis in many states of the federation particularly River state. Which social media critics and mischief maker say revolves around you and Rotimi Amaechi. Since I do not belong to the PDP or the APC, I cannot comment on it further. But I wish the will of the people prevail in their choice and alternatives if indeed there are credible choices in an environment where ideology and the supremacy of party manifesto are remotely far from reality in the political space in Nigeria.
Five, access to electricity is a common goal that resonant among those of us on the street because we think it is a basic human right, and should be a universal and stand alone goal on your socio- economic agenda this year especially after your courageous, but shaky privatization of the sector from massive generator cartel regime. It is central to your leadership and political affairs in the years to come and I also consider it to be a lead sector of critical debate among ordinary Nigerians in social media gossips and the emerging opposition party (APC) will also take advantage of it in selling their manifesto for the 2015 general elections. The reform and the roadmap in the power sector initiated by you need some fine- tuning to win Nigerians back to your transformation platform.
Finally, Mr. President, ordinary Nigerians also had a right to demand environmental justice from you in 2014.The United Nations in its report on climate change has predicted drastic changes to water cycle including desertification around the world and Nigeria is no exception. Yearly million of citizens under your watch die from water, sanitation, or hygiene related causes. I could not to discuss the issues of corruption because of the proposed national conference, but I will dwell a little on the concept of ideology, which is a set of political beliefs is which lacking from our political space at the moment. The PDP and the APC and their party leaders- the so called progressives and democrats are not motivated by any share ideology and party loyalty, but rather they are driven by material gains above the people and national interest. This manifest disregard for issue- based politics raises grave concern for our emerging democracy particularly for the 2015 general elections. .
•Orovwuje is founder, Humanitarian Care for Displaced Persons, Lagos.