Although like most Nigerians, I suffered the hardships of the Labour strike which affected my current humanitarian mission in Nigeria, I fully support it. In fact it’s been long overdue.This administration has- spent N90 billion on pilgrimage subsidy,- borrowed $10 billion to defend naira; – awarded $11 billion Lagos-Calabar road project, attempted to borrow N20Trillion from pension fund and attempted to tax citizens’accounts with a cybersecurity levy and yet refused to approve a new minimum wage.
EMPOWER THE ECONOMY BACK TO #1
The Geometric Power plant in Aba, Abia State, cost $800 million (less than $1b). The Lagos-Calabar coastal road costs $11billion. That’s enough to build a power plant in 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Federal Government should better invest in power and transform the economy restoring us to number one in Africa. Under Buhari, Nigeria went from first to second economy in Africa after eight years. Under Tinubu, Nigeria is going from second to fourth rconomy in Africa in a year!Shockingly, a no-bid contract was awarded to business buddies of Bola Tinubu with known multi-generational money laundering history globally without appropriation and debate in the parliament. Instead the National Assembly debated and changed the national anthem. How can you enforce learning and singing it? It’s an exercise in futility by a fruitless government. Nigerians should refuse to accept a new national anthem. If we must go back to old, let’s include the British anthem for consideration too. This is not what is expected from the innovative Tinubu who used Enron Barges to power Lagos from the Atlantic Ocean as governor!
STOP ABACHA-ERA MEDIA ASSAULTS
On the issue of the security forces abuse it is deeply disconcerting that journalists, for example, have been subjected to abuses by security operatives. This includes Segun Olatunji, who was abducted and mishandled by security operatives of the DIA for about two weeks. Also, I believe another journalist Daniel Ojukwu suffered same fate This should not be happening in a democracy. Journalists are not subject to military institutions in the first place and especially under the president who was supposedly a pro-democracy activist with us. I interacted with Tinubu in the pro-democracy era when we were in exile and for the kinds of things that happened to me when Abacha detained me and tortured me to be happening now is unconscionable. It was military people who tortured me in Aso Rock Villa in 1996. So to hear that the same thing is happening under Tinubu is sickening. It should not be, and those who perpetrated it should be held to account.
SEEK US NIGER BASE CLOSURE MILITARY HARDWARE
Recently the National Assembly debated allowing mercenaries into Nigeria to help fight terror. That happened under Goodluck Jonathan without the need for parliamentary consent. Already Fulani mercenaries from West Africa and ISIS terrorists are already ravaging the land. My advice is with regard to how you improve things. Recently I heard that the United States is pulling out of Niger because of the change in government there. Tinubu has a decent relationship with the U.S Ambassador to Niger. One of the things he can do is ask her that the excess military equipment that they have there, they should donate to the Nigerian military right across the border so that it will strengthen them in their operations in Nigeria to counter insurgency. That alone should have a major effect in our fight against terrorism. If that is done, that will go a long way in assisting us in countering insurgency in the North.
•Emmanuel Ogebe is an international human rights lawyer
