Economic and Social Reforms of Late Pa Awolowo played a significant role in economic progress which focuses on sustainable growth and prosperity initiatives. The President must intuitively work towards creating opportunities for the well-being of the Nigerian people to smile at the end of the tunnel.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, this line from King Henry the Fourth play, by William Shakespeare, speakes volume of heavy responsibilities that leadership of multifaceted, diverse culture and complicated nation such as Nigeria presents.
And to borrow from the words of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1970, “The aggressor against our peace and stability in Nigeria are; Abject Poverty, Hunger and Disease…”
54 years ago, Nigeria’s economy was the envy of global economic giants like USA, Britain, France and others. These actors relate with Nigeria from the point of our economic sustainability, agricultural prowes, natural resources and local industrial strength, which makes Nigeria evolved from a poor agricultural economy into a relatively rich one.
Nigeria recorded over 25% GDP growth in 1970 as at when our population was 55,569,264 million people, 2.7% GDP growth witnessed in 2023 as at when our population was estimated over 226.2 million people, this shows how terribly bad the economy inherited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is, but like the proverbial saying “uneasy lies the head that wears the cap” and to mirror the cap wearer’s assurance” I applied for the job, so I will deliver” – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2023.
The bigger question is, how long can Nigerians witstand the pressure from prevailing economic realities? and will the courageous promises of Renewed Hope Renaissance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yield positive results in no distance time?
Even millions of Jagaban’s armies witness in the last electoral circle, spread across the length and breath of Nigeria are equally hit with the economic realities of today. And for any avoidance of doubts, one can authoritatively say that “we are united by one effect, caused by decades of bad economy management” – it is time for collective responsibility for all in achieving a shared future prosperity.
As it was foretold, Abject Poverty, Hunger and Disease are the real enemies of our nation, it is of urgent matter that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his economic team should fight the battle assiduously head-on and never to be distracted by the reactionaries that come with Policy Reformation of a bastardly managed economy, a phase, I am optimistic will feather away after the storm.
Dealing with Poverty and Hunger: The government must intensify its effort in large-scale industrial farming; promote and give incentives for household involvement in small farming – “One Household, One Crop” – should be encouraged at state and local government levels, support for crop irrigation, household training in improved agriculture techniques for small farmers and households both in rural and urban communities and provide help for farmers to diversify livelihoods, land rehabilitation to improve harvests should be of paramount priorities for the government of the day.
Agricultural subsidy is pathway to food security, so it is for the government to figure it out. When food is sufficient in any economy, hunger and astronomical poverty will reduced drastically, price inflation of goods and commodity will conveniently evaporate, that’s when a nation can said to attain food security
Upholding Pa Awolowo’s Legacy: President Tinubu will have no excuses to say, if he fails to take the clue from the jigsaw puzzle of pa Awolowo’s sustainable economy model, a stitch in time saves nine.
It is well understood that social economic policy reform may inflict economic hardship on the people at the early stage such that the nation is currently going through, however, the restoration of our lost glory and awakening of the economic giant in us, is the unreserved compensation for the excruciating pain and perseverance of the masses.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller.
President Tinubu must desist from fighting the existing economic realities inherited through decades of bad economic administration; to achieve the Renewed Hope Renaissance, we must build new model of economic sustainability gradually over time, and the old economic model will become obsolete.
In a nutshell, his administration should as a matter of time take it easy with the Bureau de Change operators, forex manipulators, malpractices of the financial banks executives, etc, and concentrate on policies that will make their ill business of economy manipulation irrelevant and obsolete.
FBI Oyefeso, a former Ogun State governorship candidate 2019, a social development advocate, executive director, Nigerian Youths in Politics, writes from Abuja.
