NIGERIA IN THE MUD

In 2023 during one of Chief Tinubu's visit to the National Assembly, the Hallowed Chambers was desecrated by singing the obnoxious campaign song of All Progressive Congress 'on your mandate we shall stand' by the lawmakers in place of the Sacred Nigerian National anthem 'Arise O Compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey'.

In like manner, the hitman of this illegitimate administration who presides over the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was seen twerking in a bizarre video singing the calamitous song, in a disposition of mocking those outside the corridors of government.

Today, Nigeria is in the mud with insecurities as never witnessed as terrorists now have the audacity to display their proceeds of crime on Social Media platforms, even going further to doing giveaways PROUDLY and UNRESISTED without any form of fear from the authorities, yet, whistle blowers journalists are being picked up and dehumanized for exposing the rot, decay and corruption in the Nigerian governmental affairs.

Hyperinflation that arose as a result of the ill management of resources and lack of capacity to prioritize policies by the present administration has resulted in pushing the common man out of the street into oblivion, as the hitherto food of the common man is no longer at the reach of the poor. Prices of goods and services have skyrocketed without any form of downward trend in sight, and yet the politicians keeps churning out unpopular and insensitive policies while lavishing our resources on frivolous and wasteful spendings. Sigh!

Our petroleum energy sector is in disarray with exorbitant prices, even as the lucrative subsidy scam continues to eat fat on the lean resources of the land. Private individuals who are willing to dismantle these gangs of criminals by investing in upstream/downstream energy sector are being frustrated so as to stop them from exposing the rot in the system. What a pity!

In spite of the high cost of energy in Nigeria today, queues and scarcity of petroleum products have returned to our petrol outlets across the country. Nigeria who prides itself as the giant of Africa can't boasts of a singular state owned working petroleum refinery, but the insensitivity of the government has resulted in the acquisition of fabulous yachts, expensive cars and fleets of jets to demonstrate their gross misdemeanor in public offices.

In dropping this pen to relaxation, I therefore ask the supporters and promoters of this administration to keep on singing their political anthem 'on your mandate we shall stand' whenever they go out for job hunting, markets and malls, petrol stations, finding house accommodations, in the hospitals, bus stations, schools and eateries, so that the prices they will be offered will be 80% cheaper than other Nigerians on the other side of the divide.

To be forewarned is to be forearm. Nigerians are beautiful people who will rather take a dangerous snake to play with as a harmless thing, but would rather KILL THE HARMLESS DOVE as a dangerous thing.

Lugard Ekhator writes from Benin City.

I Earnestly Need Your Help Please

 THANK YOU JESUS

May the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth bless everyone that has been of immerse help to me since my financial predicament. When you call 1 person, may 10 people answer you in Jesus name. Amen.

Honestly, it's a tough situation here, but God's faithfulness won't let me think otherwise. As tough as it may appear, I am confident that I will surely overcome by the grace of God.

For OGA MFB and Sterling Bank, I am paying N25,000 weekly and N36,000 monthly respectively. As for others, I am unable to do anything now as a result of unavailability of funds on me. This is why I earnestly need help please.

Praise God, Okash is paid in full. I know that others will follow by the grace of God, Amen. 

Please help me.

:

Thanks and God bless you

ARE TRUE FRIENDS TRULY AVAILABLE?

Looking at the definition of friend, which connotes a person you know well and regard with affection and trust, it would be easier to agree that true friend should exist as a result of the trust you may have builded over the years.

In biblical cycle, friends are even rated far beyond one’s blood relation, which proves that even though your household can sell you out, it will be more difficult for an outsider to achieve. Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:36 declared "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household', painting the glooming scenarios that your own family people can be very dangerous towards you behind the scene. This, notwithstanding shouldn’t create bad blood among family members, but to rather play safe whether among your family members or friends.

Now, in Proverbs 18:24, the bible says “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother”. Considering the weight of the above statement, one can confidently opine that a friend is the one that can tell you that your mouth smells, which aligned with common sense and adage from time immemorial. A true friend can agree to go the extra length with you without nursing any preferential status above you, due to the fact that he a true friend.

Again, in Proverbs 27:10, the bible equally submitted that “Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off”. This can be taken as an indictment on family relations who always snubs their family members in preference to outsiders. A friend here is described as a neighbour . Are you a true friend? Consider your relationship and approaches to those you call your friends today.

In life realities, I have witnessed far reaching helps and assistance from friends than direct family members. In most cases, it comes as surprise due largely to the fact that it was never expected. I am praying that God will transform me to be in better position to prove my friendship to people around in unique and memorable manner.

Are you a true friend? Show your friendship today around the people within your reach. A lot of people demonstrate their friendship when a matter is already spoiled. Some contribute to people’s burial but will never pay such people medical bills when they were alive. Some sing the praises of the dead but were indifferent when their true friendship was needed most. Others feigned sympathy over their friend, but was never there when their attention was most needed. So, what type of friend are you to your friends today?

Therefore, consider your position towards your friend today. Correct any thing that needed to be corrected so as not appear FRIENEMY in the end.

Bear in mind that, A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

ELECTRICITY TARIFF HIKE: THE INSENSITIVITY OF NERC TOWARDS THE DOWNTRODDEN NIGERIANS

 

ELECTRICITY TARIFF HIKE: THE INSENSITIVITY OF NERC TOWARDS THE DOWNTRODDEN NIGERIANS

·        * Criminal Estimated Billing System By Discos– Unresolved

·         * Distribution of Prepaid Meters To Consumers – Unresolved

·         * Unreliable Electricity Supply – Getting Worse

·         * Improvement In Power Generation – Nothing To Write Home About

Dear Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC,

Nigerians woke up on Thursday, 4^th April, 2024, to the sad news of arbitrary hike in the electricity tariff regime of your administration, with a wave of dissatisfaction and apprehension registering on the faces of Nigerians, who are struggling to survive under the harsh economic conditions presently ravaging the entire nation. One would have thought that a well formulated and articulated plan would have been put in place to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian masses, but alas, the reverse is the case here.

Since the very beginning of Chief Tinubu administration on 29^th May, 2023, it has been from one disastrous moment to another, with the downtrodden Nigerians bearing most of the pains. And instead of proffering solutions and reassuring the people of an imminent end to their suffering, more harsh decisions are being churn out every now and then to impoverish the people the more.

With “subsidy is gone” mantra of the Tinubu administration, no friendly or encompassing approach has been made toward ending the undue hardship imposed on Nigerians by the government. The only beneficiaries to this maladministration so far are the very people who are at the corridors of power across the three tiers of government. While the executive and legislative arm of government can budget billions of scarce resources for their personal comfort, the downtrodden Nigerians has been asked to make unending sacrifices should they ever desire to breath. This is so devastating to the commonwealth of the people who feel captured and conquered by the powers that be.

From the foregoing therefore, it is absolutely ill-timed, inhuman, unjust and unacceptable, the announced electricity tariff hike by NERC. This anti-people policy should be reversed with immediate effect and without any delay. Should the speed at rolling out anti-people policies be geared towards fixing the damages on the economic frontier in the Nigerian space, the level of pains, agony, dislocation and trauma that Nigerians experience on daily basis to meet their needs would have been long resolved.

In 2001, MTN and Econet (now Airtel) rolled out their mobile services in Nigeria with per-minute-billing, which was a total ripped off of the resources of the few Nigerians who could afford their mobile services at the time. With a 1 minute, 05 seconds call duration, you are billed for whole 2 minutes, not minding that you only spent 5 seconds of the second minute. This ripping off of Nigerians by these telco at the time continued unabated even with the regulator (NCC) who keeps protecting them that per second billing was not possible despite the outcry against such policy by the Nigerian telecom consumers at the time. However, two years later in 2003, Globacom Limited (Glo), a Nigerian owned telecom operator emerged with per second billing policy from their day one in the Nigerian telecom market. This policy of Glo brought a serious healthy competition to the telecommunication industry with Glo amassing more subscribers to their network as Nigerians soon discovered that they’ve been lied to in the past regarding the possibility of implementing per second billing on telecom services. The hitherto operators who boasted that per second billing was impossible at the time were forced to implement the policy as competition was driving against their business continuation and successes in the Nigerian telecom space. And today, you are billed for the exact seconds you spent in making calls, which is a huge relief to the Nigerian people from being ripped off by the telecoms providers in Nigeria, and all thanks to Glo.

On the electricity space in Nigeria, the service providers have always billed Nigerians for darkness, as a result of the criminal ESTIMATED BILLING REGIME. Instead of NERC to fashion out measures to end this criminality, they have always looked the other way, (just like their counterpart in the telecom sector NCC in the recent past) while the service providers keep ripping Nigerians off. Unmetered and analog metered customers are the major segment bearing the consequences of this criminal estimated billing policy. NERC has a major role to play in ending this criminality, but what have they done? Certainly nothing done in this regard.

In all honesty, what is responsible for the abysmal performance of power generation, transmission and distribution in Nigeria today? With huge resources being budgeted yearly by the government in the sector, why is Nigeria laging behind in terms of adequate power generation and management resources for the good of the people? Will Nigerians pay a good electricity rate when power is available 24/7? Yes, without any doubt. Therefore, NERC should prioritize adequate power generation, outstanding transmission capacity, and robust distribution network to facilitate smooth power operation and see Nigerians jostling to pay for services rendered. This backward approach of putting the cart before the horse should be done away with immediately.

In pursuant to billing Nigerians for the exact number of Kwh being consumed, all Discos in Nigeria should be mandated to provide all-band customers with PREPAID METERS in the first instance, and a well thought-out approach to increasing the electricity tariff in the second considerations, provided the energy is available for consumption. Metered electricity consumers will have no pain in paying exactly what they consumed within any given period. This is the angle the government should be driving, not the avenue to creating more hardship thereby frustrating the needed economic growth to savage our dwindling economy occasioned by the various harsh policies of the government.

In the recent past, the manufacturing sector of our economy has suffered a deadly blow, as lots of multinationals have either relocated to other friendly climes or closed shops completely due to the high cost in running their businesses in the Nigerian space. The ripple effects of this menace are the attendant job losses and a spike on inflation. In order to mitigate this downward trend, the government should as a matter of urgency put policies that will urgently end this ugly development, not to aggravating same with this thoughtless electricity tariff hike. The manufacturing sector is the driving wheel behind economic boom with constant and affordable electricity in place, operating in a secured environment, and not bedeviled with multiple taxation, which has been the clog on the developmental output of the Nigerian state.

Investors are already counting their losses, and instead of the government to point their searchlight towards ending these unpalatable realities, they are rather making the business environment more hostile and unattractive to the desperately needed direct foreign investment (DFI) inflow.  It is therefore pertinent to ask in this regard: Of what economic value is this new electricity tariff hike with over 200% increase?

I hereby urge the government and NERC in particular, to wear a human face in making adjustment to electricity tariff. The reality on the ground speak volume of the average Nigerian that can’t afford sound three square meal a day, and now, the government has added to their woes without any relief in sight soon to ending the associated pains and trauma. All arms of government and citizen engagements should be put in place in order to arriving at a reasonable and acceptable electricity tariff scheme, should there ever be any intention to hiking the price regime.

This is my humble submission. The recent electricity tariff hike should be reversed without any delay. It is therefore a disservice to see those who are supposed to protect you becoming your very archenemy.

Kind Regards,

Lugard Ekhator,

Benin City.

Peter Obi: An Independent Presidential Candidate? EDO2024 Governorship Election In Perspective

Good day ladies and gentlemen, and thank you so much for your interest in reading this piece of mine. It is as a result of the critical moments ahead of us in the build up to the 2027 Presidential Election that gave birth to this piece here. And before I go on, please, I want to appeal to the Obidient Movement members in Edo State in particular, and across Nigeria in general. Conquering any battle starts with building bridges, and should you ever sellout your camp for some peanuts to the opponent, not only your team would be conquered, but your very self inclusive. This is the more reason you have to choose your battles carefully, putting measures in place to not only be at the offensive, but equally playing a defense mechanism to safeguard your team's success. On this note, I welcome you all on board. Thank you.

Chapter One.

Is Peter Obi An Independent Presidential Candidate?

HE Peter Obi, has never been an independent candidate beginning with his reign as the governor of Anambra State in 2006, till 2014, when he completed his governorship stewardship. In fact, Nigeria does not even support an independent candidate in the first place.

In 2019, he ran as a Vice Presidential Candidate with HE Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria. And in the just concluded 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi ran for the office the president, with a promise to move Nigeria from consumption to production.

In all of the cited instances above, Mr. Peter Obi has never been an independent candidate, but A POLITICAL PARTY SPONSORED CANDIDATE for all the public government offices he has ever ran and aspired in the past. I hope this will enlighten us on why the EDO2024 is in perspective here.

Chapter Two.

Raising LP Governors Across The Board

In chapter one, I tried to establish the fact that a candidate vying for any political office today in Nigeria, has to be sponsored by a political party, meaning such a person must be a member of the political party under which he/she seek the position for the election.

Having said that, Labour Party (LP) is the present political party that Peter Obi belongs. When he ran for the office of the governor of Anambra State, he was in APGA. As a vice presidential candidate, he was in PDP. And in the 2023 Presidential election, he ran under the Labour Party, and he is still a member of LP till this very second.

Therefore, should Peter Obi made himself available in the 2027 presidential election to run for the presidency, and maybe under the present Labour Party he currently belongs, you and I would agree that Peter Obi needs more Labour Party governors across Nigeria to stand a better chance against the hawks and the establishment that has kept Nigeria in the dark over the years.

Presently, HE Alex Otti of Abia State is the ONLY EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR under the LP umbrella, and thanks to God, he is performing well. So, more Labour Party governors are needed to swell the support base for Peter Obi as the 2027 presidential election draws closer.

Chapter Three.

Obidient Movement As A Vehicle

The Obidient Movement, though not a political party, but somehow a pressure group that was born after the #EndSARS debacle. Obidient Movement became the major support group that chested every resources all by themselves to promote the candidacy of Peter Obi for the Presidency through the Labour Party. Nigeria will not forget in a hurry the impact of the Obidient Movement in the successes recorded by the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election. The 1 million man match across Nigeria for Peter Obi became the driving force that Labour Party leveraged on to have some members of the National Assembly today under the Labour Party emblem.

Although the elected members of the National Assembly under the Labour Party in 2023 are a total disappointment to the Obidient Movement members today, due largely to their connivance with the status quo, but it can still be counted that the Obidient Movement is the brain behind their winning of their elections. This is an uncontestable fact.

With this in place, the successes of Peter Obi cum Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election can be attributed to the resilience of the members of the Obidient Movement, who were mocked, bastardized, dehumanized, and called all sorts of unprintable names. Imagine a group of 4 people tweeting in a room was able to upturned tables, resets the establishment strongholds on the defenseless voters. That alone is the reason that the Obidient Movement has become a force to be reckoned with today, although a lot of its members has switched camps for the wrong reasons.

On this note, I am appealing to the members of Obidient Movement who have switched camps for the wrong reasons to please, slow down and rethink their actions. Will a PDP governor boasts that he will mobilize his cabinet, party faithfuls and others to vote a Peter Obi on another party ticket come 2027? Please, think about this and amend your ways so as not to put your team on harm's way. A word they say is enough for the wise. Thank you.

Chapter Four.

EDO2024 Governorship Election In Perspective

In my dialect, it is said that ikpian bo kpa mu iru vbe to (one finger can't pick a lice on the hair). My people, truth must be told no matter how hard it may appear.

Now, if you are truly Obidient, and you are for a working Nigeria which Peter Obi represents, you must as a matter of fact support his political party candidate for the EDO2024 governorship election. Then, you replicate the same feat in Anambra State in 2025, and other off circle elections, as well as during the 2027 elections.

The reason for this is simple: Politics is a game of numbers. The more LP governors in Nigeria, the more easier it becomes for Peter Obi to become the President of Nigeria if he chooses to remain in Labour Party. Therefore, don't sell your house to your enemies knowing full well that neither you, your dad, mum, child or relatives will be spared when they (enemies) return to possess the house you sold to them.

Don’t be deceived. All that glitter are not gold altogether.

Thanks and God bless you for your time.

Lugard, wrote from Benin City