Petroleum engineer and presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Martin Onovo, in this interview with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, assesses current economic climate in the country, with a verdict that President Muhammadu Buhari should resign in the face of manifest incapacity to remedy the situation.
Possible turnaround in Nigeria’s economy under the Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress government (APC).
It would be easy to get light at the end of the tunnel if only we would be clear with our economic objectives, plan and implement prudently. Unfortunately, like we said in January, this President Buhari-led government does not seem to have a clear economic direction. The economic policy is reactive and is principally an incompetent ‘trial and error’ approach that has also a deep streak of flip flop.
To be specific, the government said it would not increase fuel price, but it did by about 70 per cent. The government said it would not devalue the naira, but it has devalued it by more than 50 per cent.
As we talk, the country is officially in recession and according to a national newspaper, 22.5million Nigerians are presently unemployed, the highest in the last 20 years.
So what we have seen is the destruction of the Nigerian economy. That was what we clearly predicted earlier that the APC was deliberately destroying not only the Nigerian economy but also Nigeria as a country.We said that in January. Today, I don’t think anybody can dispute that position because we were very clear.
You can see the level of poverty from your immediate environment.The mortuaries are full. People are dropping dead because of the economic situation. Two people in my neighbourhood dropped dead recently, and this is the reality of the recession that the incompetence and lack of patriotism of the APC government has led Nigeria to.
Right now, with the level of poverty and inflation in the country where a bag of rice sells at over N18,000 from N8,000 – that is more than 100 per cent – in a season where government is unable to pay wages. You can see the triplicate tragedy that the APC has brought on the Nigerian people.
According to Dr. Femi Aribisala, a very brilliant columnist, Nigerians have never had it so bad. This is the worst we have seen. This is worse than what we saw during the civil war.
Government’s fight against corruption
Unfortunately, the APC has done something very well, better than anybody else since 1960, and that is propaganda, and a lot of people have been misled that there is a war on corruption. But like a former governor and statesman, Balarabe Musa, said, there is no war on any corruption. We have said that the APC is actually promoting corruption, and the facts are clear.
Nobody should dispute with the facts. What are the facts? According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), not less than $400billion has been stolen from Nigeria. Total recovery by government is less than $1billion. In fact, it is less than half a billion dollars, according to official statement released at the first anniversary of the government. It is N150billon that they have recovered as at the official release.
APC is not trying to recover money. APC is pursuing political vendetta against opponents. That is very clear. If they were trying to recover money, they would have recovered more than $100billion at least. Let me go further because it is easy to say I am in the National Conscience Party (NCP) and so what am I expected to say, as I am in the opposition.
What have the APC people said? Junaid Mohammed, who is an APC chieftain, said that anytime you hear that the DSS (Department of State Services) has arrested anybody because of corruption, that it is actually politics.
Shehu Sani, an APC senator, said the war against corruption is political. So anybody accusing us of partisanship is being unreasonable. The facts do not lie. If you do the right thing, you get the right result. So if you are not sure that you’re doing the right thing, how to be sure is when you see your result. The result of the anti-corruption war has shown that there is no anti-corruption war. This is a vendetta against political opponents that is costing Nigeria a lot of money. Let the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) tell us how much they have spent.How much has government given the EFCC compared to the amount they claim to have recovered? You may find out that the government has given the APC much more than that, so that even the anti-corruption war is an economic loss to the country. It is possible, I don’t know, but they are hiding the information. How much has the APC government invested in this anti-corruption war that was doomed to failure from the lack of sincerity of its government?
What is happening today? The message the APC government is passing to the Nigerian people is that if you want to steal, make sure you have a broom. This will make the APC government see you as part of them and allow you to stay. But if you are doing your honest business and you are in the opposition, you must be arrested for corruption. Just like Ebun-OluAdegboruwa was arrested for corruption for no offence simply because he is in opposition; he has never been in government and never done a government contract. Just because he is very critical and patriotic, the APC government went to arrest him.
So anybody who deceives you that government is not violating court order because there is an anti-corruption war, that’s a joke. It is a pursuit of political opponents.
But government is saying it is doing so much in agriculture and other non-oil sector which will soon reflect on the economy?
I want to agree with the government that it is doing so much in agriculture as it claims. The government is wreaking so much destruction in agriculture instead. It is the destruction that the government is causing in agriculture that has led to a bag of rice selling at N18,000. Results don’t lie. Look at the results. Rice has gone from N8,000 under the corrupt PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) government to N18,000 under the destructive APC government.
As I said, APC government has done something more brilliantly than any other government since 1960,which is propaganda.
But critical thinkers cannot be deceived by the propaganda because the facts are bare. If you have productivity, why are you having a negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product)? Why are we in a recession? If you are producing rice, the law of demand and supply will bring the price down. What policy has the APC government made? Going to import grass? Are you aware that the APC government budgeted more money for propaganda than for agriculture? Go and look at the budget: N39billion against N29billion.
You mean budget for the Information Ministry?
You can call it information, but what they are doing is cheap propaganda. The APC government needs to be stopped now, not tomorrow. Each day the APC government continues, the damage it is doing to this country is incalculable. This country has never been so divided. Public morality has been completely destroyed by the APC government, and you cannot have a human society without public morality because that is the difference between a human society and an animal kingdom.
They have destroyed public morality with deceit. They have destroyed the economy through incompetent and reactive ‘trial and error’ positions. They have destroyed national cohesion. They have violated the constitution countlessly, and most importantly the APC has enthroned moral depravity.
Have you not seen the nepotism in Buhari’s government? Do you know that Lagos State spent N3.2 billion on the visit of President Buhari which he finally failed to show up?
Are you impressed with government’s handling of Boko Haram insurgency so far?
The APC declared that it had technically defeated Boko Haram. After that declaration, we noticed that Boko Haram attacked the convoy of the G.O.C,7thDivision of the Nigerian Army that is fighting Boko Haram – the highest ranking officer, a two-star General – and they killed one of his men. Does that show you the sign of a defeated Boko Haram? There is so much inconsistency or is it complacency? Today they tell you they are not sure of the real Boko Haram leaders, tomorrow they tell you they are ready for swop. It is the case of the more you look the less you see.
Boko Haram has attacked and overrun several mosques and towns in Adamawa, Borno andYobe states. And that is the technically defeated Boko Haram? Even the attack in Niger could be Boko Haram, but we are hearing them say gunmen.
The propaganda of the APC is very strong and effective, but does that lead to good governance? No. Propaganda cannot yield the results the Nigerian people desire.
What are the results we desire? Power, affordable fuel not at N145, a currency that has value not a worthless piece of paper at N400 to a dollar. We warned Nigeria that APC is the most dangerous threat that has confronted Nigeria since 1960 and the results are clear.
The only option left for the APC government right now is to resign because it does not have an answer. Like Balarabe Musa said, the APC government is incapable of solving any problem. Instead of solving problems, it is compounding the problems.
Petrol; the APC government nearly doubled the price. They went from N86 to N145. Even at N145, you can’t find it except in Lagos and Abuja. APC chieftains are destroying the economy and the result is what everybody is seeing.
But APC members say they are trying to mend the disaster the PDP left behind.
False! The economy was not under a recession under the PDP. The PDP was a very corrupt political party, but the economy was not in recession. Oil price collapsed in 2014, so the APC cannot be holding unto the fall in oil price as excuse for non-performance.
After all, when we built the second Port Harcourt refinery, oil price was not up to $20 per barrel on the average. Production was not up to two million barrels per day. So it is better management that is the question.
There is no amount of revenue that is enough for an incompetent, deceitful and prodigal government like the APC.
What about the free meals they give to school children?
My children are in Nigerian schools and none has benefited from any of such. Are your children befitting (referring to the reporter)?
Most Nigerians you see are walking corpses. Industries are closing, people are losing jobs like never before.
They budgeted N1 billion for feeding and go around saying Nigeria is broke.
Are you aware that the APC spent £6 million on treating President Buhari’s ear infection? That is around N3.2 billion to treat the infection of one ear. This money can build a teaching hospital, if properly spent. Anybody who doubts it should provide that money to the NCP and we’ll build a teaching hospital.
Professor Ben Nwabueze alleges that the President is Islamising the government with his appointments. Do you share in that view?
I have not seen the data presented by Prof.Nwabueze; but I know that he is a highly respected authority in Nigeria and so I would not dispute what he said because some of it is known to me. Nwabueze cannot talk without facts.
We know that President Buhari’s appointments are parochial. So I think Prof.Nwabueze is repeating what everybody knows.
Out of the 15 security and security-related agencies, at least 13 are Muslims, or are you not aware?
Junaid Mohammed has even made a much more serious allegation; that three of the ministers and all the key officers in the Presidency are blood relations of the President. It goes to confirm what Prof.Nwabueze has said without me having to review it word for word.
APC is preparing ahead for re-election in the future without any genuine change, but I pity them because Nigerians now know better.
It is the outrage of the Nigerian people that stopped President Buhari from appointing his niece as INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) chairman, according to Junaid Mohammed, an insider.
So these are not just allegations; they’re facts known by everybody. What is the next step, because you cannot just violate the Nigerian constitution and get away with it?
Federal character is not an administrative requirement; it is a constitutional requirement, and President Buhari swore on the Qu’ran. So pretending to be a Muslim and swearing falsely to the Qu’ran is the height of depravity.
But is there hope for Nigeria?
Yes. There is hope for Nigeria. The Nigerian problem is simple. The late Prof. (Chinua) Achebe has interpreted it for us and everybody agrees with him. The late GaniFawehinmi agrees with him. Rotimi Williams agrees. Honorable Justice Mohammed Uwais agrees. Prof. (Wole) Soyinka says leadership is key. So the problem is leadership. Get the right leadership and this problem will disappear. A tree with a tap root has only one tap root, but it can have 1,000 leaves. What we are seeing are the leaves, when you look at the root, it is the leadership. So once you deal with that, all those leaves will disappear and that’s what you do in professional root-cause analysis.
With what is on the ground, I’m not sure Nigeria can survive till 2019 under the APC. Something needs to be done. This government needs to vacate. We need to prevail on the President to resign. There’s no other option.
