The budget of change and the pool of hope

By ‘Femi Adesope

If you want to give yourself a fair chance to succeed, never expect too much too soon – Po Bronson

Before May 6, 2016, our economy is in a state of coma. The queues at the filing persist even at N120 per litre. Our brothers and sisters in the north have become refugees in their father’s land. Abduction of important public figures and vandalization of pipelines in the east in a demand for better for life. Many of our brothers in the west have espoused Bet9ja as a means to an end in midst of no job. Bailout funds are either not sufficient or diverted and our governors can no longer pay salaries. Closure of federal tertiary institutions in demand for basic amenities like water by students. We have become slaves in our motherland and we could no longer sleep with out twice eyes closed because no one knows the next attack. Are returning to the Point of No Return again?

It is now on all media and print platforms, ‘President Buhari signed 2016 budget into law’, and the question is ‘will this curb the economic hardship? Certainly Yes! Finally, after four months and two weeks of excuses due to unsigned budget, daddy Buhari has now sign the 2016 Appropriation Bill into law. In fact, the dead of the poor can now sleep comfortably in their graves without further disturbance by gnashing of teeth of their children for food, water and security. Less than a month to a year in office, President Buhari has left many quick ‘miracle seekers’ in doubt or complete loss of hope. One may assume that it is too early to judge the book of Buhari’s administration by its cover but a stitch in time saves nine.

Tai Solarin in one of his speeches said “a nation’s school that gets closed down for a week does not postpone the nation’s progress by a week, but by possibly a year or more. Whosever closes a school for any reason whatsoever is an enemy of the state”. Many Nigerian institutions have been closed for several weeks in the course of the year. Why? The reasons are not far-fetched. It is due to protest by students either for water, light, conducive learning environment or hike in school fees. The leadership of many institutions hide under inadequate funding by the government or the side effect of the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA). Now that the budget has been signed into law, hope our schools will be re-opened. At least, pity the poor who out of the crumbling economy and the inability of state governors to pay workers still struggle to afford to give their children ‘quality’ education, a decaying version of the what most of you enjoy for free. We are not demanding for more chicken, just open our schools.

Now that the budget has been signed, will the rural farmers have their lands plough for little or no cost? It is expedient for us to learn from our previous mistake of over dependency on crude oil and make diversification of the economy our next line of priority. Let there be foods in our silos and barns, and the proceeds from our agricultural imports be used to develop the rural areas. The municipal services we enjoy today were built from the ‘abandoned’ agricultural sector. What happens if our grandfathers die? Hence, a need for the nation to encourage youth participation in agriculture. ‘If food is aloof out of poverty, poverty becomes miniature.’ An average Nigerian expects the government to provide infrastructures but that of stomach is number one.

In terms of power, works and housing, Nigerians are earnestly expecting the manifestation of the signed budget. Bad roads to be fixed, new ones to be constructed and more municipal buildings to be put in place. Certainly, we understand the implication of unsigned budget, even the market women, but now that it has been signed, can we now have 18 hours of uninterrupted power supply in our homes? Can I wake in the middle of the night and a have a chilled coke in my fridge? We hope that that N200bn meant for construction of roads will be judiciously utilized for the intended purpose. We expect that in this era of change, contracts will be awarded based on competency with utmost transparency to capable contractors. Hope the signed budget will not be an awakening doss for the sleeping dogs of dubious and quacks who lobby for jobs at the expense of safety and durability. It should be safety first!

No meaningful development can occur in a nation that invests so low in research. While nations are thinking of how to build floating and moveable houses, Nigeria is thinking of producing pencils in years to come. Is this not a disgrace to a nation who gained independence about 56 years ago? Nations that got theirs after us are ahead of us. As for me, I am not a miracle seeker because Rome was not built in a day. Our current problem is a cumulating result of the negligence from past leaders in the areas of science and technology. An engineering student in Nigeria cannot think of solving national problems. Is it not a shame that tertiary institutions with faculty of technology or college of engineering also complain of power supply? How many institutions in the country can maximize their resources to generate adequate power? Where are the funds for science, research and technology? Nigeria, a country left to cater for herself!

Now that the budget has been signed, at least ‘labourers’ in their fatherlands will stop complaining of lack of funds. Lest I forget, not all states of the federation meet up with the payment of the N19,000 minimum wage. I count it as a joke when I heard the labour forces proposing N56,000 as the new minimum wage. Who will pay it? The same state governors that is owing three to four salaries? Frankly speaking, they cannot! Nigerians want the ministry of labour, employment and productivity to start employment without any further delay. I don’t mean the ‘masquerade jobs’. Until we become a nation that can be exporting more than we import, the labour market cannot be strengthened. The anthem now should be factories, factories, factories. Industries, industries, industries. Employment, employment, employment!!!

Without any controversy, security of lives and properties is another important aspect Nigerians are expecting rapid improvement. At first, Nigerians expect the bombing to stop immediately after May 29, 2015 but it persists. Rebuen Abati in his Cattle herdsmen as the new Boko Haram? lamented on the recent killings. Aside the fact that foreign investors will close their eyes to places like these regardless of their natural resources, many and more citizens will become refugees in their land if we continue like this. Though the signed budget might only cater for security generally, everyone has a role to play in the security of the nation. To be blunt, the N6.06 trillion budget cannot solve our ethnic and cultural hates. Until we stand in brotherhood regardless of tribes and tongues, some part of the country will seem to be marginalized.

No matter how long it takes, the Yorubas in their immeasurable wisdom will say, a stutter will pronounce the word ‘father’. In the same vein, when ‘what to eat finishes, the inedible becomes inevitable. Sometimes it seems evil always triumph over good deeds but what it takes the righteous is a good those of patience. Though Nigerians are loaded with pools of expectations but the improvement will not be sudden.

On a final note, our destination is a collective effort of both the leaders and the followers. Leadership obeys the principle of Hooke’s law to the very bone. It explains: when an elastic material is stretched beyond its limit point, it loses its elasticity and becomes plastic, and later cuts or breaks. As a leader, in your leadership disposition, it behooves of you to acquaint yourself with this very leadership principle that edges forward. Its however, a human nature to adopt to an environment, so, leaders are humans, they tend to have this rapore with their followers which is somewhat a must needed. But the ability for such one to return and recollect to knowing his boundary makes a good leader. A phenomenon whereby he becomes drunk of platitudes, then it comes to a time where they (followers) dictate for him. And even sought and suggest plans without his consent or knowing, it has gotten to the point of plastic and break respectively. – Richmond Akhigbe

‘In the years that lie ahead, those of us who have the good fortune to lead our people, will lead statesmanship of a high order and God’s guidance in managing the affairs of our country for the benefit of every Nigeria citizen’s.
Many may continue to criticize the government but my simple prayer is that may God grant our leaders the courage to change things they can change, the serenity to accept things that cannot be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.

Femi Adesope is a student of Civil Engineering in the University of Ibadan. 08177291455, [email protected].