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Insecurity: Babangida’s SAP Behind Nigeria’s Current Woes – VON DG, Okechukwu
Insecurity: Babangida’s SAP
behind Nigeria’s current woes –
The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita
Okechukwu has blamed the current security
challenges facing Nigeria on the Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP), an IMF policy under
the military leadership of then Head of State,
Ibrahim Babandiga
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DAILY POST reports that Nigeria has lately been hit
with insecurity of a high magnitude, a situation that
has now worsened with the endless abduction of
school children in the Northern part of the country.
He also did not spare power distribution companies,
lamenting that rather than improve on electricity,
they were busy siphoning billions of funds.
While absolving his party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC), of blames, Okechukwu cautioned
that “instead of the blame game, we should come to
the reality that the insecurity challenge we face
today is the outcome of Extreme-Poverty planted in
1986 by the IMF Structural Adjustment Programme
(SAP). He said that SAP sowed the inhuman seed
which gave birth to insecurity and calls for
introspection and deep reflection on how we
became the World Poverty Capital and how best to
exit fast.
“Yes, we of the APC pledged to fix security in our
dear country in every particular matter. That’s our
pledge, and to be honest we are deploying billions of
Naira and every material and human resources to
contain it.
“However, we are confronted with Extreme-Poverty
planted in 1986 by the IMF Structural Adjustment
Programme (SAP). The day SAP was born was the
day the gross economic inequality and insecurity in
Nigeria was born. It has badly mutated since 1986.â€
“Economic inequality breeds extreme-poverty, hate,
division and hostile insecurity, in countries
wherever it is allowed to thrive throughout history.
To be exact no matter how much trillions of Naira
we spend on military hardware, or how many times
we change Security Chiefs, with Extreme-Poverty
security will remain a mirage.
“Whereas I am neither canvassing for marxism nor
socialism, we must accept that ours is a primitive
economy which requires a primary solution.â€
He noted that “the primary solution is to return to
Mixed Economy model; clearly stated in Section 16(2)
(c) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria inter alia, “that the Economic System is not
operated in such a manner as to permit the
concentration of Wealth and Means of Production
and Exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a
group.†Okechukwu posited.
“We violently breached the Fundamental Objectives
and Directive Principles of State Policy of our
Constitution. Regrettably, everyday we widen
economic inequality, because government owned
enterprises we privatised like Electricity failed. The
Electricity Distribution Companies we privatised
rather than improve electricity distribution still
siphon billions from government treasury. The
glaring result is the paradox of a nebulous economic
system which produced the richest African and
produced World Poverty Capital.â€
“Truly, Nigeria’s security problem is that we run an
artificial economic model, where there is an ocean
of poor people and an island of rich people. The
opaque system created banks which make billions of
profit annually and operate poverty induced Shylock
Interest Rates.†Okechukwu lamented.
“Therefore, rather than blame the game we should
return to a mix-economy model, dish out the
nebulous economic policy that the government has
no business in business.
“Government has business in business, because we
the people are the business in a primitive economy
like ours. As long as we live under the illusion of a
developing country, so long our inequality widens, so
long our poverty widens and insecurity widens.â€
Okechukwu quipped.
“Indeed unless we curb Extreme-Poverty in the land,
insecurity will remain an existential challenge.
Extreme-Poverty is the obstacle we inherited when
in 1986 we embarked on the IMF Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP).â€
Asked whether Social Investment Programme and
other poverty alleviation initiatives have not
addressed his Mixed Economy model, Okechukwu
answered that “federal, state and local councils
need to invest heavily more than is done presently
in electricity, roads, railways, agriculture and social
infrastructure like education and health. Even if it
entails more borrowing.
“In sum, we can forge national unity and progress
out of the insecurity challenge, if we invest heavily
in physical and social infrastructure and ensure that
the means of production, exchange, profit and
property are not concentrated in a few pockets.
This is the unsung inner minds of most aggrieved
Nigerians.â€: Babangida’s SAP
behind Nigeria’s current woes –
VON DG, Okechukwu DG, Okechukwu
Bandits Told Us Their Business Cannot Thrive Without Informants In Our Villages – Rescued Kagara Students
Students of the Government Science College
Kagara, Niger State released last Saturday have
revealed secrets gained from their short stay in
bandits net
The students say the bandits claimed their
operations were always successful because of
collaboration with informants in any area targeted
for attack.
The students say the bandits claimed there was no
way they could succeed in their attacks without the
help of informants.
Suleiman Lawan speaking on behalf of the students,
on Sunday during a brief ceremony to reunite them
with their families, said the bandits claimed they
continue to thrive in their business because of
insiders willing to offer information.
According to him, during the 10 days of captivity in
the den of the kidnappers, who are mostly
illiterates, the bandits claimed that their informants
even kept them abreast of reactions trailing each
kidnap.
“They said, how can they successfully carry out
their kidnaps without insiders. They said they don’t
work alone but with informants within the
environment, they attack. That even as we were
with them, they have information from different
persons of reactions to our kidnap including security
personnel and other members of the society.â€
“During the attack on our school, some of our
teachers and our students lost their Laptops,
motorcycles, handsets among others to the bandits.
But, we all thank God, we came back all alive,†Lawan
stated.
He, however, called on the bandits to have a change
of heart and drop the kidnap of innocent people and
return to their former trade, while thanking the
state for rescuing them from their abductors.
Also, one of the staff of the College abducted
alongside the students, Mohammed Musa Abubakar
said the kind of suffering they underwent at the
hands of bandits was unimaginable.
“What we went through, I don’t wish it for my worst
enemy, we went through a terrible experience that I
can never forget in life.â€
He then thanked the state Governor, Sani Bello for
ensuring their safe return to their families.