Hundreds of Abia Women putting on Black a signal that democracy is in Danger in Abia State has blocked the Abia State Government House Umuahia.
The Women said any Security man or women sent to remove Ikpeazu as Abia State Governor must Kill all of them First
¬¬¬ Nigeria Languishes In Denial As Doomsday Approaches.
By
Eben Dokubo
As a country of 170 million people drifts towards the precipice, the trending issues in the corridors of power are how to crush agitators, borrow heavily from China, and hold show-trials of enemies. Government is unable to pay salaries nationwide due to a crash of oil revenues, yet, Abia, Ekiti, Bayelsa, and Rivers State are primed to be thrust into contrived political crises.
The crumbling economy manifests in hunger, unemployment, insecurity, and despondency. The Federal Government is fluttering, confused as a headless chicken. Nigerians languish in denial as doomsday approaches. The thrust of its economic policy can best be described as POVERTY RECYCLING. It is focused on maintaining the status quo, even as the world is changing rapidly. Divide and Rule is the oldest trick in the book. The emerging scenario is frightening.
Nigeria is a country blessed with all it takes to be great; intellect, natural resources, manpower, and fertile soil, yet it is fast approaching an abrupt cataclysmic meltdown. There is extreme hunger in the land, pervasive insecurity, and agonizing hopelessness. The catalyst of this impending catastrophe is a tangled web of Crude Oil, injustice, insincerity, incompetence, insensitivity, ignorance, corruption, and haughtiness.
Unless and except conscientious citizens, erudite scholars and the Niger Delta at large urgently embark on a well thought-out enlightenment campaign to sensitize Nigerians and the International Community on the inherent injustice which makes it legal for a state to receive 2 billion naira (13% inclusive) from the Federation Account, in a month in which it contributed N70billion to the same account, efforts to solve the Niger Delta debacle will remain a wild goose chase, to the regret of all Nigerians.
Oil producing areas ought to be developed from the proceeds, and then, whatever is left is shared and not vice-versa. Rivers State has no business going to borrow 20 billion naira for development when it contributes over 100 billion naira to the Federal purse in the same month and receives 4 to 8 billion in return. This model cannot be sustained. Bayelsa State should not owe monthly salaries of 4 billion naira when it contributes 100 billion to the Federal purse in the same month. Bayelsa State receives ZERO tax from Shell, AGIP, Chevron, etc because of subsisting laws. Rather, they pay PAYE and other taxes to Lagos and Abuja.
Transparency cannot be the end point. What each state contributes to the Federation Account must be announced, just as what it receives is announced. Then, and only then can Nigerians revisit the monstrous moral debacle in the form of obnoxious laws that are indeed the root of our social and economic albatross.
With an economy anchored on a reverse Robin Hood, the cries of non-payment of salaries will be child’s play because, sooner or later, the oil and gas will stop to flow and Nigerians will be forced to swallow the bitter pill of economic devastation. Answers to the issue of the Niger Delta can be found in the Willinks Committee Report, the Ledum Mittee Technical Report, the NDDC Masterplan, and the Ogomudia Committee Report amongst others.