MUST NIGERIA CLOSE HER BORDERS OR DISPOSE CRITICAL INFRASRTUCTURES TO SURVIVE ECONOMIC RECESSION?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER. (Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly perspective).  

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 163. 25th September, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).   

MUST NIGERIA CLOSE HER BORDERS OR DISPOSE CRITICAL INFRASRTUCTURES TO SURVIVE ECONOMIC RECESSION?  

Nigeria's National Assembly (NASS), resumed plenary after eight weeks recess and the two chambers went in different directions that barely had relevant contents to improve the state of the economy which is in a temporary recession! The Senate, in an attempt to outsmart the Executive, through Senate President, 'Bukola Saraki, proffered that outright sales of critical government infrastructures would assuage the challenges of the present economic recession. The House of Representatives (HOR), on its part went into a rowdy session when Hon .Aminu Jibrin, the arrow head of the HOR 2016 Budget Padding, raised a motion and insisted that some major principal officers, including the Speaker and the Majority Leader, should step down to make way for proper investigation into his several unproved allegations against Speaker Dogara and others! But while NASS was on recess, the grapevine rumored that the Federal Government toyed with the idea of raising funds through the sales of some very active and strategic infrastructures, like the NNPC, NLNG and or the AJAOKUTA STEEL INDUSTRY, to beef up dwindling revenues from crude oil! Though government had neither confirmed nor denied the rumours making the rounds, it is instructive to note that members of the National Economic Council (NEC), are working round the clock to maintain the tempo of revenue gains from the non-oil export earnings in the agricultural, mineral resources, industrial, manufactured/food products, and transport sectors, whose productive capacities have been enhanced since the much serious drive for diversification from crude oil! And according to an authoritative Presidency source, if such a drive was ever considered by government, there would definitely be a provision for the “buy-back" option when the economy improved! Saraki who submitted that, Executive should raise capital from assets and others sources to shore up foreign reserves had been widely criticized by sound economists who believed that such policy would tantamount to robbing unborn generation of Nigerians of their inalienable national heritage of immense economic values when other options through diversification were already yielding fruits! The HOR on their part adjourned plenary last Thursday, 20th September, 2016, without meaningful debates on neither the state of nation nor of the economy!  

CLOSE THE BORDERS NOW?

Other economists and political pundits claimed that a drastic approach, like what the Chinese and Korean Socialists countries which "closed their borders" to other nations, adopted between the 19th-20th Century to  forcibly entrench socialist ideologies on a largely illiterate population, could work for Nigeria of the 21stcentury, as an option instead of discarding critical assets for pittance to political predators who are waiting on the wings to buy them with their illicit gains from OIL MONEY! According to these schools of thought, Nigerians must henceforth embrace Nigerian products and shun any form of importation in all forms in order to allow local industries to thrive with the campaign slogan drive of, “What we don’t produce, we don’t need!”  

What Are The Options Left To Salvage The Economy?

First it is important for all patriotic Nigerians to believe that the recession challenges are temporary and would be surmounted sooner than envisaged. Second, advocacy in respect of the true perspective and position of the recession must be explained by the federal government through all its information media and orientation agencies to the grass root and solicit for patience and perseverance. Third, concerted efforts should be employed by all stakeholders in the economy to stop the wastage of precious funds through criminal vandalization of the crude oil commercial pipelines in the Niger Delta Region of the country because, acts of terrorism of any dimension would always KILL THE ECONOMY of any nation; no matter the number of its natural assets! Fourth, purposeful efforts should be made to maintain the tempo of agricultural export products which had begun to pick up towards the tail end of the second quarter with encouraging statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently. Jigawa State, according to reports had taken the lead to produce seven "Agriculture millionaires""within the past one year through bumper harvests which accrued to them for embracing generous loans from the Nigeria Bank of Industry (NBI), and that all cash crops had reduced with at least 30% in prices! We solicit an aggressive replication of the Jigawa State example in all states of the federation for the diversification policy to agricultural, minerals, industry, mining, textiles, etc. to be pursued by governors with patriotic zeal.  

To Stop All Forms Of Insurrection And Save The Economy, All Illicit Arms Must Be Recovered And Confiscated By Federal And State Governments!  

The perennial challenge of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), again drew global attention at the recently concluded, 71st United Nations General Assembly, in New York, from19th – 24th September, 2016, when Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, solicited the collective resolve of other Head of States and Governments, to beat back terrorism in all its forms No one could have been in a better position to court the co-operation of his fellow world leaders than President Buhari in whose domain lie 70% of SALW in the West African sub-region inspite of the global movement against gun violence!
There was public outcry in August 2016, by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), when news broke out that there was in Nigeria, stockpile of SALW of an alarming 350million, out of the 500 million discovered to be hosted by the entire ECOWAS countries of the West Africa sub-region, and it was yet to be established that collective regional embargo had produced any meaningful impact against the terrifying menace! Judging by the activities of terrorists and militant groups within the ECOWAS countries, one was bound to wish that more stringent measures be employed by concerned governments in unison to block and man the porous borders of their territories. Beginning with Nigeria, other countries on the West African coasts, like Mali, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, apart from hosting large proportions of SALW, are still being infiltrated by armed groups which caused social, infrastructural, economic and collateral damages, each time they struck! The outcry of August 2016, was sequel to the alarming revelation of arms stockpile in Nigeria during the United Nations Regional Peace and Disarmament In Africa, and Presidential Committee (PRESCOM), Summit on Small Arms and Light Weapons, held in Abuja, which also disclosed that SALW were in the hands of non-state actors who used the weapons to threaten lives and properties of their compatriots.

According to a Daily Trust report, three   inadequacies were identified as responsible for the outrageous statistics: (1). Ineffective management of the nation's porous borders; (2).Stock pile mismanagement by security agencies, where weapons meant for government work were lent or sold to armed robbers and non- state agents and (3) Obsolete laws used in regulating the arms.    The current law against prohibitive arms and ammunition in Nigeria is still the 1958 Colonially-inherited and archaic Fire Arms Act which prescribed inadequate penalties for offenders in a 21st Century "wild wild west", scenario! Way back in 1966, following the January military coup de tat of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, when violence was introduced into an otherwise peaceful communities of Nigeria through the proliferation of SALW, from internal and external vendors due to the elongated 60month-old- Biafra war, armed robberies rapidly gained momentum while internal security was thrown to the dogs! When "democracy" was briefly allowed a space between 1979-1983, the party with the highest numbers of SALW held sway at the pools through ballot boxes snatching and political brigandage that was totally alien to the electorate and Nigeria was forcibly admitted into the global union of insecure nations! Porous borders of which Nigeria can boast of over 400 of them, had been identified as the major entry points through which the SALW find their ways unhindered to spit fire and snuff out lives of innocent citizens who had always been the unfortunate victims of the maladministration in all governments - military or civilian, but unpatriotic security agents also regularly connived with arms merchants to smuggle in the weapons of mass destruction into the country for pecuniary advantages!

If three hundred and fifty million of the five hundred million illegal arms on the West African coast are hidden in Nigeria, should anyone be surprised about the high rates of crime and criminality in which sophisticated arms were usually employed to confront security agents with much professional audacity! Until the advent of the APC Government, under the determined leadership of President Buhari, Boko Haram boasted of taking over the North East Nigeria and almost did! Kidnappers and assassins are on the rampage in every state of the federation; the Niger Delta Region is under heavy bombardment of several militant groups who are bent on destroying the economy because PDP was no longer on power!

If government ever decided to dispose assets as being proposed, they should be sold through shares to masses of the public who are the "hewers of the wood and drawers of the water"! The Word of God says, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn". (Deuteronomy. 25:4) Common Nigerians have a stake in this government of Change and we strongly believe that President Buhari and his exemplary team, would not fail them! Amen.  

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.  

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.  

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.