Yesterday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu turned 72-year-old. In line with existing realities of crippling poverty and insecurity grinding the country, the president himself once again ruled out celebrations in his honour for the fourth time, including the yearly birthday colloquium. In tune with public sympathies and acting according to the exigencies of the time, many Nigerians conversant with Tinubu’s trajectory are not surprised over his decision not to celebrate his birthday. Taking into consideration the exacting contemporary economic veracities and spiking level of violence unleashed by non-state actors engaged in an undeclared warfare against the country, some youths, mostly from the North, are fleeing to the south in droves in order to find shelter from criminal and terror groups that has craved the urgency of tackling perpetrators of cold-blooded murders into a major priority.
Still trapped
The country under the watch of President Tinubu is still entombed in the pit of heinous times that have turned survival into a brutish of the nation under the boss and threaten the corporate existence exercise, requiring relentless exercise to keep citizens safe. Despair and pessimism are making some Nigerians to embrace self-annihilation and gradually giving up in the face of insurmountable challenges. Many families have been dehumanised by the economic hardship, just as the Tinubu-led administration’s renewed hope is increasingly turning into renewed frustration for citizens that were constant victims of the eight years of Locust under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The current hardship has been exacerbated by the unprecedented destruction enthroned by criminals and insurgents, driving youths and others from the north to the south for refuge. Former creek warlord, Asari Dokubo, recently raised fears of southerners in a trending video clip over the massive relocation of northern youths to the south. He alleged that the mass movements of northern youths to the south was a subtle move aimed at changing demography and taking over of the south. Though the former militant leader may have his reason for his fears, it should be noted that the primary purpose for this disturbing migration is hinged on economic survival and running away from monsters of insecurity that was once the melting pot for all Nigerians.
Nigeria’s big burden
What is of focus now is to save the country from the bloodshed of non-state actors engaged in challenging the Nigerian State as they unleash collateral destruction of monumental proportions on the country. Years of funding the war against terror has reduced the financial capacity of the country in addressing critical sectors relevant for growth. Despite these fundings that rose to the peak during the Buhari era, not much was seen in decimating the terror machine. The raging war against murderers and other criminal gangs has continued to be inadequate due largely to incapacity by past governments to frontally tackle these violent crimes and premeditated evils by groups opposed to the existence of the Nigerian State.
Since the commencement of the war against terror nearly one and half decades ago, nearly N10 trillions have been deployed, with modern jets procured in a bid to degrade the capacity of terrorists. In all the eight years of the Buhari Presidency, the former president refused to tag insurgent groups as terrorists and advised the then Benue State to live in peace with their attackers that have murdered over 20,000 lives of the state’s citizens.
Under the current administration, there has been an increase in military operations, with all attendant consequences on the lives of non-state actors and the military. The recent horrific murders of military personnel and policemen in Delta State has exposed the underlining threats against the country. A glimmer of hope has appeared on the horizon, with security forces attaining successes in decimating terror gangs and criminals. With President Tinubu insisting that his government won’t tolerate the activities of these terror agents, their activities seem to be numbered.
Most needful
As the federal government directs attention to issues of urgent national focus, the president should not let down the bar in rescuing the country from the jaws of enemies of the State. For development to take place, a political entity must be in unity to achieve growth for the attainment of objectives for the common good. President Tinubu @72 should give alienated ethnic groups a sense of belonging and turn them into stakeholders in order to unite the country for all. Therefore, as a first step, President Tinubu should ensure that all sections of Nigeria are carried along and every citizen must feel a sense of passion in being a co-owner of the Nigerian project.
Secondly, there must be consequences for crimes committed against Nigeria. When a country is governed by rules outside the book, it breeds criminals and promotes violation of rules. Financial institutions that are now the conduit pipes of crimes must be effectively supervised for transparency to be entrenched. It is on this basis that the president should not let down any efforts aimed at cleansing the financial sector that has long been turned into a smelly pit of crimes to the detriment of the nation’s economic prosperity.
Having attained 72 years of age yesterday, there is no doubt that Tinubu is bestowed with all the needed experience to deepen democracy and resolve problems plaguing the country. May the Almighty God grant him abundant good health in the decades ahead. Mr President, accept my belated happy birthday wishes in the service of our dear Fatherland!
