Reduce Cost Of Governance By 60%, Activist Urges Tinubu

As President Ahmed Bola Tinubu marks his 100 days in office today, a civil rights activist, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, says the former Lagos governor has not met the expectations of a majority of Nigerians.

Chukwumezie told THE WHISTLER on Tuesday that ‘Tinubu’s 100 days in office is full of downs and downs’. In his words, “The impact has left everyone gaping. This is the first time hardship knows no class.”

He anchored his assessment of Tinubu’s administration on his hurried removal of fuel subsidy, which he said was poorly implemented.

According to him, “What ordinarily would have been excellent policies were so badly, so hurriedly and so poorly formulated that the execution turned out monstrous and utter disaster.

“Is it the fuel subsidy removal? The dual exchange cancellation? Disobedience to rule of law like in the participation in AU and ECOWAS with the attendant drums of war?

“The subsidy was so hurriedly withdrawn without first laying a solid foundation for cushioning the effects like ensuring that the four refineries are functioning optimally (not even one was made to work skeletally), facilitating the working of Dangote refinery, encouraging new private refineries, putting in place efficient rail services with regular trains as in other countries of many departures per hour in all directions (not the once in a day train) etc. This can be private-sector driven.

“When that subsidy was so withdrawn, I wrote that Tinubu copied Peter Obi’s policy without finding out the implementation guidelines.

“Tinubu first announced his policies without planning, and after people started criticizing them, he started doing what should have been done before the announcements. It is not only maladministration, it is very dangerous. Certain errors cost heavily to correct and some can never be corrected. Take an example, if after all oppositions, he goes ahead to commit Nigerian military to war in Niger!”

On the way forward, Chukwumezie called for the resuscitation of Nigeria’s refineries to make the country an exporter of refined oil as against its current ‘exporter of crude oil and importer of refined oil products’.

Quoting him, “If I’m to advice him on the way forward, he should ensure that all our four refineries are functioning fully. I will also recommend that he initiate an African policy to reduce the sale of raw materials by African countries and have a timetable to totally end it.

“Again, the cost of governance is too bogus and needs to be drastically reduced by 60%. That means that we need 40% of the current cost on administration, especially the Executive and the Legislative arms. All should actually be paid based on federal civil service rates with allowances not exceeding 50% of their salaries.

“In the same vein, salaries of civil servants should be drastically reviewed upwards to meet with the economic realities on the ground. These will save enough resources to inject into the economy for critical infrastructure, especially but not limited to education, healthcare, road network and power generation. They in turn will enhance industrialization and boost private sector participation.”