QUIT THROWING TANTRUMS, THERE'LL BE NO SPECIAL FAVOURS - Lauretta Onochie

The very idea or insinuation that President Buhari is anti North and anti Islam is to say the least, preposterous and mischievous. The truth is that those making the scathing attacks on the person and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, believe that they are THE North. 

Well, we have news for them. They are not THE North. They are just Nigerians who, over the years have grown used to privileged lifestyles of circumventing the laws for their personal aggrandisement, to the neglect and detriment of the poorest in our society. They have been shortchanging the Nigerian economy by demanding waivers from Customs and Excise and other governmental Agencies. This means that they are tax cheats! 

Because their friends were in government, they demanded and easily obtained for themselves, things that should have gone to ordinary Northerner and other Nigerians. They have set up cartels of young impoverished people they use for smuggling cars, rice and other items across the borders and then try to demand special favours to further their illegal trades. No more! 

But did they stop there? Oh no! They have illegally been running parallel black currency market, in defiant of the Central Bank's order to register and be regulated. We are sure they know the damage they have done and continue to do to our economy with their illegal activities. 

In these times of recession when Nigeria has shortage of foreign exchange, transaction rates are being arbitrarily fixed in negation of market forces of demand and supply. Niyi Akinsiju, a Public Affairs Analyst, has this to say:

"In a market of acutely short supply of foreign exchange as we have now, operators desperately price foreign Exchange much higher than the official window to attract transaction, unfortunately, these high transaction rates are priced into the production and service costs of entities that can access the official Forex window. This leads to higher price of products and services which in turn drives up inflation rates."

In continuation of working hard to drive up inflation, your activities support and fuel the illegal diversion of Forex obtained from official sources. Niyi Akinsiju continues: 

"The usual high rates quoted by the black market operators provide arbitrage opportunity for entities who got Forex from the interbank market or Bureau de Change, to round trip to the black market, for the diversion of Forex officially secured. THEY ACT AS UNOFFICIAL DEVALUATION AGENTS OF THE NATIONAL CURRENCY". 

So we all know why attacks are coming from the usual and unusual sources. These attacks are not done in the interests of ordinary Nigerians. No. They bear the hallmarks of criminal selfish intentions. They are aimed at re-entrenching the status quo, so that it would be business as usual, while the poor masses continue in their abject poverty. 

President Buhari has said many times to the Nigerian elites that under his watch, it's no longer business as usual in this country. He has recently asked that they should stop making expensive demands. This is clearly because some elites have been asking the President and members of his team, to do things that are not pro-masses. Yes the masses, the very people he vowed to protect from the few greedy lot. The requests are usually special favours that would benefit just them and their cronies, putting more money in their pockets, and nada, for the government's coffers!

Pres. Buhari is known not to give special favours, especially personal  favours that do not include the welfare of the people of Nigeria. It does not matter how you are related to him, everyone gets the same treatment. He is not one to discriminate against anyone. So he would not stand by and watch a few people circumvent policies and procedures. That's nothing but impunity, a no-no under his watch.

These Nigerian elites must now understand that living like spoilt brats where in spite of their stupendous wealth, they demand political patronage, undue waivers and dodge taxes based on friendships and "man-know-man", is now in the past. They must shove their twisted influence as it counts for nothing and does not extend beyond their noses under this administration.

President Buhari will continue to be the president of ALL Nigerians, including the elites. But he will protect the ordinary citizens from the ferocious teeth of those greedy elites who insist of making gains that are detrimental to the welfare of all Nigerians. 

While the media team of Corruption Fighting Back is throwing the money they heartlessly stole from all of us around and recruiting local and international attackers, they have now run out of coordination by having their southern and Northern recruits, run two campaigns of calumny that are opposites. Ha!

Some days ago, while his equally mischievous Southern Nigerian cronies continued to insist that President Buhari was on a mission to islamise Nigeria, Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Mohammed continued shooting himself in the foot by insisting that President Buhari deceived the North with Islam. 

At no time during the campaign, did President Buhari make religion an issue. How one man who is seen as not a "Proper" Muslim by those who are not in talking terms with Allah, would be planning to Islamise Nigeria in the same vein, calls at best, the examination of their motives. I can wager a bet that it's selfish. 

Pres. Buhari should be applauded for insisting that no part of Nigeria should be favoured unduly. We are all Nigerians and we have our needs which the government must meet. President Buhari is teaching Nigerians and indeed Africa, that they do not have to elect a national leader simply because he shares their ethnicity and religion, but based on what he can do for the whole nation. 

President Buhari has set himself as the president of Nigeria, not of the North, something his critics are not used to and are finding unusual and abnormal. But this is applaudable and we all must learn this New Democratic principle he is bringing to the table. 

It's now clearly obvious that many of our Nigerian elites are not getting whatever it is they used to get previously or want out of this government. Consequently, they continue to throw tantrums. 

The recession is biting hard. Many Nigerians who were abandoned for many years to live below the poverty line are groaning. President Buhari is working with his team in the face of dwindling oil revenue, to alleviate the sufferings of these Nigerians. 

Jobs are being created. Apprenticeship schemes have taken off through the Federal Government's Social Investment Schemes. Billions of Naira have been injected into the economy. The Social welfare scheme, where the poorest and the most vulnerable receive N5000 a month, is in place. Three, times, billions of Naira have been released to states to pay owed salaries so families could meet their financial obligations. Many Primary School children are enjoying school dinners. Low cost housing units are being built. Major dilapidated roads in ALL the states, are under construction. Farmers are becoming millionaires through the Federal government's collaboration with states, Central bank and Bank of industries. Aba-made products are receiving more patronage and the attention they deserve, Etc. 

The government of Pres. Buhari is not about the elites as in the previous administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, when wealth was measured by the number of the President's friends who had private jets. No, wealth for many Nigerians means a roof over their heads, clean clothes to wear and food in their stomachs. The President Buhari-led Nigerian government is committed to rejigging the economy to be productive and favourable to all, not just a few. 

These elites should channel their energy on supporting the government in nation-building. Like that, they will be well placed to proffer constructive criticisms of the government. This continued antagonism due to selfish interests is an evil wind that does no one any good. But one thing is certain, Pres. Buhari has listening ears but as his ears are not garbage cans, he will not be swayed to indulge these spoilt Nigerian elites. 

God Bless Nigeria.

Lauretta Onochie