Nigeria: We cannot breathe
Nigerian rulers are indeed very special. When other leaders and countries are giving palliatives to their citizens and bailing out their manufacturing and service sectors to mitigate the effects of the current pandemic, our rulers (not leaders) here are devising harsher policies to enslave us forever and overburden us . The government has just increased the pump price of fuel and electricity tariffs. I mean in the midst of this massive citizen struggle caused by their poor economic performance and compounded by the Chinese virus crisis. Yes, things were really tough here even before the pandemic. Today, businesses are rapidly shrinking and millions of jobs are slipping away. Food and commodity prices skyrocketed. People are just desperate and hungry. Most Nigerians are stranded and the best our government can do is to cause them more pain. But I don’t blame them. Do they and their children pay rent on a house? Do they buy fuel? Everything they need is provided for them, and if they need more, they can afford it through what they shamelessly grab and hide for their next generations. But we hear that the increases are so they can fund the budget. So this government can only fund its operations by taxing already traumatized citizens to death? Tell me. Which budget? I hear you say a budget of the rich by the rich and for the rich. They will pad budgets, award contracts and pay themselves even if the work is not done. And as I write, the country is on fire as citizens protest police brutality and the failure of the current government. The protest, which led to the death of dozens, spread to the country’s major cities. Many government properties were also burnt.
What immediately occurred to me as this confusion unfolded was what the pharaoh did in the bible. When Moses went to ask him to release the Israelites, the king became angry, and instead of granting the request, he immediately increased their task and suffering to break their spirits forever and silence them forever. That’s exactly what I see here. If this government wants to get more money, they know what to do. They can get it by cutting various excessive salaries, estacodes, allowances, expenses, etc. of the elected, selected and appointed officials of the various bodies of the government. They can get it by properly taxing the rich who own and flaunt their billions in investments and properties without paying any taxes. They can come from eliminating the wasteful security votes that have become a giveaway to our elected officials. What of all the money in various currencies and properties recovered from corrupt past leaders and officials? Where are they? Has he been robbed again as usual? We’ll get to that later. Why should we not get back the national assets, oil wells, companies and corporations that were criminally undervalued and sold to friends, partners and relatives in the name of privatization etc.? We sold everything and yet we don’t get half the value for it. Look at the energy sector. There is confusion everywhere. The distribution companies treat Nigerians like conquered slaves. They charge you whatever they like and also force you to pay it or have your lamp removed. It’s as if there is no law, no regulations, no supervision anywhere. No consumer protection. I was at the EEDC office in Abakpa-Enugu the other day and traders were insulting and harassing customers who questioned the slave accounts. Those who were paying 7,000 are now paying 16,000 per month and should not complain or they are being kept in the dark. They refuse to read your meter. They force you to be on estimated billing. We have no choice or alternative. do we But why can’t we borrow from other countries like China where the state provides the basic amenities and still strongly, adequately supports the private sector. Yes, we can try a mixed economy, since total capitalism, which has worked for other people, has failed to work here.
Dishonesty is the problem of our leaders. Most don’t practice what they preach. They tell you not to steal, but they loot with their biros and through proxies. They talk about democracy, but they continue to rig elections and rule you by force. You ask them to catch the thieves who are looting, back what was recovered by the thieves. The now suspended head of the Anti-Corruption Agency is currently under investigation. He is accused of failing to account for hundreds of houses and billions in various currencies seized from corrupt officials and groups. This is a re-robbing of the loot. And while the investigation was ongoing, the office of the agency keeping records of such transactions was ransacked overnight and computers containing information on most of those transactions were taken away. My God! Was this a James Bond movie or what? What is the title please? We preach against imports, but everything we and our family use is imported. We profess patriotism and nationalism, but we hate and kill other people every day. We talk about security, but we secretly support, finance and arm criminals. Since then, I stopped believing any of them. Yes, we are not only fantastically corrupt, but fantastically, endemically, genetically vicious, deceitful and shameless! As I type I plugged my phone in to charge it and after just a few minutes the charger stopped working. I can’t count how many chargers I’ve bought this year. Some will just work for three days or less. And no one is taking responsibility for suffocating us with all these fake products, materials, drugs, etc. that have not only drained our pockets, but have caused thousands of deaths, fires, building collapses, accidents, etc. .n. It’s really suffocating. We just can’t breathe here! And it was political, economic and then it goes into religious corruption.
Now the shepherds who are supposed to bring us comfort also add to the pain. Pastor David Ibiyomie of Salvation Ministries Port Harcourt committed a spiritual and legal wrong when he cursed and threatened someone for disagreeing on scriptures with Bishop David Oyedepo whom he claims is his father in the Lord. He called him a bastard, mocked Somalis, TV broadcasters and boasted about his power and money. My God! Imagine how I felt as a journalist and minister. And also imagine how its members, listeners and team members who are journalists will feel. But why should a man of God stand in the pulpit and call people bastards and threaten to kill them and deal with them just because they don’t believe what you believe? And the ignorant and gullible assembly applauded? Enslavement! Please stop with this vulgarity in the name of preaching and ministry. God will not kill anyone for criticizing you. Who are you? Criticism is part of it. They criticized Jesus. So now you’re telling us you’re greater than him? What I saw after watching this clip was the spirit of pride, materialism and arrogance and it comes from a false sense of accomplishment and achievement. Too bad! This gospel has just been entrusted into our hands by his grace. We are by no means the prettiest, the most educated, or the most intelligent. It is not given to us on merit. It’s just grace. The greatest achievement and legacy you will leave here is that Christ is manifested and glorified in your life and in what you do. That’s why we were told not to brag about anything. These fathers and sons must return to God and deal with their pride, boasting, arrogance and excessive materialism. We came with nothing and will definitely return to him with nothing. Can’t we learn? I expect this pastor to immediately apologize to those offended, Nigerians and the church for this gaffe. He must do so if he is truly a Christian and a true minister. Now I want to tell our dear fathers and their sons, grandsons and daughters to calm down. Please brother Ibiyeomie just calm down. Yes, I’m telling you to calm down. Let those who think they have live as if they have nothing, and those who have not believe that they have everything in Christ. Now you’ve seen what this week’s writing is like. Yes, because it’s suffocating here and it’s really hard to breathe. God help us!
Gabriel is the author of the books/audiobooks: The Power of Midnight Prayer, Never Again!, Uncommon Success and others https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Gabriel+Agbo&I=audible&ref=dp_byline_sr_audible_1
#Nigeria #breathe