Some public commentators have posited that the masses have an entitlement mentality, for expecting palliatives from the State and Federal governments. Nothing can be farther from the truth as this reasoning.
The masses are not asking for what is unattainable, they merely need sustenance and food on the table for their families, while locked down and unable to generate daily income to survive.
When a former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala instituted the Excess Crude Oil Account (ECOA), it was ex Governor Fashola of Lagos State who goaded the Governors Forum to court to restrain the Federal government and to share the funds to the States.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s ECOA, which was meant to cushion the adverse effects of a raining day in the economic fortunes of Nigeria, such as being witnessed in this era of COVID-19 would have at least ameliorate the situation to an extent.
The Federal and State governments should now come down from their high horses and come up with well thought out strategies to cope with the imminent devastating effect of the tsunami of COVID-19.
One of the measures to be taken is to drastically reduce recurrent expenditures in staff wages and overheads. Some State Governors have hundreds of Special Advisers and Assistants, who in turn have their own Assistants and Advisers. Job for the boys with no value addition.
It common knowledge that no Nigerian Governor travels by commercial airlines anymore. All PJs. The financial hemorrhage in governments is quite atrocious and should be clot immediately.
Top priority ought to be given to Human Resources development, such as health, education and agriculture.
Let some of our leaders for once in the life of government, behave temporarily as a welfare state, because there is Corona emergency and war in the land of unimaginable magnitude, that requires real leadership that can think outside of the box.
The poor Nigerians have been in a perpetual state of war. War of hunger, war of health, war of malnutrition, war of education, war of eroded value system, war of rape and abuse. Their entire lives have been a struggle. While some fly by night politicians who couldn’t rub two coins together, before being elected or appointed into public offices and now holding sway over their patrimony and commonwealth. They have looted and shared the spoils of this societal inhumane war.
Note: Iroche is a seasoned Finance Executive with over thirty years’ experience in Banking, Power and Public Service. He has served on various boards such as the International Glass Industries Limited and GTBank Sierra Leone.
