The Dark Side Of Hustle Culture And What To Do Instead

By Polycarp Onwubiko

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should conduct a realistic assessment of the economic policies and programs of President Buhari's administration and fine-tune some for implementation.

Considering the constraints in the economy, where the petroleum sector contributes significantly to the country's revenue, the Buhari administration introduced the "Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP)." The ERGP aimed to reinvent the economy by diversifying the export base and creating multiple sources of revenue.

Regrettably, ethno-religious irredentism, a characteristic of the Buhari administration, posed a formidable obstacle to the otherwise lofty ideas in the ERGP. For instance, diversifying the economy in the agricultural sector, which is typically within the Constitutional Jurisdiction of state governments or Regional Governments in a sane federation, faced resistance.

The Federal Government has no business running ministries like education, health, agriculture, security, commerce, and operating motor licensing and vehicle plate numbers. These functions are better handled by state governments, aligning with the realistic needs of their people. This is why the nationwide calls for restructuring the lopsided federation should be a cornerstone of the Tinubu Administration; otherwise, he risks operating in the dark due to the much-touted "Covenant" he signed with the acclaimed owners of Nigeria, the "Northern Political Emirates Establishment."

The naive insistence by the federal government under the Buhari administration, unfortunately seen in the Tinubu administration, on running the agriculture ministry is an attempt to enforce an ultra-conservative policy like the National Livestock Plan, aimed at sidetracking the world practice of ranching for the production of healthy animals. This is why the northern phalanx strongly opposes multi-level policing, aka "State Police," which is an integral part of restructuring the lopsided federation to restore realistic principles of federalism, as practiced in the first republic. They prefer the primitive culture of open grazing, covertly advancing an Islamization agenda.

Sane-minded Nigerians understand that the only solution for an effective security system is multi-level policing. Recent discussions in the National Assembly about a decentralized security architecture are mere posturing, as they have already consulted with the security agencies. What is urgently needed for Nigeria to reinvent itself is the immediate restructuring of the lopsided federation with decentralized security architecture as an integral part.

Expecting a quantum leap in the agriculture sector, crucial for economic diversification and foreign exchange earnings, is naive when terrorists posing as herdsmen (President Buhari covertly sanctioned their entry into the country from the Sahel region of West Africa) continue mindless slaughter of the indigenous population, occupying their ancestral lands while people are quartered in makeshift refugee resettlements and dying in droves. Since taking over the mantle of leadership, President Tinubu has, shockingly to Nigerians, behaved as if the unspeakable privation of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) does not exist or merit mention in Federal Executive Council meetings.

A few weeks ago, a Daily Sun columnist reminded Tinubu about the continued infiltration of Fulani invaders occupying the ancestral lands of people in southern Kaduna and middle belt states, with mindless slaughtering and invasion ongoing while security agencies turn a blind eye. Foreign people are occupying ancestral lands and changing community names, even as it was reported that INEC has registered these foreign names for voting in the 2023 general elections.

 

Polycarp Onwubiko, public policy analyst.