If I Were The President Of Nigeria

 

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IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA.

E get one dream wey

Dey worry me I don 

Dream am tire,

If I sleep small Na di

Dream go come if I

Close my eye small Na di

Dream go come if I 

Siddon for chair say

Make I rest small Na

Di dream go come I

Think say na malaria

Dey come, ...

Culled from ‘I wan bi President’ by Ezenwa-Ohaeto.

Here comes the much awaited 2023 Presidential Election. Presidential aspirants are adding up day by day. The media houses are flooded with arresting captions; "Mr. A declares his interest in running for the presidential seat"; "Mrs. B declares her intention to run for the presidential election". Power is good and flashy. Nigeria is deadly in need of a pristine, innovative, dynamic, astute and constructive leader. Despite being blessed with both human and money-making resources, Nigeria still wallows in abject poverty and acute suffering.  The cause of these entire predicaments is attributed to poor leadership. Nigeria is in dare need of a good leader. 

I have always been brooding over these questions; ‘what if I were the president of Nigeria, what would I do? What would I do differently to achieve a better Nigeria? Or would I follow the dictates of the former leaders that led Nigeria astray?’ Here are my prudent answers to these questions. If I were the president of Nigeria, my first primary and preponderant assignment would be the security and welfare of the people of Nigeria  as stipulated in section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is an open secret that the most mountainous and insurmountable problem of Nigeria is insecurity. Every nooks and crannies of Nigeria are hot bed of insurgency and banditry. There is an alarming rate of loss of lives and property and there seems to be no way out. Our security agencies seem useless and incapable of controlling the situation. The issue of insecurity in Nigeria has driven away potential and prospective foreign and local investors from Nigeria. No investor will ever establish firm where there is incessant insecurity. This is affecting our economy and the peaceful existence of the people of Nigeria. Even our local investors and tycoons have been migrating to other places in the world. This is pathetic and unpalatable. Something decisive must be done drastically. The citizens of Nigeria are sleeping with ‘one eye closes, one eye opens’. What I would do to bring about a drastic solution to insecurity in Nigeria is the establishment of state police with some modifications. I am a staunch proponent of state police as the panacea to this insecurity issue. If each state is empowered to have its own police, the issue of insecurity in Nigeria would be a thing of the past. There is too much concentration of power in the hands of the federal government. If a state wants to sneeze in Nigeria, it must get the approval of the federal government. The security of the good citizens of Nigeria is sacrosanct. Not to be played with. If you asked me, how would this be possible? I would refer you to U.S. security system and learn from it. Nigeria should learn from the fig tree. Also if you told me that U.S. and Nigeria were not the same. I would reply you that there is nothing wrong in borrowing a foreign idea with some modifications to suit your condition. 

Secondly, my government would focus on the revitalization of the epileptic condition of Nigeria economy. For the sustainability and boost in Nigeria economy, the following would be embarked upon:

• Government abstinence from economy only with the power of supervision and stipulating rules and regulations
• Increment in export goods
• Good transportation linking all parts of Nigeria
• High tariff on import goods 
• Development of local crafts and industries through loan and free trading

 I believe if all these are implemented, our economy would improve. 

Thirdly, I would carry out some drastic and decisive reforms for the betterment of the citizens of Nigeria. The Nigeria education system is nothing to write home about. The system is poor and archaic. It only base on reading textbooks without giving room for students’ innovation and utilization of their talents. I believe in pragmatism.  In education, the following reforms would be carried out;  

• Introduction of free and compulsory primary school education
• Introduction of vocational trainings to all secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Nigeria
• Implementation of work and earn scheme while studying for all Nigeria students. 
•  Provision of ultramodern teaching equipment and facilities 
• Upgrading the education system in accordance with 21th century.
• Periodical assessment and training of all teachers and lecturers
• Increment of workforce in the Nigeria education system. 

No nation in the world has ever attained prominence without standard education. During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century of the developed nations the likes of United Kingdom, Russia, U.S.A. etc education was held in high esteem even up till now. 

Health is wealth. In a bid for the betterment of the welfare of the citizens of Nigeria, I would implement the following reforms:

• Revamping of  all hospitals
• Periodical assessment and recruitment of more qualified health workers
• Increment in salary and hazard allowances
• Increment of grants of the health sector
• Provision of ultra modern health facilities and equipment. 
• Free health care for the children, students, the less privileged and the senior citizens 
• Modernization of the Nigeria health sector

More so, there would be favourable reforms in the industrial sector and the civil and public services, such as:

• Provision of substantial loan to the local industries
• Provision of favourable and conducive environment for all industrial and government workers.
• Payment of salary and wages as at when due.
• Increment in hazard allowances
• Provision of free health insurance scheme for all industrial and government workers.

Lastly, there would be general reforms which would include:

• Reduction of government expenditures
• Reduction of salary of all public office holders
• Industrial revolution of the Nigeria agricultural sector
• Increment in man power of the Nigeria armed forces 
• Provision of substantial loan to local industries and farmers
• Provision of allowances to the less privileged and senior citizens
• Establishment of a self-reliance programme for the Nigeria youth. 

So help me God. 

OLAWUNI SAMUEL IDOWU (SANAFFLATUS)

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