5 days to BAT’s 365days on the THRONE!

5 days to BAT’s 365days on the THRONE!

By Bolaji O Akinyemi.

Viewing the valley from the hill is the privilege of vintage that nature has conferred on hill dwellers, whereas valley dwellers are denied the opportunity to see the top of the hill except they climb it.
This analogy better describes the situation we have found ourselves at analysing one year of Tinubu’s Presidency. Those who needs to understand where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is taking us are denied the eyes to see for them and mouth to speak to them and for them; though there are 469 mouths and 938 eyes structured by the constitution in Abuja holding the people’s mandates to see for 230 million people and speak for them and to them.

Those with societal status and elitist’s access to the top of the villa’s rock are from their privileged positions and politics induced minds and politicized perspectives already speaking for and to their interests.

Among such opinions is Reno Omokri, who with the title, “One Year anniversary: Bright Spots In Tinubu’s Government”, presented a somehow biased view of how he sees it.

Omokri, is no doubt one of the most strategic Communicators in Nigeria’s public space. Brilliant as usual, his assessment is on the BRIGHT SPOTS of Tinubu’s Government. Could this suggest that there are dark spots of Tinubu’s Government? Answer to that will come in the course of this serial response to Omokri.

Though, the major concern of the ordinary Nigerian for food production and food security didn’t feature on his list of priorities. For those confined to the valleys of our nation who do not know where the next meal will come from. For those whose days have turned to nights, weeping and waiting for the promised renewal of hope, I chose to write.

Omokri began with; “In the space of a year, President Bola Tinubu has fulfilled six significant promises he made during the campaigns, including”

Pretty difficult to fault the claims of fulfillment of promises made during the campaign by Mr President but the needlessness of those promises as being fulfilled, proves just one point. Education is the greatest need of our teeming illiterate populace who were unable to discern the promise to spread the tax drag net, probably they misinterpreted it for a fishing expedition that will put fishes on their tables!

He listed Tinubu’s fulfilment as follows:

“Subsidy removal,
Naira floatation,
Student loan scheme,
Allocations to states doubled,
Infrastructural development and
Reduction in government expenditure”.

While some of the over listed look good on paper as reflected in the budget, for example the reduction of government expenditure, the reality of underhand activity of the legislative arm through padding has knocked off the mileage gained in our journey to cut down government expenditure. The 90 Billion donation to Hajj operation by a government with paltry 5 billion Naira as students loan in a country with out of school children exceeding 10 million is worrisome!

Our falling standard of tertiary education producing some Graduates who cannot read nor write should have seen the budget swapped 5 Billion to Hajj and 90 Billion to Youth Development and students loans!

Recognising Team work but betraying the same in one breath, Omokri stated; “However, he has not achieved this all on his own. Roughly 20% of his cabinet have been responsible for most of his progress”!

Why my attempt is not to take shine off the people that Omokri gave it to, it is important to state that the need of our nation is for institutions that work and not individuals working through institutions but taking the shine off their institutions!

Omokri invited us to take a view of those individuals; “Now, who are these individuals? I will do my best to break it down”. Indeed his best he delivered at breaking them down!

Omokri began with the office of The National Security Adviser.

“The NSA has been responsible for the neutralisation of the most notorious bandit kingpins, including Ali Kachala, Boderi Isyaku, and Sani Dangote, which has resulted in a marked decrease in incidents of insecurity. But my problem with him is that he is too modest. If he reels out his achievements more often, Nigerians will realise the blessing God gave them in Ribadu”!

Omokri will want Ribadu to make more noise over efforts that are not singularly his, so that Nigerians can realise the bundle of blessing Ribadu is, and the role over hyping may serve, maybe, his presidential ambition in the future?

I don’t understand! What is the need of an NSA for publicity?

Reno said, NSA has been responsible for the neutralization of Ali Kachala and his likes. The question is, what was the role of the NSA in the operation? He possibly called for a meeting of the Defence Committee based on the intelligence gathering of the intelligence community. The Chief of Defence Staff, all the Services Chiefs, The IGP and other Security Agencies made institutional contributions to the plans and they, not the NSA whose duty is advisory, TRANSMITTED the orders that got those criminals neutralized to the troops? Yes, transmitted, obey the last order is the culture of the military. Every order must spring from the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces and flow down.

Did he go to the battlefield himself? The success of this government if any, on Security must rest where the blames would have; The Institution of Tinubu’s Presidency, who himself is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Those who are eager to sell Ribadu should wait until it is his turn!

To the institutions of our Armed Forces and the President as the C-In-C must be given the credit!

Omokri stated; If you enjoyed the resurgence in value of the Naira throughout April, then you have Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to thank. The major reason why the Naira bounced back in value was because Mallam Ribadu took action against Binance”. Every action at his level must be intelligence informed. Where was the intelligence from?
“By moving against them and arresting their executives while frustrating the shady aspects of their online activities in Nigeria, he removed the single most significant platform for currency speculating and manipulating against the Naira and for capital flight out of Nigeria. That is why the Naira made a strong comeback this month”!

The lapse that made those Saboteurs escaped from Nigeria before they were recaptured not withstanding. Are you still in doubt of Omokri’s determination to sell the fruit, Ribadu is before it ripes?

Ribadu’s action against Binance, can only be at the instant of the President. Ribadu will do nothing of such, if the President does not subscribe to the idea!

People like Omokri must be reminded that National Security Adviser is an office in the Institution that the Presidency is, and a tool through which the duty of the President as the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces is performed!

Omokri charged further; “Additionally, you can now drive from Abuja to Kaduna without being kidnapped. Or am I lying? When was the last time you read, heard, or even imagined an abduction on that route? The Abuja-Kaduna trains are safe. The Kaduna airport is secure. We are gradually moving from the dystopia of hundreds of bandits riding with their motorcycles right on the tarmac of the Kaduna International Airport, to a utopia where they are being bombed by air, gunned down by land, and cordoned off in the forests”!

Omokri took his products to the roof, Nuhu Ribadu is the best NSA Nigeria has had since that office was created”, in less than a year out of 4 years tenure, Ribadu is the best…. Is someone out to help Ribadu keep his job?

Yes! Kaduna -Abuja road is now safer than the way Buhari handed it over to BAT and before Ribadu took over as the NSA, of course before General Christopher G. Musa assumed office as the CDS. Likewise Southern Kaduna and other climes. But what could be the reasons? Those who were sympathetic to these murderers or their sponsors are no longer in Govt. Why we applaud the results of kinetic engagement, mention must be made of the none kinetic engagement by the office of the CDS for the institution of Defence. It will equally be unfair to undermine the efforts of the Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency Uba Sani who, as the Chief Security Officer of the state is sustaining and consolidating on military intervention by reaching out in dialogue, taking suggestions and acting on them. Those who are working without talking because of the nature of their personalities or nature and ethics of their profession must not be blackmailed by Ribadu’s fans who wouldn’t mind to decorate their hero with the little security achievement made in 365 days of BAT!

Should others leave the job for BATMAN Ribadu, the Super NSA who can do it all alone? This is not the time to engender bickering, rather, it is time to build on the success recorded and consolidate on Team approach.

Coming next will be my reaction to Reno Omokri’s rating of the Minister of information in 4 days to 365 days of Tinubu on the THRONE! It will be published on Sunday the 26th of May 2024. We will take a break on Monday the 27th of May, being Children’s day to see how well our children have fared under Tinubu’s Presidency and the hope in view for them. That will be followed by my reactions to Omokri’s commendations of FCT, Interior, Aviation, Works, Petroleum and Foreign Affairs Ministers on the 28th and 29th of May 2024.

Keep following! Building strong institutions in a working country; to the betterment and greatness of our nation alone, our consolation. See you tomorrow!

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.

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