– Accuses IMF, World Bank Of Toying With Nigeria’s Economy
– Urges Uzodinma To Conduct LG Election As Promised
As Nigerians continue to assess the performance of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s one year in office, fiery Imo lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Barr Ifeanyi Olumba has described the President’s one year in office as playing lawn tennis without a racket.
Chief Olumba made this assertion Monday in Owerri, the Imo State capital while fielding questions from newsmen on the one year account of stewardship of President Tinubu. He accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and others of hoodwinking the present leadership into bad economic policies which have negatively impacted on Nigerians. Down home, he called on the Imo State governor Senator Hope Uzodinma to make good his promise of conducting the Local Government election within 60 days. Saddened by the entire state of affairs under one year of President Tinubu’s administration, Barrister Olumba scored the President very low in all areas of national life, describing it as a journey on the edge of precipice.
According to the legal luminary, under one year of the present administration at the centre, Nigeria as a nation state has moved from the fry pan to fire, leaving behind trails of woes. Cost of goods and services, especially food stuffs he said, have greatly skyrocketed to the high heavens with many dying across board in all States of the federation.
The human rights activist x-rayed numerous problems confronting the nation under one year of draconian policy, which includes economic, industrial, security, education, agriculture, power, gas, oil and others, adding that they were all system failure and scam, fraudulently schemed to hoodwink the citizens under the so called ‘Renewed Hope. He blamed President Tinubu for starting on a wrong footing, adding that the problems of the country were further escalated when he made unguarded statement that ‘Subsidy’ is gone, without any plans, mechanism or alternative to cushion the effect.
The regular vocal commentator on phone- in-radio programmes lamented that regular darkness instead of regular power supply has compelled many industrialists and investors to flee the land in search of good business environment. Quoting Prof. Olatunde Makanju he said: ‘Electricity is the engine that drives industrialization, which improves communication, helps innovation in Science and Technology, provides sound health-care delivery system and improves citizens standard of living’. He said that government is a social contract between the citizens and their leaders, adding that without regular power supply as posited by Prof Makanju, the so called ‘Renewed Hope’ will remain a mirage, adding that they will keep on giving us false hope.
On insinuations making the round that former President Buhari laid the foundation of the present national woes, he likened the administrations of the former President and the present one to that of King Solomon of Israel who inflicted his people with heavy yoke, only to be further increased under his son, King Rehoboam who chastised his people with scorpions instead of his father’s whips, adding, like father, like son. He lambasted the West, especially the IMF and World Bank for interfering in the nation’s economic and monetary policies, this he said, cannot help an independent nation like Nigeria.
He also condemned what he called a fire-brigade approach in solving national problems, such as the so called Social Intervention Scheme,gas vehicles, palliatives and others which he said we’re not traceable, hence a booby trap. Chief Olumba like ned them to the former President Buhari’s school feeding programme that engulfed billions of Naira, and before we could ask where ? they said that our children had been fed.
On the promise of the Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to conduct the LG election within 60 days, Barr Olumba, called on the Governor to stick to his promise and make sure that a credible person is appointed as Chairman, Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) like Professor Nneoma Otti who shunned bribe and refused to be bought over during the last go vernorship election in Abia State.
On the way out of the present national woes, he enjoined Nigerians irrespective of tribe, creed, social and religious affiliations to unite and use every legal, legitimate and constitutional means to liberate the nation.
