While we patiently wait for succour
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- Written by Prince Charles Dickson
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For the year 2011, the State House is spending N20.01 billion, a 56.53 percent rise from that of 2010, and the highest amount since 2005. And we are still waiting for the government to take off. Over the years, the annual cost of maintaining the presidential quarters and offices cost averagely N1.2 billion each year. This year, the amount has reached its highest at a little over N2 billion. Also, while the furnishing of three guest houses for the Vice President got N20 million each in 2008, one of the apartments at Asokoro is receiving N88.39 million in 2011. Do ghosts sleep there?
This year’s budget remarkably did not include the maintenance of presidential aircraft – usually one of the recipients of major allocatiosn annually – but it retained the high local and international travel cost as well as yearly purchase of new computers, vehicles and printing equipment.
Since 1999, PDP has produced less than 5,000 MW for 150 million Nigerians, Britain generates 75,000MW for its 62,262,000 population, and South Africa also, with a population of 50,586,757, generates about 40,000 MW. Ghana keeps celebrating uninterrupted electricity. At the rate at which we are going, it is doubtful if Nigeria can celebrate one month of uninterrupted power supply nationwide anytime soon. If it happens, it will be a miracle of the millennium.
While thousands of graduates of different bakes, half, quarter and fully baked transit into the labour market with no jobs, and very little in terms of entrepreneurial ability, we watch as ex-militants get education in Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia for fighting the nation, we watch patiently as very soon Boko Haram will get an offer and MASSOB, OPC and other groups will start their demands.
While we wait for the realization of promises that the nation’s refining capacity would receive significant boost in the next three years, with the coming of three new refineries and the turn around maintenance (TAM) of the traditional refineries, which is now being handled by the companies that first built them to ensure 95 per cent capacity utilization in all our traditional refineries, we are told with certainty however, by no other neighbour than Niger Republic, that they would begin exportation of refined petroleum products to Nigeria by the end of this year. The country’s leader, President Mahamadou Issoufou, said so during his recent visit to Nigeria. Sounding confident, President Issoufou said that the planned export of products to Nigeria would be aimed at bringing succor to residents of Northern Nigeria, whom he said would be getting supplies of the products from Zinder Refinery in Niger Republic.
As we crawl towards the 20-2020 on one hand and wait patiently on this administration, we have no industry to talk of except for the few functional FCMG companies that are still struggling to survive.
While our democracy is taking roots, the corruption in the judiciary still persists, the executive recklessness and legislative rascality is visible, and there is a clear divide between the haves and have-nots. We continue to wait with patience that good luck will come our way. How this will come about remains to be seen, for a government that has no long term plan, no short term plan either, other than tenure extension.
While President Jonathan is not the cause of all the problems facing this country, he is the one on the driver’s seat, he took it upon himself to lead this nation and he has no excuses if he fails.
Dickson is the Editor of burningpot online magazine.
Articles
While we patiently wait for succour
Category: Comments Written by Prince Charles Dickson Hits: 3858
All over the world today, it seems every nation is battling one form of austerity or the other, cutting costs and trying to bring governance to the people in the lower strata. The opposite seems to be the case with us in this clime and with the current administration, it does not seem to be getting any better. In London, the bridge has not fallen down but it has taken some beating, in the U.S, the government has little cash. In Europe, it is one deal or the other to guard against economic collapse. In Nigeria we patiently wait on Mr. Jonathan to deliver on his promises, promises which his government seems to be making more daily than delivering. The reality is while we are not at war and have no famine or drought to contend with, we continue to wage battles against a corrupt leadership and a docile and culpable citizenry.For the year 2011, the State House is spending N20.01 billion, a 56.53 percent rise from that of 2010, and the highest amount since 2005. And we are still waiting for the government to take off. Over the years, the annual cost of maintaining the presidential quarters and offices cost averagely N1.2 billion each year. This year, the amount has reached its highest at a little over N2 billion. Also, while the furnishing of three guest houses for the Vice President got N20 million each in 2008, one of the apartments at Asokoro is receiving N88.39 million in 2011. Do ghosts sleep there?
This year’s budget remarkably did not include the maintenance of presidential aircraft – usually one of the recipients of major allocatiosn annually – but it retained the high local and international travel cost as well as yearly purchase of new computers, vehicles and printing equipment.
Since 1999, PDP has produced less than 5,000 MW for 150 million Nigerians, Britain generates 75,000MW for its 62,262,000 population, and South Africa also, with a population of 50,586,757, generates about 40,000 MW. Ghana keeps celebrating uninterrupted electricity. At the rate at which we are going, it is doubtful if Nigeria can celebrate one month of uninterrupted power supply nationwide anytime soon. If it happens, it will be a miracle of the millennium.
While thousands of graduates of different bakes, half, quarter and fully baked transit into the labour market with no jobs, and very little in terms of entrepreneurial ability, we watch as ex-militants get education in Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia for fighting the nation, we watch patiently as very soon Boko Haram will get an offer and MASSOB, OPC and other groups will start their demands.
While we wait for the realization of promises that the nation’s refining capacity would receive significant boost in the next three years, with the coming of three new refineries and the turn around maintenance (TAM) of the traditional refineries, which is now being handled by the companies that first built them to ensure 95 per cent capacity utilization in all our traditional refineries, we are told with certainty however, by no other neighbour than Niger Republic, that they would begin exportation of refined petroleum products to Nigeria by the end of this year. The country’s leader, President Mahamadou Issoufou, said so during his recent visit to Nigeria. Sounding confident, President Issoufou said that the planned export of products to Nigeria would be aimed at bringing succor to residents of Northern Nigeria, whom he said would be getting supplies of the products from Zinder Refinery in Niger Republic.
As we crawl towards the 20-2020 on one hand and wait patiently on this administration, we have no industry to talk of except for the few functional FCMG companies that are still struggling to survive.
While our democracy is taking roots, the corruption in the judiciary still persists, the executive recklessness and legislative rascality is visible, and there is a clear divide between the haves and have-nots. We continue to wait with patience that good luck will come our way. How this will come about remains to be seen, for a government that has no long term plan, no short term plan either, other than tenure extension.
While President Jonathan is not the cause of all the problems facing this country, he is the one on the driver’s seat, he took it upon himself to lead this nation and he has no excuses if he fails.
Dickson is the Editor of burningpot online magazine.