Nigeria derailing under Tinubu despite, revenue agencies meeting revenue targets – Okechukwu
..laments huge debts increased tariff and excessive taxation
By Tom Okpe
Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, VoN, Dr Osita Okechukwu has cried out over derailing of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubus’ ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’,’ despite all generating revenue agencies in the country, hitting their targets.
The founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, also lamented that this derailment is as a result of huge debts, increased tariffs and excessive taxation.
He said one sincerely thinks that President Tinubu means well and wants to successfully, consolidate the neoliberal capitalist system by taking bold decisions to bolster economic ‘Risorgimento in Nigeria’ via his ‘Renewed Hope Agenda.’
Okechukwu made these known on Sunday in an open letter to the Presidential Economic Team, titled: ‘Stop Derailing President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, appealing to the Presidential Economic Team to patriotically, consider the gruesome economic hardship in the land, so as to stop derailing President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda,’ meant to uplift millions out of poverty.
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He said: “Accordingly, this is why as a roadside political economist I am crying out in pain over the inadvertent derailing of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda,’ for, I am yet to reconcile how the program could be successfully executed when only 25% of the 2024 Capital Budget was released; moreover when we are regrettably, operating multi-budgets.
“Paradoxically, the derailing is going on despite huge debts, increased tariffs, excessive taxation and the fact that all revenue generating agencies, the Nigeria Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS had exceeded their 2024 targets by N13.1trillion, N12.3trillion, N5.352trillion, N5.09trillion, N5.7trillion and N4.0trillion, respectively.
“I am making this humble appeal because I am not the only foundation member of the APC who wants our great party to succeed; albeit, many do not want our great Party to go into the 2027 general elections, limping in the midst of widespread discontent, despondency and despair.
“Luckily for us Nigerians, President Tinubu has harvested the fine tenets of classical Non-Alignment-Doctrine; consequent upon his cordial diplomatic relationship with the West and the East, hence, Mr President, in-spite of the economic hardship and gross inequality has mobilised all necessary international powers to utilise our demographic youth advantage in an aging world to consolidate the CHANGE our great party, APC pledged in July 2013.”
The former VoN DG further stressed that these are his reasons why he is appealing to the Presidential Economic Team to reverse their gear and listen to Albeit Einstein’s admonition; that it’s illogical doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results saying; “therefore, let’s assist Mr President to succeed and pull out of this adverse economic condition so that Nigerians can breathe.
“One recalls with nostalgia President Tinubu’s July 2023 profound broadcast statement on why he removed the fuel subsidy. To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful, yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it.
“Whims of the few, should never hold dominant sway over the hopes and aspirations of the many. If we are to be a democracy, the people and not the power of money must be sovereign.”
He noted that this group, noted by Mr President in his speech, had amassed so much wealth and power that they became serious threat to the fairness of our economy, and integrity of our democratic governance.
“Is it not the same train of absurd Mr President frowned at that the Presidential Economic Team is boarding by not instantly and publicly disclosing how much that accrued from Fuel Subsidy removal; when the Joint Appropriation, Budget and Finance Committees of the National Assembly demanded it last week,” he queried.
“The Presidential Economic Team, should kindly remember that even the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha diligently, utilized monies which accrued from his fuel subsidy removal with social and physical infrastructure via the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, which was beneficial to Nigerians.
“My humble submission is that the Presidential Economic Team should not forget that Mr President’s statement above presupposes that he wants to seamlessly, win the 2027 Presidential election and end up 2nd Term as a progressive statesman,” he added.
