President Buhari's 61st Independence Day Speech Worthless, Devoid of Substantial Progress Report - PDP Chieftain. ..Oghenesivbe says Future Of Nigeria and Nigerians Mortgaged Through FG's Reckless Borrowings.

By Wilson Macaulay

Warri

A member of the International Political Science Association, IPSA, and Executive Assistant to Delta State Governor on Communications, Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari's 61st Independence Day address to the nation was tasteless, lacked chronicle of ascertainable achievements, very dry and boring.

He made the assertion while speaking as a special guest on DRTV Independence Day Public Affairs live  Programme monitored in Asaba, on October 1, wherein Oghenesivbe averred that Nigeria was in a pitiable condition as can be seen from the inability of the federal government to fix the problems of insecurity, coupled with the gross mismanagement of the nation's economy.

He recalls with nostalgia how the All Progressives Congress, APC, noised her "CHANGE" campaign slogan in 2015, and "NEXT LEVEL" in 2019, wherein it promised Nigerians better life, jobs, quality and quantitative education, good health services, better management of the nation's economy, fight against corruption, low electricity and fuel pump price tariffs, twenty four hours power supply, rehabilitation of all refineries and total elimination of petroleum subsidy, which Buhari and APC propagandists said never existed but a scam by the previous administration.

Oghenesivbe said all I'd the above electioneering promises by the APC and President Buhari in 2015 and 2019; turned out to be mere wishes and deceit, and never translated into socioeconomic realities, adding that the nation's refineries are worst for it under President Buhari, pump price of fuel and electricity tariff went up with over 300%,  inflation got to its highest peak like never before in Nigeria.

He alleged that the future of Nigeria and Nigerians have been mortgaged through reckless and mismanagement of loans and huge financial indebtedness to other countries and financial institutions; domestic and international, adding that as at today the Naira is almost worthless at the exchange rate of a USD  for N600.

Okowa's EAC further posited that the Buhari administration appointments since 2015, have been lopsided and grossly violates the federal character equitable distribution of positions and appointments; a technical way of suspending that section of the constitution to satisfy the Hausa Fulani agenda of the Buhari administration which is alleged to be substantially serving the interests of the powerful and influential Northern oligarchy, to the detriment of the people of Southern Nigeria.

Oghenesivbe, who is a Justice of the Peace and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information and Strategy Management, fciism, noted that in the past six years, the APC national government goofed in every attempt to provide good governance, and subsequently destroyed all the gains and progress made from 1960 to 2015.

He observed that the Buhari administration does not have the solutions to the nation's problems, which was artificially created when he assumed power in 2015, due largely to his lack of visionary and purposeful leadership, occasioned by unclear and unimplementable economic policies crafted by a quack team of the APC national government under Mr President.

And on the issue of transparent elections in 2023, the renowned communication strategist said, anything less than electronically transmitted results shall be resisted by eligible Nigerian voters, saying that we cannot take one step forward and three steps backward in our efforts to achieve credible and transparent elections.

He commended INEC Chairman for opting for use of card riders and transmission of results electronically, while urging Nigerians to vote out members of the National Assembly who conspired to reintroduce ballot box snatching and rigging in our electoral process by directly or indirectly working against electronic transmission of results in the forthcoming general elections.

Oghenesivbe, also touched on the need for rebuilding a new Nigeria devoid of ethnic and religious colourations, and pitched his tent with the renewed calls by the governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, emphasising the urgent need for a brand new constitution for Nigeria, entrenchment of true federalism and restructuring based on the sociopolitical and economic realties, exigencies and needs of our nation.

He warned that the obvious Hausa Fulani ethnic agenda and Northern oligarchy supremacists reckless utterances must be totally done away with by the Northern elites, and the mafias of the Sokoto Caliphate, because the people of Southern Nigeria have what it takes to take their destiny in their hands, should the North continues to display uncomplimentary arrogance suggestive of first class and second citizenship in our social structure as a people united in diversity.

As for the role of the Nigerian press in stabilizing Democracy and the Rule of Law, Okowa's Communication Executive and lawyer, gave kudos to the Press for their enviable oversight functions and for being good watchdogs of the society, saying that the multifaceted approaches adopted by various media organizations in their editorial opinions, balanced and counter balancing of opinions helped to stabilize the country, in midst of challenges arising from gross incompetence in the management of security challenges, poor tackling of  insurgency, lack of deliberate and result oriented economic policies and mismanagement of huge loans obtained by the Buhari administration within the past six years and still counting.

"We thank God that we are still together as a people despite the pitiable socioeconomic and insecurity misfortunes. 

"Nigeria is nose diving in all aspects of our national life, and our economy may collapse completely any moment from now, if we keep borrowing to pay salaries and for debt servicing at the federal level.

"We are poorer as a nation under APC national government led by President Muhammadu Buhari. Agitation for fare share of the national cake is increasing while system failure is now a reality. It is time for us to dialogue, give our country a new constitution, restructure and get fiscal federalism working without further selfish delays.

"It appears APC and the Buhari administration has exhausted their propaganda strategies, they are now holed up in confusion, self inflicted frustration occasioned by bad governance induced by lack of political willpower to face realities, and the adoption of crude arrogance in handling political and socioeconomic problems.

"How can a government that cannot pay medical doctors raise 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years as projected by the federal government? How can a government that have no resources to pay University lecturers claim to have brought change to governance in the face of obvious mismanagement of the nation's economy?

"In a nutshell, Nigeria had been taken  aback  and shortchanged in the past six years in all aspects of our national life, and the empty, worthless and complicated speech of President Buhari on Independence day truly attests to the fact that both the APC national government and the Buhari administration have failed Nigerians woefully.

"Nigerians knows what to do in 2023, and that is to vote out APC from Aso Rock, and bring back their PDP to revive the nation's economy.

"Nigerians shall be united in 2023, to return our country to the global stage as the true giant of Africa with great potentials and strong economy, not the giant with clay feet as it is today under APC and President Buhari," Oghenesivbe said.