Dear Uncle Ebele,
I do hope this letter meets you in good spirits, state of mind and health of body? I didn’t get a response to my last letter; so I don’t suppose you may have read it since I don’t have your current email address. I guess some over-zealous staff at the villa must have mixed it up or probably just never bothered even to call your attention to it. Anyways I hope this gets to you soonest as I’m using alternative means via hand delivery and my phone number is at the end of it.
In my last letter I proffered likely solutions to the malaise of problems affecting a vast majority of Nigerians. I’m in full support of the majority because I do believe that in a democratically elected government, the majority carries the vote (or so it should in most developed countries). So in the light of the fact that a lot of Nigerians along with my humble self are anticipating that you would run for the office of President in 2011, it would be wise to begin initiating sound economic policies that would affect their lives positively before the polls.
I heard on the evening news that you were sticking to the ambiguous agenda of your predecessor (May his gentle soul rest in peace). Well, my position on that strategy remains the same then as it is now; it’s just not a feasible work-plan! I don’t know what to say to get this point across to you, short of high-jacking the Nigerian Television Authority at 9p.m and screaming this message (at the possible cost of spending nights in Kuje Prison with my new room-mate being a pot-bellied giant named Ghetto Landlord) but an agenda without specific timelines, any regard or consultations for public opinion or popular demand is only expected in an autocratic government or monarchy. Well unlike many, I don’t criticize without offering an alternative road map, that’s just plain bad judgment. So I’ll give you a hint of what issues are currently affecting the common man at the moment and justify why my 3 Point Agenda is better than a 7 Point one. Sometimes less is more.
Now if I were you, I’ll propose a 3 Point Agenda (but for purpose of novelty we had better call it a Tri-Focal Blueprint, or 3 Stage Road-Map, so just sounds more thoughtful) focused primarily on Power Supply, Entrepreneurship and Education; the significance of each listed is in no particular order of importance, but are all closely interwoven. I’ll discuss and analyze them in bits. The results of which would birth the other 4 points as listed in the failed previous agenda and so much more.
On the issue of steady power supply which is the bull’s eye, well there’s very little to be said on that, for it is well known and affects both the common man and the political elite regardless of geographical location, status, tribe or religion. But Uncle, it affects me really badly! I need to fuel the generator at the office and at home simultaneously each 365 day of the year at approximately for ten hours per day. It erodes on the profits of our business and often times my customers have to bear that cost. The effect of which is we sometimes end up losing business from prospective clients to our competition across the Atlantic who can usually deliver same standards at half the price. It kind of hurts when you can’t compete favorably! I can only imagine what issues major manufacturing industries would have to deal with. I give kudos to Alhaji Aliko Dangote for being able to withstand the steep competition and build such an enviable empire in spite of such a steady influx of cheaper products from all over the world at the ports of Nigeria.
I understand you recently purchased a nuclear reactor shortly after your visit to the United States and that both countries have signed a nuclear energy agreement of some sort, the details of which I am not quite familiar with yet. Well, that’s a good step in the right direction. The journey to 10,000 mega watts may begin with a nuclear reactor, an agreement, and a determined political will. I was previously made to believe that nothing but divine intervention would bring steady power supply to us, so we Christians prayed “A Prayer for Nigeria in Distress” for well over 15 years! Perhaps you’re the long expected leader to bring us out of this darkness. Our God writes straight on crooked lines, my mum always keeps saying that, I’m coming to the full realization and awe of the wisdom of her years.
Moving on to the subject of Entrepreneurship, I am a strong believer of the fact that the success of a developing country is dependent on the success of its small and medium scale businesses. I do believe that a Presidential Commission for the training, development and equipping of aspiring small business owners should be initiated and have a presence in all 36 states; Prof. Pat Utomi can oversee the handling of this Commission, only a proven technocrat with a vast wealth of experience in issues affecting Entrepreneurship, Employment, Labour and Productivity not a politician. It should be mandated to handle, provide information and make all issues of taxation, access to loans from microfinance banks, insurance policies, training programs and investors meetings come under one body. There’s a glut of information on these matters dotted around a plethora of government agencies but I don’t suppose it would be such a tough choice to integrate all of these under one roof? SMEDAN is supposed to be handling this task but the mere fact that 80% of all SME’s in Nigeria still close down in the first 3 years of their existence can only be a testimony as to why kidnappings and violent crimes are on the rise in the country. The up to date intelligence, bravado and precision with which these crimes are committed indicate that the criminals possess higher education and are obviously at the end of their wits in the estranged battle against unemployment, so they turn to a life of crime. It’s a tough choice.
Entrepreneurship breeds jobs. Jobs in turn results in lower crime rate. Lower crime rate would attract more investment opportunities, which will bring more money into the economy and increase our GDP at the end which everyone is happy! The benefits of this approach are from the grass roots to the top and will benefit the masses more initially before the political elite. So they must be patient, something I guess they’re not quite used to doing yet. But if I were you, I would also push for a new bill so new small businesses should not have to pay taxes for the first 5 years of their existence.
On the issue of education, I decided to save the best for last. It’s appalling to think of the falling rate of education in the country on such a geometric regressive scale! It is a crying shame and some of my more cynical friends have come up with the latest “conspiracy theory” that the current political elite and ruling class are perfectly happy with the way things are. It is said that education has the power to uplift a society out of poverty. Knowledge is known to be the key function of education, which in turn brings awareness. Now the underlying issue for the basis of their argument is that if all Nigerians were to be educated and could read and writes. Then the majority of the populace would become fully aware of their fundamental human rights. Then who would agree to be accepting cheap bribes during the polls? Who would snatch ballot boxes in exchange for their future? Who would give their children out to the elite to fill the position as the maltreated, abused unpaid house-helps? How can they convince the youths to carry out sickening and senseless violence against their neighbor on account of differences in religious beliefs? Who’s going to give them their nubile 13 year old daughter’s hand in marriage? All of these questions maybe what comes to their master-minds! Well, if I were you, I would push for mandatory education for all children across Nigeria. I know education is already free in most Unity Schools but it is not mandatory! So who’s going to tell a poor woman earning less than $1 a day to put her kids in school so he/she can have a better future? The opportunity cost will be the inability for these poor children to go-a-begging or hawking pure water so she can make at least $2.00 a day. Naturally she’ll discount the child’s future for her current immediate benefits, unless there’s a steep fine or penalty for breaking the proposed law, a law which must be enforced by the Civil Defense officers not the Nigerian Police Force, heavens know they already have enough issues on their hands to deal with but that’s another story in another letter.
Now here lies a probable line of action what if the Federal Government was to pay the Nigerian kids to go to primary school? Believe me uncle; it’s not quite outlandish and unheard of, just hear me out. While I studied in Wales, the University of Glamorgan paid my fellow colleagues £200 weekly to study a few selected courses, a knowledge that cost me approximately £5500 in tuition fees alone and of course countless man-hours of hard-labour in several under heated factories and stadiums. But the Welsh Assembly in their wisdom and frugal budget compared to Nigeria vast wealth spent money to seduce their youthful citizen to study! Today it is a well known fact that Cardiff City now touts itself as being the youngest and fastest growing capital in Europe now, perhaps as a result of such peculiar policies? So Uncle Ebele, what if we adopted a similar approach on our kids? But of course we need to set criteria that would demand a 75% attendance record and a minimum grade average to achieve a scholarship with fees paid into a designated account for the deserving pupil.
I don’t know what school of thought you subscribe to, or what line of reasoning your advisors followed when they advised that you should stick to the script written by the Yar’adua administration. But with all due respect sir, the script is flawed and I do believe great musician should never be subjected to sing a nursery school rhyme in a national concert! Therefore I urge you go ahead and write your own script or very soon Nigerians would begin to believe that you may not be as visionary as they expected. And your political opponents may take advantage of this glaring fact to poke holes in your first election campaign ever, which you’ve not openly declared yet. There’s wisdom in silence, for no one can misinterpret or mistake it. I’m not a politician so I’ll let that matter rest for now until you make your intentions clear.
Till we see again, my warmest regards to Auntie Patience and the family. I’m still itching to see her much awaited pet project, I think the essence of this project is quite key to avoid the Office of First Lady with meddling with affairs of State or embarking of ubiquitous shopping sprees in search for the good life outside the shores of Nigeria, like some women of the past we both know about, only too well.
God bless you and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Best Wishes
Your Favourite Nephew,
Anichebe J. Ebuka
ebuka@jeanpaulconsult.comP.S: Please call me if you’re too busy to write your response, on 0806-439-3711. I can imagine how busy you must be to even write your own emails these days.
