Focus On Nigeria.
his is not a history lesson but to highlight issues in the various sectors.
- Electricity
- Transportation – Land, Sea & Air.
- Housing
- Education
- Security
- Employment
ELECTRICITY:
Nigerians are enterprising people. Majority are self-employed. We all know it is extremely difficult to function without electricity. Long before now, this should have been called and treated as a national emergency. Those who make blend food ingredients in the markets, those who sew, sell electrical items & electronics need electricity to function. The country is still generating the same electricity when television stations started programs at 4pm and closed at 12 midnight which to the current generations is absurd and unthinkable.
We are now in a dispensation when individuals watch tv round the clock, have 2 or more phones or gadgets to charge. Air conditioners are no longer an exclusive luxury item, decoders, laptops, water heaters etc are the norm.
How are the hospitals going to function? Before COVID-19 the health sector was comatose. Unless the same grace with which flies are kept away from the tail-less cow, the spread of virus is contained or limited; the horror that waits is unthinkable.
Schooling and all forms of education are now online by use of the internet, radio or televisions stations. Another demand on electricity. It is unthinkable how electricity for all, is not a priority but the cars for the 360 House of Representative members, committee heads and the 109 Senators without fail, are delivered; and promptly too. It is not that the Nigerian car manufacturer, Innoson Vehicles, is patronised to encourage the manufacturing sector. This will be addressed when other haemorrhaging sectors of the economy are discussed.
Has it not been considered ridiculous that each cell site for the telecoms industry require two generators each nationwide?
It is unnecessary to talk about what it takes and costs -for the Banks, Ministries , Private Companies, Schools & Universities, Places of Worship & Homes to provide electricity which is taken for granted in many nations around the world.
Places of Worship & Homes to provide electricity which is taken for granted in many nations around the world.
Once the sea and airports become operational again, there must be waivers and incentives in place to import energy producing goods such as solar panels which will lead to the country becoming a leading manufacturer of the panels, inverters and batteries.
TRANSPORTATION:
Road / Land:
Container trucks and trailers is the starting point. It should be an offence with a jail term for both the driver and the owner; the staff at the port that loaded the trailer and the security team that checked the paper work before leaving the Ports; when trailers have incomplete number of wheels to the original design. It can only be a form of insanity for a container laden trailer to have 2 or 3 tyres in a row that should have 4 wheels. The tyre quality is a different subject entirely.
Too many lives have been lost with cars running into broken down trailers on Nigerian roads because the trailer did not have rear lights nor reflectors.. What does it take to enact and enforce trailers having front and rear lights before plying the roads? Enough is enough.. What is right and what is wrong is not rocket science. Every life is important.
Buses:
SatofSathas observed that we have never seen a commercial bus driver, wearing corrective eye glasses or specs. We are not of the opinion that they use contact lenses instead. With the number of minor and fatal accidents, aside from the issues of vehicle maintenance, tyre, wheel, brake etc as well as over-loading of passenger numbers and goods; we want to eye sight to be a focus for our law enforcement agent, although charity begins at home – they should check their own eyes.
Rail:
Moving goods from the Ports to different states by rail should be the next line of focus for the Federal and state governments. There is still a long way to go with rail transport for Nigeria as a country in terms of quality and the number of routes and service times. There has been a start.
Air:
Is it the fact that there isn’t a National carrier or and indigenous owned airline that flies to Europe and North America; that some airlines now have 4 fares just for economy class? Should we be in fear to fly locally within the country or continent? Not because we have aviophobia but simply because we know there is negligence and cost cutting in aircraft maintenance. Air transport only affects a negligible fraction of Nigerians, in terms of numbers; and may reduce following border closures globally as we watch the world unfold following the ‘reset’ button that has been activated in the world we live in
Accountability:
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF AVIATION
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & TOURISM
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF CULTURE TOURISM ANDNATIONAL ORIENTATION
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & YOUTH DEV.
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
FEDERAL MINISTRY FOR FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (M.F.C.T.)
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICESNATIONAL ORIENTATION
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
It is irresponsible for Nigerians to look out for the names of Ministers to be announced for the sole possibility of financial gain & not competence. The Minister should have to give a report every six months of the ineptitude or their successes. This report should be to the press, (audio and print media).
