By Lateef Adegbite
Akinwumi Adesina, a former minister of Agriculture and Rural Development during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration and now President African Development Bank, AfDB, an agency of the World Bank, appears to have given an insight on how Nigerian can come out of its present economic quagmire.
Given his experience at the AfDB, which had exposed him to the economic policies of several countries in the African Continent and other developed economies like the North American country of the United States, United Kingdom, UK, France and the Asian countries of China, South Korea and Singpore, Adesina, who was said to have opened up during the 90th birthday anniversary Lecture of Yakubu Gowon, a rtd Army General and a former Nigerian Head of State in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The AfDB, President, who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’the government urgent and Comprehensive efforts to address the country’s Criminal economy to restore security, Law and Order to protect lives and property and farmlands belonging to people of Benue, Niger, the two states in North central geo-political region, including Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna , Katsina , in North western geopolitical region region.
The former Nigerian minister had said that there is also need for President Bola Admed Tinubu, who incidentally was an ex-governor of Lagos state, and who had just returned to the country from UK, to restore normalcy the traumatized Communities in the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe, where the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, had established their operational base and the south eastern geopolitical region to restore their economic fortunes.
He had corroborated what Ali Ndume, a Senator, of Federal Republic of Nigeria had repeatedly said that ‘’the level of suffering, helplessness and abandonment and drowning Communities’’ in the traumatized states of the Federation had really affected the people’s economic activities.
The AfDB, President, had said that with the high level of insecurity in some of the country’s food belt regions, to the hearing of the country’s policy makers at Gen. Gowon’s 90th birthday anniversary Lecture, that the government is around ‘’40%, pushing the cost of basic food items beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians, insisting that ‘’the incumbent Tinubu’s Administration must fight it ’’.
Femi Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, during the Immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration and now Chief of Staff to the President, may have shocked participants at Gen. Gowon’s 90th birthday anniversary Lecture when he stated that Nigerians should’’ expect better days’’ with Tinubu’s return after his two- week vacations in UK.
The former House Speaker, who was said to be among the top government dignitaries at the Federal Level that had welcome the Nigerian President back to the country on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, had said that the former Lagos state governor is posed ‘’to continue the good works of putting policies in place‘’ which many had described as ‘’suffering Nigerians’’.
Recall that while Tinubu, was away in Uk, to spend his two- week annual Vacation, Vice President Kashim Shettima, was said to have also jetted out to Sweden on a two-day working visit, which may have given room to the northern Senators opposed to Godswill Akpabio, Senate President and a former governor of Akwa Ibom state to plot for his impeachment.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu, on Media and Publicity, may have alluded to the impeachment move when he stated that the absence of the two key political Leaders, did not have any negative effect on the running of the government.
He had said that all state organs are working as usual, with the Senate President, George Akume, Secretary to Government of the Federation ministers, SGF, service Chiefs and other security agencies Chiefs occupying their respective positions and ensuring the smooth running of the government.
Although, there were rumours making the rounds that the impeachment plot could have succeeded but not for the intervention of the Department of State Services, DSS, under the close watch of Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, operatives, to forestall break down of Law and Order in the National Assembly premises but the Senate President had said that ‘’there was no plot to impeach him’’.
Even Sen. Barsheer Lado, Special Adviser to the President on Senate maters, would not take it that there was discord among the Senators that was said to have degenerated to the Level of plotting to impeach the Senate President, described in political circles as an ally of the Nigerian President.
The Presidential Aide would want Nigerians to believe that there was’’ no discord in the Senate’’, noting that the presence of the DSS operatives within the National Assembly Complex is for ‘’the safety and protection of the of the Legislators and staff’’.
The argument in both official and unofficial circles was that the President had hastily returned to the country before the expiration of hi two-week Leave to save Akpabio, the Senate President from being impeached. His foot soldiers may have done a good work to calm the aggrieved northern Senators before his return to the country.
Political Observers fears that with what is happening in the East African country of Kenya, where the country’s Senators had impeached Vice President Rigathi Gachagua, to President Willian Ruto, on 11 count charges including corruption , insubordination , undermining the Government, and practicing ethnically divisive politics, there is nothing the northern Senators who had their political backers outside the confines of the National Assembly cannot do to start the process of removing Senate president again.
Political analysts believes that what is happening in the Executive arm of government or the Senate is not different from what happened during the Buhari era but the no co Senators accepted it as fair and never plotted to impeach Ahmad Lawan, the then Senate President who was said to be doing the bidding’s of the Katsina sate born Nigerian former President.
