Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, has expressed sadness over the insecurity, growing rate of unemployment cum hunger that have been bedeviling Nigeria even as the country celebrate 60th independence anniversary.
Oyegun, while speaking to newsmen in Benin on Nigeria at 60, noted that things have been tough with the nation and her people, just as he lamented “things have gotten to this kind of situation totally outside the control of government.”
The former Chairman of the APC who confessed that it has been tough and rough Nigeria being 60 years, said with the way things are getting worst in the country, it appears to him that some persons outside behind the whole thing.
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He said, “I am very worried about insecurity because it is beginning to sound to me as if somebody outside this nation, interests outside this nation, groups outside this nation have interests in our country that are outside the public good. These things happening otherwise do not make sense, and there are a lot of foreigners involved; a lot of arms, AK47 which are coming in through the Sahara.”
“I am a layman in terms of security but it is something that needs very in depth investigation, how as a nation being sabotaged by external countries.”
He continues, “Things have been tough; things have been rough. What I can say confidently is that the basic foundation of future growth have been laid but the administration hasn’t been lucky at all, the administration has had a period of dwindling resources right from the beginning and I think but for careful management, we probably wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have gone today, but there is no question at all that we are moving.”
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“Yes there is hunger in the land, the economy is not growing as it should, unemployment is very high, terrorism has raised its ugly head again after an initial success at controlling it, and cost of crude oil is almost equating the cost of production, so the resources are not just there. I just say that I am sad that things have gotten to this kind of situation totally outside the control of government.”
“The only missing link I think is that we are not sufficiently giving the people hope or explaining things to the people and giving the people hope that tomorrow will be better, so there is despondency in the land, that critical ingredient to tell the people that okay things are bad today but it will be better tomorrow is missing. So, in addition to economic difficulties, economic deprivations, we have not successfully conveyed to them the picture of a better tomorrow.”
“There is COVID-19 that has created a lot of economic problems, massive diversion of resources to protecting the lives of the people. It is been tough Nigeria being 60 years but if we contain the difficulties that are confronting us particularly insecurity, this country still has a bright future.”
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