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Governance & Grievance – A PERSPECTIVE. written by O’tega OGRA
Governance & Grievance – A PERSPECTIVE. written by O’tega OGRA
O’tega ‘The Tiger’ Ogra
@otegaogra
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It is disheartening to see various discourses on the proposed demonstrations by some turn into ugly narratives that should never have a place in our national space. Here are my thoughts, and feel free to engage respectfully…
1. It is every Nigerian’s constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression
2. The Nigerian state also has a constitutional obligation to guarantee every constitutional right of every Nigerian, including free movement, safety, and security.
It is also the right of hundreds of millions of Nigerians to choose not to join any protests as many have chosen – and all parties must respect this. Asserting one’s rights should not lead to the denial of another’s.
3. If you claim you want to have a peaceful demonstration yet have allowed some actively involved in your protest to use your platform to mobilise people publicly in the name of causing destruction and chaos, you are also responsible for whatever chaos they cause.
4. To the protest leaders, can you confidently say you have a grip on the behaviour of those you have sought to join you in the protests? To those who have chosen to join the protests, can you confidently say you are fully aware of the plans—seen and unseen—of those mobilising you to demonstrate?
5. Even worse, if you haven’t come out to openly condemn and dissociate your protest platform from calls for the destruction of regular Nigerians’ livelihood and violence against the Nigerian people and state, it could mean you consent to your protest platform to be used for chaos – directly or indirectly.
6. President Bola Tinubu @officialasiwajubat is aware of the pains Nigerians are facing due to global economic shocks and local policies that have been put in place to secure a prosperous future for Nigeria.
7. Mr President listens—just as he has been listening since Day 1 of his presidency. He has shown a willingness, never seen at this level before, to return to the drawing board where policies may have been unpopular.
7. Today, the numbers speak for themselves—foreign reserves have not been depleted despite paying off over USD7.5bn in outstanding obligations/backlogs. The frivolous and sometimes unconstitutional use of the CBN’s way and means to borrow money from the CBN and mortgage our meagre revenues while putting the nation further into penury is no longer the case. Now, spending is mainly tied to earnings.
8. We are also seeing the rate of inflation slowing considerably.
Families can now breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy more disposable income, thanks to initiatives such as the student loans scheme and credicorp. These programs alleviate the pressure of making immediate bulk payments for everyday expenses. Additionally, the P-CNG Initiative is driving down commercial transportation costs by providing free conversion kits, enabling the use of more affordable CNG fuel for commercial vehicles. These are all in addition to other programmes like I-DICE, NIYA, and various MSME support programmes/interventions. The number of taxes is being reduced by at least one-fifth, with some out of the way already. Imports of critical food items have been exempt from levies for a period of time. What more?
On the security front, we have successfully reduced incidents of internal insurrection and kidnappings. Over 5,000 of our fellow Nigerians have secured their freedom, and an impressive number of terrorists and insurgents (over 11,000) have been either neutralised or captured. Our tactical operations will persist until Nigeria is entirely safe. We trust in the protection of our brave men and women in Uniform who courageously risk their lives daily, even leaving their loved ones for extended periods, to secure our freedoms. Institutions like the EFCC actively pursue those exploiting gaps in our system to undermine the country. Whether it’s the former CBN governor accused of misappropriation, customs officials arrested for accepting bribes to sabotage the economy, or fraudulent individuals tarnishing the image of hardworking young Nigerians worldwide, rest assured, your day in court is approaching. Justice will prevail.
10. The country is experiencing a resurgence in FDI, particularly in the energy/oil & gas sector, thanks to the new presidential directives (40, 41, 42), which plug some of the gaps in the PIA. As you may already know, NNPCL now operates as a fully commercial enterprise whilst regulatory functions have been removed and clearly defined under crucial regulatory agencies – NUPRC and NMDPRA, who regulate the petroleum value chain and all local and international players, including NNPCL. Total Energies/NNPCL JV has signed the Final Investment Decision on the USD550m Ubeta Gas Development project on the back of executive directives 40,41, &42. More are to be announced in due course. The international scene is more confident than they have been in recent years about coming back to Nigeria.
11. Foreign companies leaving? Yes, some are, but we must not ignore that many of those leaving failed for years to invest in the value chain of their businesses or did not adopt suitable approaches to the local markets. Others were following a global trend to cut down their scale in markets such as Africa. However, for every company that leaves, their businesses have been taken over by other foreign investors who see the opportunities in Nigeria or local investors who have built the capacity to operate in this environment. The high exchange rate may not be ideal, but what about the opportunities presented? Countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, with exchange rates between 12,000 to 25,000 in their local currencies to the dollar, have used similar opportunities to push their countries to become two of the fastest growing in the world spurred by increased productivity, value addition, and exports, which a weaker currency provides. Nigerian companies that add value and are export-focused are already taking advantage of this.
12. President Bola Tinubu is unwavering in his commitment to bringing governance to the grassroots. President Tinubu’s administration has secured local government financial autonomy through the successful Supreme Court case brought by the AGF, implemented policies to support unemployed youth like the out-of-job social safety stipends, and increased FAAC allocations to states for further development investments. His focus is firmly on stabilising the economy to ensure a secure future for all our children. President Bola Tinubu is resolute, focused on his job, and won’t be swayed. Every eligible Nigerian will have the opportunity to judge his performance at the ballot box in three years. This hard-fought democracy gives every Nigerian the power to hold all leaders accountable.
Know This: President Bola Tinubu is not beholden to any special interests, and despite expected resistance by some ‘Hands of Esau’ who cannot get their way, and trying to rile up the polity, he will always put the interests of Nigerians first
13. Again, it is your constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful assembly, but in this case, where some mobilisers have come out on various platforms to say they aim for destruction and chaos, how do you guarantee your objectives are aligned? How do you now convince or guarantee the hundreds of millions of non-protesting Nigerians that those of you who choose to protest are simply out to air your voices and not to cause violence or destruction as has been pushed by many within your midst?
The choice is yours. Think about it and decide if you are in support of violence against our communities or for us to join hands in moving the country forward. Where do you stand?
God Bless Nigeria. #NigeriaWillSucceed.
Otega O
#TheTiger #Nigeria
#TheTiger #Nigeria #FreedomOfAssembly #RespectEngagement #Constitutionalrights
#PeacefulProtests #ConstitutionalObligations #NationalUnity #PresidentBolaTinubu
https://x.com/otegaogra/status/1817722963325567291?s=46&t=-WT1A6V3jj52Bil8fk9JSg
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Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Introduces Advocates of Education Awards to Honour Educational Excellence in Lagos
Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Introduces Advocates of Education Awards to Honour Educational Excellence in Lagos
In its third edition, Oba Ayangburen and the Bee continues to push the envelope with the launch of the Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Advocates of Education Awards. This new initiative seeks to honour individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to advancing education in Lagos State.
“As part of our commitment to elevating the project, we are introducing this award to recognise those driving educational development in the state”, said Project Coordinator, Miss Taiwo Otesanya. The awards will feature 10 recipients, with two selected from each of Lagos’ five geopolitical zones under the IBILE Forum.
The spelling competition, which has become a staple in Lagos’ educational calendar since 2022, continues to offer primary school pupils a platform to sharpen their spelling and language skills in a fun, competitive environment. This year’s contest features over 2,000 participants from private and public schools, sponsored by various local leaders, organisations, and brands.
Scheduled for its grand finale on November 27, 2024, the event will take place at Ikorodu Town Ultramodern Hall and will feature 30 finalists competing for exciting prizes, including cash, scholarships, and corporate endorsements.
Corporate partners like BIC, Colgate, Kingsfield Schools, and Beloxxi Biscuits are among those confirmed for this year’s edition, with talks underway for further support from Justrite Supermarkets and Lagos State House of Assembly.
For sponsorship, support, or partnership enquiries, please contact: 07030333363, 09098898079, 07032312815.
The Consequences Of Disregarding The Prophecies Of Primate Elijah Ayodele
Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual church is a prophet on his own different league; no competition, no rivals and even though we have several prophets operating in the same ministry, Primate Ayodele has maintained his uniqueness beyond reasonable doubts, hereby standing him out among others.
It’s not for pride or class but there is absolutely no one that has the unction, prowess, clarity, and words that Primate Ayodele possesses. His ministry is beyond the everyday prophecy, made huge, unattainable records and still smashed them with more manifestations of his unique prophetic ministry.
For any nation, having a proven man of God like Primate Ayodele is a huge blessing because if the people and government honour, listen and follow prophets like him, no country in the world should be able to compete with them and the reason is this prophet warns nations of danger ahead of time, proffer solutions to problems, tell them what to do to become prosperous and several other mysterious things. It would indeed be a huge blessing for any nation to have Primate Ayodele in their midst.
However, Primate Ayodele is a typical reflection of Jesus’s statement about a prophet not getting honoured in his home town. As blessed as Nigeria is to have Primate Ayodele, He is more respected in foreign countries than Nigeria.
While other countries yearn to listen to his prophecies and follow his divine instructions, Nigerians are always looking out for when his prophecies would fail or when he would talk against their interest so they can proudly criticize him and call him names.
Despite the fact that they don’t even see his prophecies fail, they go to the extent of twisting Primate Ayodele’s prophecies just to push an agenda, they cook up stories against him to set him up for drags but instead of the ministry of this unique prophet to go down, it keeps growing from glory to glory.
Meanwhile, just two days ago, Primate Ayodele was hosted on Liberia’s biggest radio station, King’s FM, where he was interviewed about the nation of Liberia, what they would face in the near future and the solutions to their problems. It was an intense interview that lasted close to 3 hours with more than 3,000 Liberians staying glued till the very end and when the call lines were opened, the citizens kept on calling till the host stopped the calls from coming in – it just shows how much they honour the gift of Primate Elijah Ayodele.
On the other hand, Nigerians, including the government, instead of honouring Primate Ayodele by listening and following his divine instructions are after criticizing him in the most disrespectful manner. It is for this reason that unfortunate incidents happen in the country; the government prefers to call God’s prophet names even when they are being warned against impending dangers, they miss the message and focus on tackling the messenger and this is why they fail.
As we speak, Nigerians especially Abuja residents are currently in fear of an earthquake due to incessant movements on underneath the earth that has been happening for some days now.
These tremors, which began last weekend and continued intermittently through the night, have caused unease among locals.
Earth tremors are minor shifts in the Earth’s surface, caused by the same geological forces that lead to earthquakes. While they are generally less severe than full-fledged earthquakes, their persistence can be unsettling, especially when they occur in densely populated areas.
Of course, Primate Ayodele had specifically warned the Nigerian government against climatic conditions that would result in a kind of earth shaking. This statement was released by the man of God in April 2024.
These were his words
‘’There is an impending danger that will come through climatic conditions in some Nigerian states. I see some states experiencing earth shake as a result of climatic conditions.’’
“Nigeria has been experiencing flooding but another nationwide flooding looms and it will be very serious in states including Lagos, Abuja, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Kogi, Edo, Adamawa, and Niger.’’
I foresee ‘earth-shaking’, climatic problems in Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, others – Primate Ayodele warns
The earth tremor that has consistently happened in Abuja for days is a fulfillment of the warnings of Primate Ayodele but it could have been worked on if the government paid attention to the words of the prophet rather than the prophet himself. The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, Primate Ayodele has assisted them by revealing what is to happen but they prefer to do everything asides following divine instructions.
It is the same way Primate Ayodele warned Borno state government of an impending flood that would make thousands of people homeless in 2023. Unfortunately, instead of taking necessary precautions to prevent such, the government ignored and today, Borno has become a major attraction because of the deadly flood that swept through every part of the state.
At this point, Primate Ayodele doesn’t have anything to prove regarding his call as a prophet anymore, he has been tested and trusted, He is credible enough and doesn’t need anyone’s validation. He will continue to release his prophecies as God directs him but when people ignore these warnings, they would definitely experience the consequences.
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