The President of Christ Apostolic Church, Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Olukunle Akinosun, has called on the President, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the issues of unemployment, insecurity and disunity plaguing the country today and give all Nigerians a sense of belonging in his government in the next six months.
Pastor Akinosun in his congratulatory message to the President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on the inauguration of their second term administration and the first celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day expressed the belief that God has purpose for their Administration, that was why they were able to scale through the rigorous electoral battle for their re-election. He prays that God, in his infinite mercy, would empower the President and the Vice President to fulfil His purpose.
The Cleric has, however, drawn the attention ofPresident Buhari to three major issues of Unemployment, Security and the sliding confidence in the unity of the country. These issues, he said, should be addressed by President Buhari“within the next three to six months in order to make Nigerians heave a sigh of relief”.
According to him, the issues, even though they have been with the government for some time, now calls for urgent attention and they need to be attended to with the urgency the government can muster.Pastor Akinosun added that the President and some government officials, at various times had expressed opinions on them. But what is needed, he said, is for government to take appropriate action on them and have them resolved with dispatch.
“Take the economy for instance, both President Buhari and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had diagnosed what is wrong with the economy in recent times. The President himself was the first to voice a despondent view on the economy when he met with governors of the 36 states and the FCT Minister in Abuja, shortly after his re-election. The summary of his statement was that harder times were ahead for Nigerians.At another time, the President said he was shocked at the poverty rate in the country. He said he was shocked to see the almajiris in tattered clothes and shoes. He blamed the privileged class for not rallying to lift the poor out of poverty through good education and acts of charity.
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele was to crown it all when he delivered a lecture at the University of Benin recently titled: “Beyond the Global Financial Crisis: Monetary Policy Under Global Uncertainty” he stated among other facts: “…there is global uncertainty that will unfortunately most certainly, lead to another crisis (resulting in recession for Nigerian economy). The question could be … how are we preparing our country for the next set of crisis?” He went on to present fine statistics on the inflation and foreign reserve but he came round to add: “we still have issues and those issues border on unemployment rate”.
Pastor Akinosun is of the view that the challenges faced by the President as he begins his second tenure have been well diagnosed. “It is my considered view that solution to every problem begins when the cause of such problem has been fully identified. Both the President and the CBN Governor have fully grasped the essence of the problem confronting the Administration. What Nigerians are expecting from this government is to tackle this identified problems headlong”.
Ironically both the President and the CBN Governor have not come out with a well-defined policy on how the issues of unemployment will be tackled. Beyond asking the privileged Nigerians to rally to the support of the poor, the government is the right authority to tackle this problem with precision. “Nigerians are not ready for half measures this time round. The President should also realise that he has no excuse for failure in this second tenure”.
“I therefore call on the President to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on the economy. He should set up a crack team of economists to manage the economy and as a matter of deliberate policy, he should create jobs in several millions within the next six months to absorb the army of unemployed youths in the country. The unprecedented rate of crime in the country is as a result of unemployment. By the time government’s deliberate policy is geared toward removing the idle hands from the streets, crime rate will drop drastically”. Pastor Akinosun said.
The Cleric further added that other issues that dovetail into the economic issue are the issues of security and the unity of Nigeria. He also called on the government to set up strong enquiry into procurement of arms for the prosecution of the current war on terrorists and the armed banditry in the Northern part of the country.
While praising the armed forces for doing their best to protect the territorial integrity of the nation and for keeping the insurgents at bay, Pastor Akinosun was of the view that the Nigerian military are in a position of advantage as they have the backing of all Nigerians, the routing of the insurgents ought to be a walkover for them if the right equipment are provided for them and they operate in a conducive atmosphere.
Pastor Akinosun also spoke on the need for the government to give all parts of the country the right attention and do everything to unite the country. He said the news that the Federal Government was planning to spend several billions of Naira in the establishment of radio station devoted to the Fulani ethnic group is anachronistic to the unity of the country.
“There is no special privilege the Fulani deserve that other ethnic groups in Nigeria do not deserve. To single out the Fulani for the purpose of giving them a special favour is to give tacit confirmation to the insinuation of a fulanisation agenda allegedly fostered by the government.
“To make Nigerians happy again and to draw the country away from the present brink, the government must make positive impacts as soon as possible. The next six months must show Nigerians whether this government is there for them. It is my prayer that the wherewithal for government to achieve its aim will be granted President Buhari and his team”
The CAC President also called on the government to step up efforts to free Lear Sharibu and the remaining Chibok school girls from the enclave of the insurgents. “Government must make all the needed sacrifice to free these girls and others who were held in the enclave of the insurgents” adding “If these issues are achieved within a reasonable time, the government of President Buhari will write its name in gold in the annals of governance in Nigeria.”
PASTOR ADEMISOYE ALAWODE
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY, CAC WORLDWIDE