Nigeria at 53: Senators Lament State of the Nation 

•Jonathan has run economy aground – New PDP 

•Asks Nigerians to prepare for worse days ahead

•The economy has not collapsed, FG insists 

By Celestine Okafor and Rotimi Akinwumi, Abuja

Victor Ndoma Egba

It was lamentations galore on the floor of the Senate in Abuja on Thursday when Senators took turns to rue the state of the nation on the eve of its 53^rd Independence anniversary.

They were sad that there is not much to celebrate unlike other countries that became independent almost at the same time.

The lamentations were sequel to a motion by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma Egba, and 12 others urging a reflection on the state of the nation in view of the anniversary coming up on Tuesday.

Smart Adeyemi (PDP Kogi West) said though at independence in 1960, Nigeria was considered one of the emerging  great nations of the world, at 53, the hope had become forlorn.

Adeyemi, who identified parochialism as one of the major problems, said “at 53, were Nigerian nation governed the way it is supposed to have been over the years, we shouldn’t be talking about federal character.”

“Unlike patriotic leaders like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Nnamdi Azikwe, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo etc, who started the Nigerian project on a very solid note anchored on maximising the greatest good for the greatest number of people, most of the modern day Nigerian leaders after the independence era have been running aground the Nigerian nation, being parochial leaders,” he said.

Ganiyu Solomon (APC, Lagos West) said at 53, it is regrettable that Nigeria is where it is when compared to other countries that started the journey of independent nationhood with it.

He called for sober reflection on the nation’s past for the needed insight into how to position it for the future through collective responsibility.

Ademola Adeseun (APC, Oyo) harped on the need for the National Assembly to be more proactive in setting the agenda for Nigeria’s development in the coming years, since according to him, the First Republic that was rated to be the best era in the nation’s history was more or less driven by the parliament.

Other Senators who also spoke included Mohammadu Magoro (PDP Kebbi State), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South) and Kabiru Gaya (APC Kano South) among others.

They all submitted that at 53, problems like youth unemployment, poor electricity supply and incessant ethno-religious crises were not supposed to be Nigeria’s lot, urging government at all levels to be more serious.

Senate President, David Mark, in his own remarks, said the attitude and behaviuor of most Nigerians today are contrary to what the old national anthem preached.

Anchoring his point on the phrase, “Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”, he said “Nigerians in the Nigeria of today cannot be said to be standing in brotherhood,” going by various killings taking place in the country in addition to other vices against both the country and one another.

“If you go back memory lane and you recall our old national anthem, ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’, the question to ask is: do we stand in brotherhood today? Or we have completely changed. Are we our brother’s keeper?

“Because if we are our brother’s keeper, we would not do some of the things that we do in this country.

“If we are our brother’s keeper, then we would love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

“There is none of us here, nobody, no Nigerian, no human being that would hurt himself. But we do those things that hurt other Nigerians. Some on different scales, some on large scale and some on small scale.

“All of us here are leaders. At every level we have Nigerians who are leaders. So, we must begin to look inwards and search our minds now so that we can make progress.

“We want a nation where truth and justice shall reign.

“And once we have this as our cardinal point, I think every other thing shall follow,” the Senate President noted.

Splinter group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) otherwise known as New PDP led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje also spoke on the state of the nation in Abuja on Thursday, saying, “Despite claims to the contrary by the administration in a futile bid to deceive Nigerians, the overwhelming evidence is that the Nigerian economy has been run aground by the present administration and is now comatose.

“With the massive scale of officially-induced oil theft, the dwindling returns from oil and massive looting going on at the federal level, Nigeria is surely on the brink of economic collapse.”

The group counseled Nigerians to prepare for a worse scenario in view of the obstinacy of the government in continuing with  the style that has brought the nation’s economy to its present parlous state.

This position was contained in a statement signed by the New PDP National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.

The statement urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “save his face” by sacking Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in accordance with recent demand of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

According to the statement, the allegations raised against the Jonathan administration by the NGF were not fabricated but one borne out of empirical evidence.

“One manifestation of this is the Federal Government’s inability to pay states their share of the federal allocation since July. The last time states were paid was for part of July.

“The arrears continue to mount by the day. As at today, the states are being owed N336 billion, with the N75 billion being the balance of the July 2013 arrears, N121 billion from June augmentation and over N90 billion as July augmentation.

“The implication of this unfortunate development is that the 36 states have become impoverished and unable to meet up with basic obligations, including the payment of workers’ monthly salaries, which many of the states have been unable to do due to lack of funds.

“Most states have also as a result been unable to meet their obligation to contractors.

“This dangerous scenario is complemented by the growing rate of unemployment, which presently hovers around 80 per cent,” the New PDP added.

It said this was an indication of trouble which will trickle down the fabric of governance and the society at large.

“Let us ponder this: If states cannot pay their contractors – not to talk of entering into new contracts – if states cannot pay their workers because there is no money to pay them, what could result is a huge social catastrophe that will add to the social, economic and political inferno already ravaging Nigeria today.

“All these portend very grave danger for our dear country as youth and labour restiveness appears imminent.”

The party added: “The question to ask is, Where has all the money gone?”

“For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had revealed that the country earned a total of N1.05 trillion in July, but surprisingly, the minister had not been able to pay states their due statutory allocations.

“Where are the billions of dollars accruable from daily crude oil sales? Where are the billions of naira accruable from multiple taxation which is strangulating struggling businesses on a daily basis?

“And where are the billions of dollars which the Jonathan administration claims to be saving from one so-called cost-saving measure or the other? Nigerians can no longer be deceived!

“The truth is that Nigeria is broke and worse days are ahead under this inept and visionless administration,” the party said.