The Buhari-led administration will never cease to amaze us with their misplaced priorities…
President Buhari has demonstrated that he remains the President of the core North more than Southern Nigeria…
In response to the subject report, which was supposedly a reported “front page” news of the Punch newspaper that has recently been circulating on social media, particularly on WhatsApp – that the Federal Government has trained 177 youths in smartphone repairs with N5.9 billion naira, I consider it necessary to draw the attention of the public to the real facts and also pinpoint some areas where the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has greatly missed it.
While the said “front page” report has attracted a lot of comments and criticism from Nigerians, both online and offline, we had to ask the question – Did this really happen?
From further investigations, particularly based on evidence gathered by PRNigeria online report, the claim that the Federal Government spent N5.9 billion to train 177 youths on smartphone repair is not ‘entirely’ true.
Apparently, the report first appeared in April 2022 in a PUNCH report (not front page) which has since been updated, as the 177 were only “part beneficiaries” of a total of 16,629 youths in Batch C of the Federal Government’s Npower Program in Kano State that stands to benefit from the said N5.9billion earmarked by the Federal Government for training, tooling and monthly stipends for the said Batch C N-Power Program recipients in Kano State. And that approximately 18,042 had already benefited in Batch A and B of the said programme. The disclosure was made by Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development while being represented by Dr Nasir Mahmoud, Special Assistant to the President on N-Skills during the concluding ceremony of the N-Skills programme, a component of the N-Power initiative in Kano, which trained 177 youngsters in Smart Phone Repairs and Services. It was this context that was stated by the PUNCH in a misleading news headline/frame which it has since updated.
Another thing that was noted is that the graphic picture in circulation on social media is not officially from PUNCH and is therefore misleading. It was observed that the image was watermarked “- 6mdh – PhotoGrid” which made it appears like a reproduced PUNCH graphic from random social media users.
Having established the above, the undeniable fact, which we need to reiterate and pinpoint here, is the fact that the President Buhari-led administration has since its inception, been using such schemes/programs and elephant projects to create avenues for the government officials within its space and their tentacles, to misappropriate and mismanage public funds meant to make life better for the common man, into private pockets of some few.
There are many examples of this anomaly by the Buhari administration. One of which was when reports revealed that the Federal Government spends about N24 billion on different empowerment and POVERTY REDUCTION schemes in its so-called National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in Sokoto state alone. This was made known by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq.
Now the question is, if this Government spends this amount annually in Sokoto state alone, in the name of poverty alleviation, how come the poverty level in that state, as well as other parts of the country, has continued to increase and worsen unabated? How come the said N24 billion spent annually in Sokoto state alone, as an example, has not translated into improved living conditions for the people? With all the billions of Naira said to have been ploughed into the so-called NSIP by the Buhari administration, how come the majority of the Nigerian youths, especially those in the North, have continued to wallow in severe poverty and lack? How come Nigeria has still termed the poverty capital of the world? That tells us that all the monies being budgeted by this administration into their so-called poverty alleviation schemes have all ended up in the private pockets of those concerned. Hence, while the few are getting richer, the vast majority of our youths are getting poorer.
It is also appalling that this administration has not shown the required concern as regards human capital development. That is why our educational sector has suffered greatly under the Buhari administration. While other nations like India and China are leaving no stone unturned, and Giving it all to develop the human capacity of their citizens, our Nigerian leaders of this administration prefer to enact policies and carry out practices that only leave the majority of the Nigerian youth impoverished, underutilized, unappreciated and kept under the poverty line.
While other nations are busy empowering their youths through research that will bring about breakthroughs in science and technology, thereby making them Productive Nations, our leaders are more interested in giving the Nigerian youngsters peanuts for today, while sabotaging their future. That is why we hear of Politicians handing out Wheelbarrows and shovels to our youths as supposed ’empowerment programs.’ That is why a Government would prefer to spend millions and billions in training its youth to become Phone Repairers, while other nations are more blessed and, are empowering their youths to be producers of phones. This is why we have remained a “Consumer Nation”.
Still, on the subject matter, how can the Buhari-led Federal government be comfortable in spending billions in the name of carrying out poverty alleviation programs for States, whereas the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for more than 7 months now and still running? Thereby making all Federal Universities to be under lock and key. Does the Buhari-led administration think Nigerians are fools, and that we will never gain consciousness and awareness of their deception? Why such gestures to State Governments? Does Kano state, Sokoto state and the rest, not have their state governments led by governors? Of what relevance are these so-called training as touching the economic building and enhancement of the nation?
Truth be told, there is nothing that we have not seen and heard under the Buhari administration. Very soon, we will hear that they have approved monies to donate to the Niger Republic for the training of their youths on such menial endeavours. Nothing is strange anymore in this administration.
Under this Buhari administration, Nigeria has become a country with ever-growing high inflation and standard of living/energy costs, which have remained the highest in the nation’s history. This is a government that has rendered the Nigeria naira worthless? More so, Buhari has demonstrated that he is the President of the core northern Nigeria. And the entire Southern zones and a section of the Middle Belt states are not under his responsibility. This is very visible and glaring to all.
However, I blame the National Assembly for tolerating all of this nonsense. And this is because they are more interested in their own bellies than projecting and protecting the interests of the Nigerian people.
Why spend money on useless projects and schemes that only enrich a few to the detriment of many? Why can’t President Buhari partner with private investors to commit money in the areas of manufacturing? For example in the production of phones and other electronics like television, refrigerators, etc.? Why can’t the Federal government focus on how to revive places like the Delta Steel Company Ovwian-Aladja and expand it to produce flat steel, as well as other steel items? It should not just be about establishing “assembly plants.” But they should strive to turn the nation to become a giant in the area of manufacturing of these items in the country for export purposes. These are the many misplaced priorities of this government, and it is rather unfortunate.
We Mobilize Others to fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Cause!