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ADC Coalition And Their Military Era 'Telephone Is Not For The Poor' Mentality
David Mark is 77 years old, and Rauf Aregbesola is 68. And these are the people who will lead the new coalition party. Can you, as a Nigerian youth, have any hope in such a gerontocratic party, headed by a man who inspired the headline, 'Telephones Are Not For The Poor', and another, who as Osun Governor caused religious crisis in his state by forcing Christian Missionary schools to merge with schools they had no affiliation with, which led to religious violence in Osun?
What is their purpose for coming together? They have stated it clearly. It is not to make telephones affordable for the poor, but to simply take power from President Bola Tinubu.
This is not a pro-Nigerian coalition, or a union to fight poverty, or even a coming together to address the issues that affect the ordinary person.
This is an anti-Tinubu party whose manifesto is to get Tinubu out of power so they can restore the fuel subsidy that made the elites richer without benefiting the poor.
They are not happy that Nigeria is no longer the biggest importer of refined petrol in Africa and is now the biggest exporter of fuel in West Africa. This has not been funny for them because there is no more easy money, which is why they found harmony to go against their enemy.
Let me remind Nigerians what we have benefited under Tinubu, including:
Our national debt has reduced from $108.2 billion on May 29, 2023, to $94.2 billion today. In Nigeria's history, only two civilian governments have been able to reduce the nation's indebtedness: the Obasanjo administration and now the Tinubu government.
Local Government Autonomy
Tax Reform
Due to the removal of fuel subsidies, each state now gets more than double the federal allocation it received under Buhari. As a result, Nigerian states' indebtedness has reduced, with 33 out of 36 states and the FCT collectively repaying about ₦1.85 trillion in domestic debt between June 2023 and December 2024.
Due to the floating of the naira, our foreign reserve hit a year-to-date high of $40.877 billion. That is up from the $3.7 billion inherited from General Buhari.
ASUU has not even dreamt of striking under Tinubu? This is the first time since President Shagari's era that Nigeria has had two years without an ASUU strike.
Six hundred thousand students are benefiting from the Tinubu administration's student loan initiative. These are young Nigerians who may not have had a university education but for Tinubu.
On July 29, 2024, President Tinubu signed the New Minimum Wage Bill into law and now Nigerian workers earn a ₦70,000 minimum wage, more than double the previous minimum wage.
Nigeria achieved a record-breaking trade surplus of $14.31 billion in 2024 because, under Tinubu, unlike in the past, we now export more than we import due to the Naira flotation, making made-in-Nigeria more affordable than imports.
The Tinubu administration is building the largest infrastructural projects in Nigeria's history, including the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway, starting from Calabar and Lagos simultaneously. This will reduce travel times between the Southwest and South-South by 25-30% and increase our GDP by 6-8%. Also, the Ilela-Sokoto-Badagry Expressway is ongoing, and the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway is being reconstructed. Under Tinubu, Nigeria is a beehive of projects.
Do we want to put all of these at risk simply because of some disgruntled politicians and their 1980s telephone is not for the poor mentality? I doubt that.
It is in Nigeria's best interest to support President Bola Tinubu until he completes his eight years. Then, power will go to the North, and Nigeria will continue to enjoy political stability, which will lead to economic prosperity.
Reno Omokri
Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker . Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years.
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