Like most concerned Nigerians, Comrade Linus Okoroji, former Director of Security and Logistics of Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) and now a leader of June 12 Coalition, is not happy with what is happening in the country.
He could not hide his feelings when he was asked about how he was feeling about the scandal in the sixth National Assembly under the former speaker. His reply: “It portrays the attitude of Nigerians to public office. It shows that those holding elective positions have no plan for the people. They are rudderless, foolish and also ignorant of history. What do they want to do with such money? It explains their gluttony at the expense of Nigerians who are suffering without food on their tables. That was my quarrel with the Nigeria Labour Congress when they accepted to dance to the tune of monetisation of the economy. It is a very dangerous concept. It means you can give him money and allow him to go hell. Instead of providing him with good health and other social services, you are giving him money. In essence, he should provide health for himself and other social needs. So, monetisation of the system has eroded our sense of commitment to public welfare and engendered the culture of money. This attitude has permeated the minds of Nigerian leaders whose sense of kleptomania ranks highest in the world. Nigerian leaders are very foolish. Generally, Nigeria is a country of foolish and gullible men.”
But when reminded that the government believed that monetisation was to bring relief because people could simply pay for what they wanted, he said: “It has not really helped Nigeria. Unfortunately the concept of monetisation was the idea of IMF and World Bank. The IMF ideas came up at a time when Nigeria was poor and needed to meet its international monetary challenges. The IMF dictated to Nigeria how it would overcome these challenges and gave their conditionalities which included privatisation, devaluation of the Naira, which of course eroded the dignity of man. That also included liberalising imports, retrenchment of workers and all sorts of things. Thirty years after the rejection of these conditions, the government of today have rebranded them reforms. It is really unfortunate that Nigerian people who agitated against these conditions have been persuaded to accept them because of their gullibility.”
With palpable regrets, he lamented the missing link between Abiola’s mandate which he joined others to actualise and the reality in the country, saying: “M.K.O Abiola was a great man. That he was the only Nigerian at that time that could walk into the America’s White House and the British House of Lords showed he was the only one that could equate the leaders of the world. That is why when he explained his mission to banish poverty from Nigerian, he was wholly embraced from different parts of the country. The prices of essential commodity came down naturally because Abiola had already embarked on mass productions of essential goods. But today, prices of things have gone up. Government appears confused because the solution it proffers seems not to be working. Abiola’s election was a consensus of Nigerians. It was a great hope that was dashed and those who took over the leadership after that annulment have failed. They are opportunists, looting the treasury with impunity. It’s really unfortunate because there is no reason for poverty in this country.”
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