Hon. Charles Anike is the Nationwide President of Japanese Union (EU), a political strain group for the individuals of the Outdated Japanese Area. On this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU, he took a take a look at the lives of Nigerians within the outgone 12 months in addition to the influence of President Bola Tinubu’s reforms on residents. Excerpt:
How do you see the lives of Nigerians in 2024?.
Nigerians lived precariously in 2024 as a result of uncertainties within the insurance policies of the federal government. The instabilities and lack of clear path of the federal government adversely have an effect oned the residents within the simply concluded 12 months. The sustained hyperinflation has introduced untold hardships on the individuals. Each day there have been and nonetheless are steady will increase within the costs of important commodities, a direct results of the prison elimination of subsidies of petroleum merchandise. The purported elimination has resulted in irregular increases within the costs of important items, with out corresponding will increase within the incomes of frequent individuals. A scenario that has compelled thousands and thousands of younger individuals in a foreign country to seek for higher lives elsewhere. Time will fail anybody to start to speak in regards to the many failures of the federal government, speaking about insecurity throughout the nation, which has resulted in individuals being wasted every day. Kidnapping, banditry and every kind of life threatening violent crimes have grow to be booming enterprise of the wealthy. The poor are not secure to go to their farms and different endeavours in rural areas.
Safety personnel are being killed of their 1000’s, growing the variety of widows and fathermuch less households, with out the government paying real consideration or making any critical efforts to sort out the safety challenges, quite than simply paying lip service and make use ofing propaganda in such delicate conditions.
Nigerians that survived the 2024 go to locations of worship to specifically thank God for surviving the plague within the land (APC). Many imagine that in 2024 Nigerians merely existed by the mercy of God and didn’t actually fulfill their destinies. Thank God we now have crossed over to 2025, for which we now have continued to look ahead for divine intervention to show the fortunes of the residents round.
Would you say there’s any hope for constructive change in 2025?
After all by our religion in our creator, we should all the time hope for a greater future by divine windfall, not hoping within the political bandits. Our hope for constructive change doesn’t relaxation on the federal government. No, we aren’t anticipating something further extraordinary from this irresponsible self-serving and clueless government. From inception, the government by no means confirmed any curiosity or concern in regards to the wellbeing of the residents. Sure, no consideration. That was why a President would at his inauguration, arrogantly and with out being delicate, declare that ‘Subsidy Is Gone’, with out settling down and making mandatory consultations. Since then, Nigerians have been dwelling with over 500% inflation and that has depleted the life span of the individuals. To date, no acutely aware effort has been made to reverse this ugly development and return the individuals to the lifetime of abundance. Quite, issues are getting worse and harder by the day. Think about the variety of wholesome wanting people who died in Anambra and Abuja Christmas rice sharing centres and scores of youthful people who died at Ibadan Christmas poor youngsters’s social gathering stampede. The government, quite than really feel regretful and took duty for the unlucky incidents, shamelessly gave excuses, arresting the charity organisers. Something you see this authorities doing, irrespective of how they paint or current it, is for its selfish pursuits and geared in direction of its 2027 Renewed Hopelessness Agenda. The residents will not be of their calculation and they don’t matter to the operators of the Tinubulation government.
What’s your tackle President Tinubu’s 2025 N49.7 trillion finances?
There’s nothing so particular or extraordinary within the 2025 Tinubu’s finances, irrespective of the trillions of Naira. It makes no distinction. It’s nonetheless a ‘Price range of Renewed Hopelessness’. The Nigerian lots will not be of their calculation like we highlighted earlier. It’s nonetheless a budget focused at making the wealthy to be richer and the poor to be poorer. A second and correct evaluation of the 2025 Tinubu finances exhibits that it’s a repeat of what was offered earlier than, however extra fastidiously padded and skewed to serve the assorted pursuits and supply sufficient meals for the massive boys on the corridors of energy. The Nigerian lots will nonetheless proceed of their wrestle to outlive and eke out a dwelling. So, there’s nothing there that’s new for celebration. It’s a finances designed to service the insatiable luxurious urge for food of the Presidency, National Meeting massive boys, their cronies after which, the international lenders and their collaborators.
With the quantity to be spent on debt servicing and recurrent finances, do you assume the administration may give Nigerians good governance in 2025?
Please, which good governance are you speaking about? The place did you see it? Do you assume they care? Good governance or not, what matters to them is how they will retain energy and proceed their Renewed Hopelessness Agenda. The Tinubu authorities has made borrowing a behavior and the one approach ahead. With the purported elimination of just about all subsidies and the continued announcement of trillions being saved and accruing from the subsidies elimination, no one ever anticipated the Tinubu authorities to proceed the Buhari life-style of borrowing and pilling up money owed for the generations but unborn. The sum of money the federal government is all the time claiming to have saved must be sufficient to run the nation. The cash it retains utilizing for debt servicing alone is colossal and already a nationwide tragedy. The Tinubu administration is a Paddy-Paddy authorities that doesn’t have an Financial Assume Tank Staff. Quite, everyone seems to be on their very own grabbing, no correct coordination or effort to look inwards on find out how to develop the economic system and alleviate poverty within the land. The government is working laborious to maintain the poverty capital achievement of its predecessor. All we see is the operators of the federal government and their cronies feeding fats and consuming with their palms on the identical time, which after all is abominable. In Tinubu’s authorities like that of Buhari, nophysique is checking anyone. It’s: chop your individual and permit me to cut my very own. Who cares? If you’re offended, go to court docket.(Laughs). After all, the lots have been disorganised and enslaved to deal with their struggles to realize their day by day bread.
What’s your tackle the reforms carried out to date by the Tinubu authorities and their results on Nigerians?
Reforms? Which reforms are you speaking about? As a result of we now have not seen any, besides the phrase reform have one other which means and expression or possibly within the Nigerian politicians’ dictionary. In any other case by which sector or space has he carried out a reform? Possibly you’re referring to the a lot talked-about tax reforms nonetheless producing heated arguments and unhealthy blood within the North. If that’s what you imply, then it’s a welcome improvement. To date, it’s the solely constructive step in the appropriate path taken by Tinubu. Not less than, some individuals which have been sleeping and having fun with meals cooked by others can get up and be part of within the cooking. We have to start to destroy some entanglements and wake all people as much as face the realities and work if we should transfer ahead as a individuals. The period of sacred cow mentality, which has sustained laziness in some components of the nation, should be destroyed, that is the twenty first century. Issues must be and should be achieved by benefit and enter if the nation should make significant progress. We don’t need to proceed to encourage laziness or keep and maintain a big population whose worth is simply to prove to vote throughout elections and produce visionless and good-for-nothing leaders. At this level, everybody must get right down to work and be adequately rewarded in line with enter, that’s the strategy to go.
Due to this fact, the tax reform is the one reform we now have heard of, despite the fact that nonetheless below critical debate and contentious. No matter else you name reform by the Tinubu government is nothing however mapped out methods in direction of retaining energy in 2027. Although we will nonetheless see that the federal government has no constructive methods to retain energy. In any other case the federal government ought to have begined doing one thing to enhance the lives of the extraordinary residents. There would have been real efforts to verify the ever rising value of dwelling as a result of threatening inflation. They’d have additionally put extra seriousness to verify insecurity and sort out corruption. Possibly they might have additionally thought-about land grabbing actions of the federal government within the FCT as reform and possibly, the conveying in and compensating their cronies with appointments as reform!
How do you see the money drawback being confronted by Nigerians and the power of the CBN to manage actions of business banks?
The current money drawback being confronted by Nigerians is unimaginable, disgusting and an act of wickedness by the banks. Why would somebody after depositing his or her cash within the financial institution, will be unable to access the cash at any time when? That is the peak of corruption and andifferent facet of wickedness being launched. Now while you get to the banks, the ATM machines are both empty or crowded. They’ve satanically positioned day by day withdrawal limits on individuals’s cash of their accounts. Why? The scenario could be very unhealthy, irritating and embarrassing. Why would banks frustrate individuals’s companies and transactions? Individuals want money to run their companies and the Nigerian banks maintain onto individuals’s cash and frustrate their companies. And we’re speaking of constructing progress on this nation. That’s bewitchment. That will likely be unthinkable in a sane society.
Nigerian banks cost highest rates of interest and hold stealing depositors’ cash unquestioned. Irrespective of how a lot you deposit or have in Nigeria banks, you possibly can by no means entry their loans. In case you dare to use for mortgage, the Nigerian financial institution will request for the loss of life certificates of your forefathers and even in case you wrestle to provide them, they are going to nonetheless not offer you mortgage and but each minute you obtain alerts of incessant deductions in your accounts.
One won’t be incorrect to imagine that this authorities and their cronies are ‘Authorities of witches and wizards’. Solely witches and wizards behave and function in the best way this authorities and its brokers are operating. They do all the pieces and go further miles to frustrate the frequent man’s efforts to outlive and make little progress. Lately, you see individuals leaving their properties early within the morning and spending the entire day within the financial institution queue simply to make withdrawals and have entry to their very own cash. Cash they laboured for! We start to surprise and ask: what is basically the issue of the financial institution chiefs? What are they actually in search of out of life? They connive with our flesh pressers to siphon and launder public monies, after which, come again to grab the little monies poor individuals are mangrowing old for his or her survival. What sort of evil individuals are they? The CBN management is an element and parcel of the gang-up towards the poor. Sure, they’re members of the cabals. That’s the reason they faux to not be able to controlling the actions of the industrial banks. However, they need to perceive that in any way a person sows, he should reap. And for what shall it revenue them in the event that they acquire the entire world and ultimately lose their soul?
