I have read Soludos piece which people are calling issues. I wish to state as follows: 1. The development is very good for our democracy as it gets us all talking with a view to reaching a common ground on how to solve our problems, and what will ultimately happen to our country. 2. In American politics there is something called sucking the air out of the room. When a politician (of which Soludo is one) does that its usually an attempt to draw attention to himself for certain reasons. Those reasons are not the focus of my comments here. 3. Soludos piece is as interesting as it is incisive. While it has attempted to focus on specific issues that largely bother on the economy it also contains some elements of chest beating. There is no doubt that if some of his claims about his attainment in office are subjected to scrutiny we may see things from different angles. 4. Its interesting that there seem to be this feeling of now this is the issue. I must confess that any individual who feels that way has not really taken time to understand holistically the underlying factors that brought us all to this sorry state. 5. Some comments have gone on to emphatically point at Soludos comment as issue based thereby suggesting that all previous discourse are not issue driven. Well, with due humility, and for the purpose of our enlightenment, Nigerias issues have multiple dimensions. Soludo largely discussed the economic dimension based on his calling - being an economist. Before the last election Soyinka wrote his own piece on Buhari which verged more towards the socio-cultural. That may also have been based on his own calling, being a person of art and culture. Therefore, when we say issues all what we have been debating which Soludo has attempted to suck the air out of the room are equally issues. 6. What is the essence of my comment? There was a time when the political leadership of the south west championed the restructuring of the Nigeria state. No body seem to be talking about it presently as everyone, fairly, feels that the economy is the major issue. Why have we continued to talk about things like GEJ and impunity; OBJ and impunity, Abacha and impunity; IBB and impunity, Buhari and impunity over the years? It is largely because of the socio-political arrangement that enables this impunity of which the south western elites were championing. 7. The fact still remains that Nigeria, as presently constituted, will only be running round a vicious circle if issues such as the structure of the Nigeria federation, distribution of power, equity, etc are not addressed. 8. Therefore, Solido has only done well in also drawing our awareness that both parties have not in any meaningful way addressed ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES - economy. 9. The point we have now reached, as Soludos piece seem to be encouraging, is for the political parties to present a holistic and coherent solution to the diverse problems confronting our society - NOT JUST THE ECONOMY, as people would wont. 10. Fundamentally, Soludo having analysed issues from a largely economic perspective is in agreement with my position which is largely from a socio-political perspective - that head (PDP) or tail (APC) our country is in a deep mess and both parties lack credibility and solutions.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:30:05 +0000