MEMO TO OMATA Following the announcement by the Onitsha Amalgamated Traders Association (OMATA) of a meeting on 15th January, to decide on the presidential candidate to endorse for the 2015 election, I have decided to address this memo to them. OMATA seems to have been in the doldrums after the vibrant leadership of Chief B.U. Ohanugo and Chief G.U. Okeke. The proposed meeting offers a great opportunity for OMATA to reinvent itself and be a voice to be reckoned with in national affairs. The decision that the association will take is going to be very important for their businesses and the future of the Igbo nation. It should not be a decision that should be guided by sentiments, but that which would promote peace; progress and the place of the Igbo man in future Nigeria. OMATA has an opportunity to be the conscience of the Igbo nation at this time. Before taking that decision, I invite members of OMATA to consider the following: 1. The problem of insecurity in the North has been affecting businesses adversely. At least, I know many people whose warehouses are filled with unsold goods because Mubi and other towns in the North East were captured by Boko Haram. It is therefore safe to assume that terrorism is not only a Northern problem, but a problem to OMATA. If peace returns to the North, it would greatly impact on your businesses, because the volume of business that flows between the North East and Onitsha is quite enormous. The Jonathan administration has shown great ineptitude in containing BOKO Haram activities and there are no guarantees that he would do better in the next four years. Therefore, between a Buhari and a Jonathan, who would be more effective in combating terrorism? 2. The Igbo nation had been behaving as if they had “privatized” the Jonathan administration to the chagrin of other sections of the nation. This is clearly shown in their attitude to the APC initially. But for Okorocha and Ngige, notable Igbo politicians refused to join the APC and understandably, the Igbos were not in contention for the Running Mate position, which ought to have come to them in the spirit of equity. This attitude, if carried to the presidential election would alienate the Igbos in future. No Igbo can be President of Nigeria without the Northern and/or Western votes. This is a reality that should be considered before you take a decision. 3. The bane of corruption affects everyone in different ways. In recent times, corruption has gone “nuclear”. I do not think that OMATA members benefited from the fuel subsidy scams, oil industry scams, pension scams, import duty waivers etc. In fact import duty waivers given to your competitors make business difficult for you. They can cut prices and sell, while you are stock with your goods. Therefore, your decision on the 15th should be informed by whether to continue with corruption or not? 4. With the slide in the price of crude oil, the Nigerian economy in 2015 will experience hard times. It has started with the devaluation of the naira and a hike in interest rate. As business people, no one needs to tell you the consequence of these measures. It may further mean that some of you would be losing your houses, due to inability to pay higher bank charges. The goods you purchased with expensive “hard currency” would suffer low demand due to low purchasing power of the ordinary people. There is no guarantee that the Federal government can pay their workers in 2015, as we have witnessed this Christmas, when many civil servants were not paid. Therefore how can they buy. The hard time would be unimaginable if Jonathan continues. You must realize that the economy needs another set of drivers if Nigeria is to get out of the wood. 5. I do not expect that you premise your decision on the provision of infrastructure or lack of it. To build a road or building is the simplest thing any government can do and Senator Chris Ngige has proven that it is no rocket science. Therefore, I do not want to talk about the Onitsha – Enugu expressway, 2nd Niger Bridge, Airport or Seaport. I do not wish to address it because the gullible had been hoodwinked by these things, when people in power use such projects to steal money. The point is: who can guarantee better value for money spent on projects? In consideration of the above, if you think that President Jonathan is still the better man for the job and endorse him, it would be no news. You would have been part of the inconsequential 8000 groups that have done so. Your endorsement would also be seen as part of the Igbo “privatization” agenda. However, if you bring out the true republican spirit of the Igboman and endorse General Buhari, you would have made a profound statement that would have future historical significance. It would be an endorsement that would annihilate the distrust between the Igbos and the Hausas. It would engender deeper trust. It would also be a trust that would be a huge debt on General Buhari and the North. I encourage you to join the bandwagon of change and make this loud statement on January 15th. God bless you all.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 07:07:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015