Border Closure, Inflation and Medieval Mindset
The admission by the Federal Government that the ill thought closure of Nigeria’s land borders has triggered inflation is just a tip of a huge iceberg.
One thing the incompetent Buhari administration has continued to “excel” in is the exhibition of medieval understanding of what modern public governance entails. The convergence of yesterday’s men as core policy makers and implementers cannot be detached from the fumbling of the Buhari presidency.
How on earth can any serious government rely on medieval Hammed Ali as Chief policy maker and implementer of border control? A man that is a relic of stone age mentality should not be anywhere near modern administration. He prides himself as the Netanyahu of our politics, yet unable to equip himself with the minutest of modern administrative tools to at least be a counterfeit of the beleaguered Israeli Prime Minister.
This man’s solution to his failure as Customs Service boss is to recommend to an equally linear administration to close the borders and kill off legitimate businesses that thrived on cross border activities. Annoyingly, some gullible Nigerians are buying this crap in the name of partisanship and ethnic profiling.
To make matters worse, Ali and the government “decreed” near border petrol stations out of business. People that invested huge sums of money to build petrol stations are now left to look for other means of livelihood and of course find a way to repay the banks for already borrowed funds. Even, the poor citizens working at these stations were not considered.
My point really is that Benin Republic and other border countries cannot be blamed for our failure as a country. The problem is with Medieval Hammed Ali and his corrupt Customs Service. In saner climes, the man would’ve been pushed out of office.
The overwhelming damage this border closure has done to our economy is unquantifiable. History will record this as the worst self inflicted economic woe visited upon the country.
The economy is not just about rice. Self sufficiency in rice production is very good, but that cannot be at the expense of the totality of the economy.
Last line: Bangladesh is self sufficient in rice production, yet very poor and at the same time deficient in wheat, maize and other products needed to empower the citizens and grow its economy.
Kelechi Jeff Eme. KJE
Mbieri, Mbaitoli, Imo State
