If I Were President: A Blueprint for Nigeria's Transformation

In a sharp opinion piece, the writer lays out what they would do differently from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if given the chance. On security, they would treat it as a procurement item, hiring private security consultants with electronic weapons to smoke out Boko Haram elements without direct troop engagement, arguing this approach was nearly successful in 2015 under former President Jonathan. The writer advocates for sending a bill to the National Assembly to unbundle Nigeria by converting the six geopolitical zones into quasi-independent economic units, allowing each region to develop its full potential. To fight corruption, they propose creating Special Tribunals to try terror sponsors and enacting a new law to execute corrupt officials who steal public funds, stating that grammatical circumlocutions cannot cure Nigerian corruption. For the aviation sector, they question why a return ticket between Lagos and Abuja costs one million Naira when students' return tickets to London and back in the late 70s cost less than ₦100, promising to axe the taxes responsible for the insane hike. They also call for making it mandatory for pastors and imams to earn appropriate degrees in their fields, following the Rwandan template where mechanics and electricians must go through apprenticeship. On population management, they would introduce a bill on responsible parenting to criminalize having children without a plan to rear them, stating that bearing children without rearing them as responsible family members is inhuman and unsustainable. The writer would also aim to crash the price of petroleum products by increasing daily production to three million barrels, reserving one million barrels for local refining to bring the price below ₦300 per litre. Ultimately, they argue that the government's only valid barometer is people's welfare—when common people can feed well, educate their children, and sleep with both eyes closed, that is the definition of success, not the approval of Bretton Woods Institutions. The piece urges President Tinubu that there is still plenty of work to be done to leave a good legacy.

SOURCE: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/852078-if-i-were-tinubu-by-wole-olaoye.html