Your Excellency,
PLEASE DO NOT PAVE WAY FOR A MILITARY COUP IN NIGERIA UNDER YOUR WATCH: MATTERS ARISING, PERTINENT CONCERNS AND THE WAY FORWARD
Before the All Progressives Congress' (APC) Presidential primary election held from 6th to 7th June, 2022, I was campaigning for the former Vice President, Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo to win the primary election. I also proposed a joint ticket with the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Umaru Zulum as his running mate if he wins the primary election. You were not the person I supported.
When you won the primary election as the Presidential Candidate of APC, I had to support and campaign for you to win the February 25, 2023 Presidential election in respect to the decision of the party. As a card-carrying member of APC, I went beyond my ability to convince electorates to vote for a Muslim/Muslim ticket by giving them irrefutable reasons why I believed you would deliver.
You became the president when the economy, security and a lot have seriously deteriorated. The tasks ahead of you are extremely enormous, but you have the wherewithal to turn things around for the common good if you are determined and have the political will to do so.
One of the mistakes your predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari made was not fixing some if not all the refineries before leaving office. He removed subsidy but didn't fix refineries, which to me, was a very wrong decision.
The only way all Nigerians felt they were benefiting from the federal government was the fuel subsidy that was in place. Every Nigerian uses fuel directly or indirectly.
Nigerians use fuel in their cars, motorcycles, generators, and other fuel consuming machines. Everything we buy are transported and use fuel. So an increase in the price of fuel always lead to an increase in the cost of transportation, goods and services. There is a direct proportionality in this situation.
The recent fuel price of N617 per litre MUST not be increased again until all the refineries are fixed so that if possible, the price can be reduced or maintained.
Nigerians are being pulled towards their "elastic limits" and if pulled further, the outcome might be very destructive and could pave way for a military coup.
As a professional journalist, I have conducted so many interviews and interacted with so many people on their perception of you and outcome of the Presidential election that brought you to power. Many of them believed that your election was controversial and are praying for a military coup to occur so that you would be deposed.
In order not to allow spontaneous protests that might cause the kind of destruction that could push the military to take over, citing bad governance as a reason; please don't give room for this to happen by ensuring that you take the welfare of Nigerians as your top priority.
Please Your Excellency, work together effectively with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) and ensure that the agreements are kept and there should be transparency in the process of implantation of such agreements.
Please, let your policies not cause perpetual sufferings and excruciating pains to us because we are already feeling the heat of the subsidy removal.
Palliatives distributions in Nigeria have never brought lasting solution to any problem. In most cases, such palliatives are looted by those saddled with the responsibility of distributing them and in the end, make a bad situation worse.
According to the publication by THE NATION, September, 2, 2023, "NLC to begin two-day nationwide strike Tuesday" which is September, 5th. If this strike is allowed to happen, Nigeria will lose so much revenue within the two days which will affect the Federation Account Allocation Committee's (FAAC) monthly allocation.
The End Sars protests that occurred in Nigeria in October 2020 led to lost of so many lives and destruction of many government and individual property. The reason the protests didn't significantly knock the federal government off balance was because it concentrated mainly in Lagos in terms of violence and not spontaneously across Nigeria.
With the unprecedented level of hardship in Nigeria, any opportunity for spontaneous violent protest across Nigeria as a result of further fuel price increase, the destruction will be unimaginable. Please do not allow this to happen.
A lot of Nigerians have called on the military to take over from you because of the hardship we are already experiencing, but according to a publication in the LEADERSHIP of August 13, 2023, the "Military refutes calls for coup in Nigeria". PUNCH of August 13, 2023 reports that, "Retired soldiers back Defense Headquarters, say democracy best for Nigeria". THE CABLE of August 13, 2023 reports that, "No plans for coup in Nigeria, Defence Headquarters says military happy under democracy."
Please, do not relax because of these reports. Ensure you do the needful to fix Nigeria and put smiles on the faces of Nigerians because if Nigerians are pulled to their "elastic limits", the outcome might be extremely destructive.
It is my fervent prayer that the Almighty God should give you the strength and wisdom to lead Nigeria with a progressive mind so that those who have ambivalent feelings towards you will be proven wrong by your good and exceptional leadership.
God bless you!
Yours Faithfully,
Terfa Naswem,
Card-carrying Member, All Progressives Congress (APC), Vandeikya, Benue State.
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