Open Letter to the President

July 29. 2024

His Excellency,

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TINUBU (GCFR),

President, Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces,

Federal Republic of Nigeria,

Aso Villa, FCT,

Abuja.    

Your Excellency,

Nationwide Protest: where are the Federal Ministry Of Information and National Orientation Agency?

Following the determination of the sworn enemies of democratic order and agents of darkness to unleash violence, pandemonium and chaos on the nation under the guise of potentially destructive and disruptive protest, there exists no doubt that the Your Excellency has moved spiritedly and patriotically on behalf of the nation in deploying all available resources to counter and frustrate the exercise through constructive and interactive sessions with key stakeholders across the country.   

The very rewarding and productive audience Your Excellency had with notable Traditional Rulers across the country in the immediate past week in a bid to frustrate the protest was well received with aplomb by generality of Nigerians.  Of course, our monarchs would have reached out to the downtrodden in their communities in all the nooks & crannies to disseminate the information.

The country also noted with satisfaction that National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other notable stakeholders are on the same page with Your Excellency and Nigerians on the need to shelve the provocative and reckless protest.

Sir, this writer therefore implore Your Excellency to continue the dialogue and engagement with all other major stakeholders like Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Civil Liberty Organizations (CLOs), national leadership of Nigerian Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW), Market Women Associations and even, leadership of Professional Bodies across the country, with a view to eclipse the protest.

Your Excellency, Sir, the crux of this Open Letter is the indifference of   the Ministry of Information and National Orientation Agency (NOA) so far, despite tension that the issue has generated in the polity in the past couple of weeks.

It’s within their purview to project government image in a positive light to the governed. It’s their roles and responsibilities to constantly brief Nigerians on the government activities, thereby rescuing the populace from the propaganda machinery of Agents of darkness and apostles of demons.       

Federal Ministry of Information is saddled with the followings:

• To provide the citizenry with credible and timely information on governmental activities, policies, programs and initiatives, as well as receiving feedback.
• Building a positive image for the country and promoting national consciousness.
• Providing effective Regulatory Environment for the Media and Allied Industry.

In the same vein, National Orientation Agency of Nigeria have, as their roles the under-listed:

• Communicating government policy to the citizenry on regular basis.
• Staying abreast of public opinion as it concerns government activities.
• Promoting patriotism, national unity, and development of Nigerian society.     

Your Excellency, at a very difficult and demanding time like this, the aforementioned ministry and the Agency of government MUST be at the FOREFRONT of rolling out key statistics and information on government activities, most especially those notable and specific social schemes that government have implemented, as well as those already approved for implementation, with a view to making life better and more meaningful for the generality of Nigerians.

By now, they ought to have reached out to millions of Nigerians with DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, addressing the needs of all strata across the country.

Your Excellency, we’re aware this government have done remarkably with several initiatives within the last 13 months to address the needs of the populace, amongst which are the under-listed:

• The implementation of more than 133% increase on the minimum wage. 
• The Student’s Loan that gives Nigerian Indigent students in Tertiary Institutions access to Interest-free facility to fund their educational pursuits.
• The consumer credit created purposely to support citizens to buy cars and houses, which they can gradually repaid.
• Your Excellency’s assent to the new Electricity Act 2023 that ended the monopoly of Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) in electricity administration, granting States, Companies and Private Individuals ample opportunity to participate in the investment in power sector with the latitude to generate, market and transmit electricity with the main purpose of making power supply affordable to millions of Nigerians.
• Delineating Nigerians electricity system into categories-Band A, Band B, Band C etc, an initiative that has significantly relieved the downtrodden of huge tariffs payment on monthly basis.
• On related note, Your administration commencement of disbursement of N50, 000 to 1,000,000 on monthly basis, a Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme, also known as the Trade Grants Scheme.
• The recent AUTONOMY granted to Local Government Council by the pronouncement of Apex Court purposed to ensure Your regime seamlessly make life more meaningful and abundant at local government level, with huge resources that would henceforth be available to LGC authority on monthly basis.
• Your administration ingenuity in reducing number of taxes payable by Nigerians in all sectors from 52 to 10, a fantastic initiative that purposed to end the regime of multiple taxation. 
• Federal government social welfare schemes in form of allowances to the poor and vulnerable, vibrant enough to reach downtrodden at grassroots.
• The government equally initiated the launching of a new program called the Presidential Intervention Fund, with huge amount of N200 billion set aside to help small businesses grow.
• The scheme is purposed mainly to help small businesses, with specific focuses on sectors like trading, food services, ICT, transportation, creative arts, and artisans.
• The government supply of several trucks of fertilizers and Agricultural inputs to thousands of farmers, particularly in the northern region with a view to ensuring abundant of food supply to millions of households across the country in the weeks/months ahead.  
• Your Excellency’s administration committing huge resources of the nation in infrastructures in rails, roads, airways, medical, educational and research institutes with a view to ensuring prosperity, growth & development in the country. 

But, the fact remains that all above feats and accomplishments are not well efficiently DISEMMINATED to Nigerians, applying demographic system, as well as deployment of appropriate medium of information.

The two (2) important information disseminators simply disappeared when the nation desirous of their services!

Many Nigerians are oblivious of giant strides the government is making to address the rots it inherited.

This majorly accounted for the reasons why propagandists have filled the yawning gap by feeding the country men and women with very destructive and disruptive information about the government.

Your Excellency, suffice to submit that it’s an auspicious time to do a surgical operation to the cabinet, especially with redeployment of helmsman in the ministry of information and National Orientation Agency, as well as other cabinet ministers who for lack of capacity or otherwise, are simply not working in line with Renewed Hope of this administration.

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB),

CEO, WKA Consulting Ltd,

09077509348