_By Dr. Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM), Independent Newspaper, Saturday June 10, 2023_

Frankly speaking, I must commend PMB for making a mockery of all our claims to have been educated in higher institutions.
In fact, and with PMB’s maradonic manipulations, I have come to the conclusion that even the cows that PMB showcased as his personal favourite in farming vocation are much more intelligent than most of us who claimed that we went to Oxford, Cambridge and other Ivy Universities.

PMB came, he saw how hollow our claimed credentials were, and he did not only messed us up, he conquered our stupid educated brains.
This is a man who ruled us without any known certificate, and the foolish Nigerians who have always felt that they are learned, defended PMB, and even swore an oath that he was the best qualified to lead a horde of 200 million educated illiterates.

PMB must be commended for his ability to mess up whatsoever qualifications that we’ve been dangling as our own achievements. Our own kind of educated illiterates has no equal, especially when a Professor has to take instructions from someone whose certificate was a WAEC attestation. What else could one say if in a society of thieves, an armed robber is hailed as the best of all? This was how we have degenerated, and when next someone brags about his or her certificates, remind him or her that there was a time in the history of Nigeria, when a ‘certificateless’ man ruled.

Today, that man has become a patriot, statesman and whenever the council of state meeting is called, he will be accorded the honour to continue to decide the fate of millions of those whose certificates were probably bought in ‘Oluwole’ institutions. If you earned your certificates as a human being, you shouldn’t be amongst the illiterates that will defend someone who has nothing as educational qualifications to show. It’s an aberration that we claimed to have been educated and yet behave as people with certain spells of thoughts.

The same scenario is playing right now in our midst with our present president (BAT), whose degree certificate is alleged to bore a female gender identity. A person whose identity has all demeaning character flaws. Guess who are defending him…those who claimed to be learned. What money cannot do in Nigeria can only be possible when death calls?

“One of the greatest attributes of education is that it has the ability to expunge certain spells of ignorance from our raw brains, and the essence is to ensure that whosoever we indulge in, a thorough analysis is conducted with a view to debunking false assumptions, statements, postulations, concepts and theories.” – DSM.

PMB has indeed come and conquered the entire country, and I am really ashamed of the kind of education and morality values and standards that the presumed educated people have in Nigeria. It was so sad that the best legacy of PMB was his love for loans, and who will blame him, after all, most of our NASS members were all great men and women, who flaunt their educational qualifications with impunity, and at the end, bequeathed us with over N70 trn debt. Most of those being hoodwinked were products of Ivy Universities.

Yes, many Nigerians will argue that when GEJ was in the shadows of his stewardship as a Doctorate degree holder, what were his economic, political, sociocultural and infrastructural layouts? GEJ didn’t equally merit his qualifications in view of the high level of corruption in his reign, but at least, GEJ didn’t rule Nigeria with impunity and nepotistic audacities. He wasn’t as cruel as PMB, and hence, as worst as GEJ was, PMB sad tenure was all in geomagnetic dimension.

PMB was the head of government and at the same time the Minister of Petroleum. As the head of state, he was the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces, but he ended up with the highest number of Nigerians that were murdered ingloriously and displaced from their ancestral homes. As educated illiterates, we defended his subtle approach to Fulanis incursions through certain policies such as RUGA, Cattle Route Restoration, Waterways and other allied policies. Guess who were in forefront of passing such absurd laws, and you don’t need to crack your brain, they’re all in NASS chambers, highly educated illiterates. As a Minister of Petroleum, a whopping sum of about $5.8 billion and over N11 trillion were alleged to have been spent on the moribund refineries and fuel subsidies respectively. Sadly and with all our petroleum engineers and professors, no one dares explain to Nigerians on why we are still importing petroleum products.

With high revenue yields from crude oil and gas, Nigeria has been degraded as a poverty capital with about 133 million Nigerians under poverty line. Yet, all our academic qualifications failed woefully for us to explain why Angola, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other petroleum producers’ countries are enjoying the fruits of their endowed natural resources. As at today, the Angola currency, KWANZA is still maintaining a higher rate than dollar. Angola, within few years, are now investing in foreign countries, and yet, we have many educated illiterates with much funfair Army Generals in the midst of our oil stealing sprees. We gave our oil blocs to Nigerians and foreigners who have questionable characters. While leaders of other countries are exploring and exploiting their natural resources for the benefits of their citizens, Nigerians are being slaughtered, and at the same time, denied the rights to social amenities, and of course, with authoritarian policies. If you speak against this brazen rape of Nigerians by the vampires in leadership, the first set of people who will come after you will be the learned social media analysts, security agencies, who take the sinister instructions from our ‘certificateless’ oppressors.

PMB exhibited all manners of oppressiveness, and he did it without any iota of remorse, and in collaboration with Sycophants and Stooges, who claimed that they earned their academic qualifications and achievements ideally. As a matter of fact, we are all guilty of our claims when we can’t stand up to exhibit what we have learned. If we can’t defend our academic qualifications at certain times when the vulnerable in the society expect us to help them, we have all stolen our qualifications, and should be ashamed to pride on our empty heads.

Please note, I am not in any way strictly stating that it’s only the academic learned Nigerians that have the legitimate or best interests or knowledge to pilot the affairs of Nigeria. No, wisdom and knowledge can be inferred or acquired by Divine providence or human apprenticeship respectively. But when a society defines certain academic qualifications as part of the criteria for its leadership enthronement, the ideal becomes the critical analysis of what such qualifications have been able to achieve within the spheres of the society’s governance systems. In Nigeria today, it’s an absurd experience for us to have thousands of academic professors or learned men all over the world, and these people are great innovators within and outside Nigeria, but at the time of choosing who leads Nigeria, we pride ourselves on hoisting people whose academic qualifications are zero, people whose characters are fraudulent and who have nothing upstairs in term of leadership enthusiasm or empathy except fraudulent acts. That’s why since the forth Republic in Nigeria, a thorough assessment of most of our leaders shows that most of them are selfish and insatiable rogues, with no single idea of how to build Nigeria as a country. The only language they understand is divisive behaviour through the instrumentations of tribal and religious intolerance and violence politics. There’s nothing else in their medulla brains than just to answer Governor, President, Senator, Honourable, and hence, they’re ready to kill, maim and destroy anyone who wants to stop or speak out against them. They have weaponized poverty, and as such, have made politics a business opportunity for the rich. They have cleverly shaped the politics into ‘IT’S MY TURN.’ It doesn’t matter whether you have the mental alertness or physical abilities, once it’s your turn, YOU CLAIM IT, GRAB IT AND RUN WITH IT. An initiation of MONEY TALKS AND YOU OBEY.

“Leadership is all about prudent and conscious position that an occupier must have, and in addition to an accurate understanding that he or she is first of all, a citizen, who’s power and authority are derived from the citizens, and with ultimate responsibilities to protect them and to provide certain basic amenities for their present survival and future generations continuity.”

PMB must be a study of itself, and the reason could be to ascertain the kind of spells template he used in deceiving those who claimed to be educated. Was it that his smiles were infectious or that his stone face was deadly? I kept on wondering how come that most Nigerians who claimed that they were educated followed PMB like Zombies for the past eight years without going back to review their past educated study notes. We were all confused bunch of Confusionists, and today, PMB has left Nigeria in chains. Yet, those who claimed that they are educated are still hailing him till date as the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria.
Are we not CURSED?

Well, who will blame PMB, after all, the fraudulent 2023 elections were all conducted by professors. These are intellectuals, who ought to maintain the highest standards of morality values. We have equally seen certain ugly judgements by those who claimed to be learned judges. Judgement of number four ranked graduate being given a pass mark to be a first class winner, and today, he’s in charge of a state. We have seen judgements where candidates who were not part of their parties primaries being declared as winners of elections that they were not primarily part of.
We have seen journalists being pocketed by criminals in leadership positions because of few colourist brown envelopes. These are supposed to be men of honours but who have messed up their academic achievements and qualifications.

PMB, at the last days of his tenure, took all Nigerians round their mental delusions, with our bogus qualifications, we hailed him as he commissioned projects that were yet completed. The Newspapers and all media houses carried the news as if they’re bereft of their own mental health analysis. We make mockery of ourselves while promoting the illusionary projects. A typical example was the Dangote Refinery. Experts have propounded that the refinery won’t commence operations until 2024 or thereabout. Yet, we made so much funfair as a people under the influence of mental disorders. Dangote Refinery, though hailed as an individual great initiative, was the reason why we can’t access BTA, PTA or use our ATMs in foreign countries to access dollars or pounds. PMB and Emefiele gave Dangote Refinery a priority over our wellbeing, as such, while we struggle to get forex at an exorbitant rate of N750 per dollar, Dangote has a windfall of N169 per dollar. All our forex were all channelled into Dangote Refinery while the citizens were suffering. Nobody, not even those who claimed to be highly educated challenged the excesses of PMB’S impunitive policies. PMB was not only complicity and complacency, but he never gave any hoot about accountability in his regime’s stewardship scorecard. Rather, we dust up our archives, and only to praise a woeful failure. We gathered to galvanize failures, and even as we pride on the emptiness of our academic laureates.

PMB has bequeathed Nigerians with elections, globally observed as the worst ever happened in Nigeria. The reality of this sad complacency is that a regime that started on fraudulent pedestal through INEC select process has put all Nigerians in a quagmire of fuel subsidies wahala. All Nigerians are tasting the first fruit of a fraudulent selection process.

To cap our stupidity, the Minister of Aviation, a relative of PMB stunned all Nigerians when he bought 10 fire trucks at a whopping sum of N12 billion Naira, and till date, no inquiries, especially from the procurement compliance unit of FGN.
To crown the madness, PMB’S regime made a fool of all citizens when it rented an aircraft from Ethiopian airlines that was flown from Isreal. The plane was painted in Air Nigeria colours, and while we watched as Mumurists, FGN did a sham unveiling presentation in Abuja on the 26th of May, 2023, and within 24 hours, flew the plane back to Ethiopia. The same plane was then rebranded back in Ethiopia Airlines colours and an estimated N139 billions wasted. Those who claimed to have the best qualifications in aviation and transport studies did nothing to prevent or even explain to Nigerians about the true nature of what transpired.

Today, all Nigerians are suffering from the obnoxious policies system of PMB as it connects to fuel subsidies scam. Nigerians have demanded for the list of the beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy scheme, and guess those who are opposing the people’s demand, the same oppressors, who claimed to have academic status that were devoid of questions. The same hordes of academic wool -winks, who may probably be part of the fuel subsidy scam are defending the status quo. How can any sane person defend NNPC’s corrupt infested leadership that has not been able to account for an alleged over $11billion revenue for last years? How can we be brainwashed to the extent of asking NNPC management about the crude oil swap arrangement that will make Nigeria not to spend a dime on a refined product sent back to Nigeria? NNPC has not remitted any money to the federation account for months or even years as alleged, but it’s using fuel subsidies as collateral. Can NNPC tell all Nigerians the total accruable income from the removals of subsidies for diesel and kerosene? The entire Nigeria is a scam, and NNPC must be made to account for all moneys accruable to the citizens of Nigeria urgently, and anyone found culpable to this heinous crime should be sentenced to death without any options. These greedy people have sentenced many Nigerians to their early graves, and why should they not taste the same oppressive medicine that they did prepare for Nigerians these years.

PMB’s regime recorded the highest number of strikes ever witnessed in Nigeria, especially with the ASUU and Medical Practitioners. Our healthcare and educational systems were nearly destroyed, and hence, we have the highest JAPA Syndromes of our children on educational pursuits and medical personnel being poached abroad.

It has become more interesting when NLC called for a national strike in protest against the fuel pump price increase from N185 to N537 per litre. As expected, many beneficiaries will kick against the strike. It’s the beauty of democracy. Everyone is not expected to hold on to the same view as others. I wasn’t really perturbed about the government defence mechanism against the NLC strike, and which was equally expected. But I became worried when the entire process was turned into tribal and political party sentiments. The same people who claimed to earn certificate qualifications legitimately were the first to accuse the NLC President, Comrade Ajero as using the strike action to further Obi’s election petition. Their flimsy reasons were that Comrade Ajero was an Igbo man and that Labour Party was fully involved in politics during the campaign period. I was amazed at such contorted views. That means that when Comrade Adam Oshiomhole called for strikes those days, he wasn’t partisan. In 2012, when all civil societies, NLC and activists gathered at Freedom Park in Ojota to denounce GEJ fuel price increase and removal of subsidies, wasn’t Labour Party in existence? Even PMB and BAT championed the movement that time in collaboration with the NLC, and yet, it wasn’t partisan for NLC to call for strikes then, but now.

“In Nigeria, citizens are ready to die in defence of fraudsters in government circles, especially when tribe or religion identity must be promoted; and in return, they are made to pay for the failures of their oppressive leaders in a collective misery”

PMB dealt with the Igbos, especially in obeying the court verdicts to release MNK. He equally denied the SE of anyone as a representative of SE in the military hierarchy. He boldly derogated the Igbos as a DOT, and unfortunately, the only visible thing built was the second Niger Bridge. For everyone’s information, the second Niger Bridge is not a project for the SE alone. The beneficiaries are beyond SE, because most SS states are within the same boundaries as SE that will benefit from the bridge project execution.

In our blindness, we refused to accept the abracadabra of PMB when he built a Refinery in Niger Republic. Open the Northern borders while the South was under keys and locks. We failed woefully to appraise how much was expended on the constructions of railway, highways and vehicles dashed to Niger Republic while our infrastructures were glorified dead traps. But each time I talked about the wastages of PMB, I would be reminded of second Niger Bridge and then annexed as a tribal bigot. Whether it’s true or not, a video clip of a magnificent palace was shown as PMB’S residence in Niger Republic, and that could be the reason why he said that, if Nigerians disturbed him, he would relocate to Niger Republic. A tale of an oppressor telling you that he owns you, and that you can’t question his stewardship.

The irony of obtaining big certificates in Nigeria is that, it can make the owners the most foolish persons, dafts, sycophants, stooges, lazy, pretenders, and at the same time, can stoop so low to serve fraudulent illiterates just to survive as slaves. This is the summarized reality of most Nigerians who brag over their academic credentials but end up as paranoids in plagiarism and low life esteem for morality values and principles. These are the agonies of a society where evil vices are applauded while right-doings are shunned….a society that prefers their oppressors to lead them, and at the end, the citizens are quarantined in the dustbin as a people without any sense of their own. A self-made tragedy that has ruined Nigerians, and unfortunately, we are back to the same track as the past damaged tracks in 2023.

“A society where many professors, lawyers, judges, businessmen, journalists, bankers and politicians with bogus certificates are used to defraud the vulnerable citizens of a nation is probably a citadel of STOLEN CERTIFICATES.”

By Dr. Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM), Independent Newspaper, Saturday June 10, 2023_

The Policy Advisory Council of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has recommended the declaration of a state of emergency on revenue generation in the country.

The council also proposed the merger of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) into the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) in order to enable an efficient collection of all direct and indirect taxes, as well as levies on behalf of the Federal Government.

According to submissions made by the National Economy Sub-Committee, the policy will be aided by the passage of an Emergency Economic Reform Bill, which will grant the President special powers to drive the economic reform agenda and support the delivery of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

The council further outlined the removal of fuel subsidy, sale or concession of select government assets, transition to a transparent and unified foreign exchange rate system, deepening tax collection and optimization of operating expenditure to reduce cost, as targets to be pursued by the President towards the achievement of some milestones within the first 100 days in office.

Members of the Policy Advisory Council are Senator Tokunbo Abiru (chair), Dr Yemi Cardoso, Sumaila Zubairu and Dr. Doris Anite. A copy of the report submitted by the panel was obtained by our correspondent on Friday.

The council’s report, which focuses on fiscal and monetary policies, industry, trade and capital market reforms, emphasised that changes in the Central Bank of Nigeria and temporary increases in fiscal circuit breakers such as debt limits would help achieve N1trn Gross Domestic Product growth and over 50 million jobs for citizens in eight years.

The 90-page document further proposed that reforms in the CBN will help achieve about $50bn-$60bn in external reserves, with a monthly inflow of at least $6bn-$8bn from export earnings and other forms of capital inflow, to support the policy at an exchange rate of N500-N600/$.

On fiscal policies to be implemented, the council advised on the need to achieve a domestic refining capacity of two million barrels per day, while creating economic opportunity for the host communities.

They also proposed one-off Personal Income Tax reliefs for low-income earners for up to one year as non-cash palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

The advisory read, “Ramp up production capacity to four million barrels from offshore and onshore assets within four years and grow crude oil revenue and savings into ECA and NSIA.

“Formalise illegal refineries and encourage modular refineries to create economic opportunity for the host communities.

“Aggressively grow domestic refining capacity to 2 million barrels per day in the next 8 years, including modular refineries.

Other fiscal recommendations proposed include, “a policy directive that ensures proceeds from the sale of assets to settle existing FGN debt obligations.

“List shares of strategic and profitable NNPC subsidiaries. Privatise, concession or sell down FGN’s stake in corporate assets to partners and other investors (possibly with a buyback option) to generate liquidity in the short to medium terms (focus on sub-optimal assets e.g., NNPCL refineries).

“Leverage blockchain to create and provide access to a Government land registry and regionalise and concession the power transmission grid.”

Furthermore, the advisory council proposed the extension of old naira circulation till December 2024 in order to resolve the cash shortage situation, if required.

It also advised a five per cent monthly gradual removal of the old notes and replacement with new notes through the deposit money banks.

They said, “Extend the December 31st, 2023 deadline to December 31st, 2024 (if required), and bring in new notes through the deposit money banks by 5% monthly and take out the old notes through the deposit money banks by the same 5 per cent to solve cash shortage.”

The policy added, “To transform Nigeria to become Africa’s most efficient trading nation, decongest the area up to 4km around the ports and designate them for cargo, roads and railway, enforce the Presidential directive on 48hr clearance of goods at seaports in line with Executive Order 001, redefine the performance measures of key agencies of government to emphasise trade facilitation and set up a whistle-blowing mechanism that enables and empowers transporters to report and escalate issues with the various authorities while transporting food and other critical items.”