Cleric urges Buhari to declare emergency on economy

7 years ago

Cleric urges Buhari to declare emergency on economy

A clerIC, Bishop Charles Ighele has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the dwindling economy in the country.He also urged the president to investigate the allegation of dollar hoarding and bring perpetrators to justice.
Ighele, who is the General Superintendent of Holy Spirit Mission at a press briefing in Egbeda, Lagos at the weekend spoke on the need for the president to urgently revamp the economy, as Nigerians no longer eat twice in a day.

According to Ighele: “The economy can be restructured in 15 months if the president is serious. The danger of our economy is that it depends solely on oil. Oil price is crashing everyday and the only quick solution and alternative to oil is agriculture. To be candid, crops can be planted and harvested in between 12 and 15 months, if the government should invest on agriculture, in 15 month’s time, Nigeria would start harvesting and exporting our farm produce.

“President Buhari can achieve this if he forms a strong economic team aside from the Ministers surrounding him. He should have young intellectuals that are grounded in economy. With the ‘think-thank’ thinking and researching for him on how to move the country forward economically, the President would succeed.
“In constituting the economic team, the president should be apolitical and choose the best brains to do the job. The government should invest on the labour force.”Commenting on the statement by ex-Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the cleric said President Buhari should investigate the allegation and bring those behind the hoarding of dollars to book.

“Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), raised the alarm that there are no more foreign exchange to import materials, yet, few people are making billion naira everyday by hoarding dollars. I think this act is worse that blowing up of oil pipelines. Sanusi don’t talk anyhow, before he could make such allegation, he knew what he was saying because he was in the system before.”

On governor Ayo Fayose’s grazing bill, he said there was nothing wrong in the law against cattle a herdsman carrying weapons.His words: “Fayose did not prevent them from carrying out their cattle rearing businesses, but what he is against is carrying arms along. Other governors should emulate Fayose so that the mass unwarranted killing of people and sacking of communities by some unscrupulous herdsmen should stop.

“In some places, farmers have abandoned their farms for fear of being attacked by herdsmen, yet the government is preaching agriculture.” He advised that Nigerians should not depend on prayers alone, but to utilize, the gift and potentials that God gave Nigeria.

“I want to appeal to our religious leaders to speak out whenever they see evil. They should tell the truth as it is. They should be bold enough to hold the government accountable and give them good counsel on how to move the country forward”