Nigeria Out of Recession, But Wait Before Celebration
September 6 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
President Muhammad Buhari
Nigerian government officials are in the mood of celebration on Wednesday amid their own declaration that the country has stepped out of recession.
While officials try hard and blame their predecessors in office for recession, a political way of gaining public support, they say that the public has not started feeling the impact of new economic wonder and prices of commodities are yet to scale down.
Then why the celebration among officials since they have nothing concrete to back up their out of recession claim, other than statistics from the nation's National Bureau of Statistics? (Premium Times). First, it must be stressed that it isn't time yet to return home for millions of Nigerians around the world looking forward to such news of economic turn around. Wait and watch.
Observers must have noted a development targeted at boosting the government's image soon after President Muhammad Buhari's return to Nigeria from London. He got reports of the situation in the country from three ministers and the Central bank governor in a sit down ceremony in his office. News reports said that Muhammad said he was satisfied with the direction of the economic situation in the country by the ministers and the Central Bank governor..
No single reporter was present at the meeting to ask questions about the submission of reports by the ministers and the Central Bank governor. Nonetheless, the reports from the submission was given to the president's media office and it was passed to the public as authentic report on the nation state of well being.
The way the reports on the out of the recession situation have been celebrated and the minister of information, Lai Muhammad, lambasting government critics in a report in the Premium Times leaves much to be desired. Yes, it is true that the downfall in oil prices is the primary cause of the government's problem in handling the economic situation, but critics played no role in bringing about the fall in oil prices and they would not have caused fake news about the country's recession.
Lai Muhammad as information ministers seems not to know the difference between the role of an image maker and a political party's publicity secretary. Being formerly a publicity secretary of his party should not be an approval that he has to carry the same warlike situation to his current post as chief image maker for the government. Lai Muhammad must not respect every Nigerian to become ruling party's member and would not see anything wrong with the way the party is running the show.
If he wants to be on the warpath with critics, he should have waited and allow the new economic order impact Nigerians lives and see prices of commodities fall from the roof. What will happen if at the end of the day the new economic order fails to impact Nigerians lives and prices remains where they are, what would be Lai Muhammad's excuse for his celebration and lampooning of critics? Must he be on warpath all the time to justify a sense of patriotism, which in reality is a misplace loyalty to his party?
It is a piece of good news that the country has reportedly exit recession on the paper. But we need to wait and see the situation impact Nigerians' lives and see the rising prices of commodities in the market drop, before celebrations. This should have been Muhammad's statement, gracious and modest.
Hasn't Abukakar Atiku given Lai Muhammad back as naturally expected, that until he sees Nigerians having their three square meals a day, he will not believe that Nigeria has exited recession?
While officials try hard and blame their predecessors in office for recession, a political way of gaining public support, they say that the public has not started feeling the impact of new economic wonder and prices of commodities are yet to scale down.
Then why the celebration among officials since they have nothing concrete to back up their out of recession claim, other than statistics from the nation's National Bureau of Statistics? (Premium Times). First, it must be stressed that it isn't time yet to return home for millions of Nigerians around the world looking forward to such news of economic turn around. Wait and watch.
Observers must have noted a development targeted at boosting the government's image soon after President Muhammad Buhari's return to Nigeria from London. He got reports of the situation in the country from three ministers and the Central bank governor in a sit down ceremony in his office. News reports said that Muhammad said he was satisfied with the direction of the economic situation in the country by the ministers and the Central Bank governor..
No single reporter was present at the meeting to ask questions about the submission of reports by the ministers and the Central Bank governor. Nonetheless, the reports from the submission was given to the president's media office and it was passed to the public as authentic report on the nation state of well being.
The way the reports on the out of the recession situation have been celebrated and the minister of information, Lai Muhammad, lambasting government critics in a report in the Premium Times leaves much to be desired. Yes, it is true that the downfall in oil prices is the primary cause of the government's problem in handling the economic situation, but critics played no role in bringing about the fall in oil prices and they would not have caused fake news about the country's recession.
Lai Muhammad as information ministers seems not to know the difference between the role of an image maker and a political party's publicity secretary. Being formerly a publicity secretary of his party should not be an approval that he has to carry the same warlike situation to his current post as chief image maker for the government. Lai Muhammad must not respect every Nigerian to become ruling party's member and would not see anything wrong with the way the party is running the show.
If he wants to be on the warpath with critics, he should have waited and allow the new economic order impact Nigerians lives and see prices of commodities fall from the roof. What will happen if at the end of the day the new economic order fails to impact Nigerians lives and prices remains where they are, what would be Lai Muhammad's excuse for his celebration and lampooning of critics? Must he be on warpath all the time to justify a sense of patriotism, which in reality is a misplace loyalty to his party?
It is a piece of good news that the country has reportedly exit recession on the paper. But we need to wait and see the situation impact Nigerians' lives and see the rising prices of commodities in the market drop, before celebrations. This should have been Muhammad's statement, gracious and modest.
Hasn't Abukakar Atiku given Lai Muhammad back as naturally expected, that until he sees Nigerians having their three square meals a day, he will not believe that Nigeria has exited recession?
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