As Nigerians brace themselves for the forthcoming 2023 elections in the midst of very challenging economic environment and fragile national security dilemma, concerned observers have compared the scenario to that of a pregnant woman in the pangs of labour being wheeled unto a surgical table for a collective effort to save the mother and the unborn child.. All hands need to be painstakingly and bravely placed on the deck to make the nation rise from the threatening death bed.
Gov. Simon Lalong,
Executive Governor, Plateau State.
In Plateau State where the official banner slogan is Peace And Tourism, the state of the economy is badly affected by the intractable insecurity that bedevils the entire nation. Mindless killings and crop destructions over the years have combined to retard the economic progress of the state backwards by about 45%, depreciating the State and Local Governments’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by about the same percentage figure. Political and Traditional leaders in crisis flashpoints have had sleepless nights trying to reestablish peace and harmony on the land. However, these efforts have been met with shot lived successes due to one nebulous reason or the other.
His Royal Highness, the Brra Nggwe of RIgwe, Ronku Aka is a Traditional leader who has had his share of nightmares arising from the reoccurring incidences of Fulani herdsmen invasions of communities within his kingdom which have resulted into losses of lives and properties among his people. As father to all who dwell on Rigwe land, including foreigners from Western nations and Nigerians from various parts of the country, his often expressed desire is for peace and progress to reign in the land. This fact came to the forefront when His Royal Highness featured in a ‘Save Nigeria Project Conversation with Wind Sound Africa.
Brra Nngge Rigwe
While acknowledging the fact that he is not an economist, he said any one whose family goes to the market in Nigeria for their daily needs should find it easy to conclude that a lot of things are wrong with the management of the nation’s economy. The cultural father of Rigwe land who is a former religious leader is of the firm belief that a situation where the national currency, the naira exchanges at N700 to one dollar is definitely not good for the citizens who are mostly consumers of products as against being producers. He strongly advised government economic policy planners and implementing Agencies to try and encourage further diversification of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings from oil to other products. He opined that at the present exchange rate, ordinary Nigerians who pay for the food they eat, the education of their children, the clothes they wear and the medicine they take when they get sick with our heavily devalued naira, there is no way they can escape poverty with the kind of wage they are presently paid.
The royal father lamented that under this kind of fertile ground for poverty in the society, the. 2023 general election can be manipulated by politicians who would be able to buy their votes at ridiculous prices to the detriment of good governance. It is from this backdrop that he urged all voters in Nigeria to wake up to their duties to be properly registered for their Permanent Voters Cards and resist the urge to sell their votes.
On the issue of economic progress retarding security situation in his kingdom, the Royal Father said nothing can be more worrying than the years of attacks his people have suffered. He said all levels of government and the Traditional Authorities have been involved in trying to re-establish peaceful co-existence amongst his people and between them and other people in Rigwe land who are here for genuine development reasons. He said as father to all who dwell in Rigwe land, he is always ready to explore all forms of solutions to the ugly situation. He said in one of the State and Local Government’s joint efforts with the Traditional rulers to ensue lasting peace, all the stakeholder groups were gathered in Bassa about a week ago to sign a Peace Pact as a road map to sustainable peace in the land. He said as a father to all peoples who come from many parts if the world to live in Rigwe land, he has no option than to embrace spirit and letters of the peace agreement which can be implemented with necessary sensitivity to the underlying causes of the crisis such as the issues of avoiding the tricky one of keeping cows and other animals away from consuming full grown crops belonging to farmers until after harvest time. He assured that at appropriate timing, any land owner in Rigwe land who is able to present valid documents on the ownership a peace of land would be allowed to possess it in accordance with existing laws.
Map of Plateau State showing distribution of Local Government Areas
The monarch advised all Nigerians to be prayerful for Nigeria in these times of mounting tension between now and 2023 general elections. He strongly advised that his background as a former Pastor has taught him that there is no problem that cannot be amicably resolved if the actually do their human best and resort to God for His final blessings.
