By Aliyu DANLADI
A lawyer, Mr Realwan Okpanachi, has said the Muhammadu Buhari led administration is taking tough decisions to secure the future for Nigerians.
Okpanachi said on Tuesday in Abuja that the government’s policies presented difficult choices for the people.
According to Okpanachi, “the government is giving to Nigerians what is called vitamin N which is to tell people No. NO to what you don’t need, no to what will kill your future.’’
He said the government was investing in areas which would guarantee the future of Nigerians.
The lawyer said the citizens should regard the pains from the policies as the sacrifice they must make to survive.
He said countries, such as China, made progress the citizens made sacrifices for their country.
“They had to close their borders and that is what the present government is doing in order to help grow our local economy,’’ Okpanachi said.
He said the administration had the choice of choosing between being seen as a popular government and working toward winning the 2019 elections by maintaining the old order of things.
“It could allow citizens to have access to the money, leave the borders open so that price of rice can be cheap, cars to come in, for Nigerians not to complain and hence, remain popular.
“But the government said no! We should not do that. If we do that, it means we are postponing the evil day and sacrificing the future of our country and its people,’’ he said.
Okpanachi noted that great nations attained their present heights through industrial revolution but Nigeria was suffering from industrial and technological deficit.
He said in this regard, the government was seriously investing in infrastructure, particularly by completing abandoned projects
“As we’re talking, there’s a railway project from Apapa to Ibadan, by that, dry port will be encouraged. Upon completion it will link Apapa to Kano and the coastal inland down to Calabar.
“By the time the project is completed, when foods arrive at the ports, they can be moved through the rails to dry ports which will also create employment for people,’’ Okpanachi said.
He said when the plan materialised, Lagos would be decongested and movements across the country would be easy, the cost of food items reduces and the standard of living increase.
“It will take pain and time and cost you your popularity as president for you to achieve this and that is what the government is facing,’’ Okpanachi said.
The lawyer said projects, such as the rail project between Warri and Itakpe connecting Ajaokuta extending to Lokoja, might be completed by the end of the year.
He said the project and others like it started more than 30 years ago but past administrations failed to complete them.
“The present administration has spent less than three years and is completing them and they say it cannot take some level of credit,’’ Okpanachi said.
“When the chips are down, Nigerians will start appreciating this administration,’’ he said.
Okpanachi said due to the long years of corruption which made negative things appear normal, Nigerians were not appreciating the little effect or impact of the present administration.
According to him, some sanity has been restored in the polity, some level of transparency introduced and it is no longer business as usual.
