Minister Ngozi Iweala And The Turtle By Prince Charles Dickson

The greatest lesson in life is to know that sometimes even fools are
right—Winston Churchill
Early this year, I was with Ngozi Iweala and she spoke glowing on
Nigeria's economy, gdp and all those terms. I nodded and smiled. I
recalledour meeting pre-debt relief era and all her talk then...it
wasn't so much of a changed woman.
Only a week ago she was again at it with Labaran Maku, the chief
talkative as umpire at the ministerial briefing, more and more figures
and data of progress, international validation andall that ratings
from fitch.
Labaran in his usual hyperactive manner praised her as the best thing
after slice bread...all talk anyway.
For all my little education, my maths is very poor, my knowledge of
economics relatively average, and mylevel of financial know-how is not
more than those high-sounding words and those pages of the financial
markets in newspapers and those confusing figures and abbreviations on
screen.
I take it that I am a fool, but on account of the issues I am right.
She has remained like the turtle that just did not know when to keep
quiet, a story I would tell us before I close thisadmonition.
Many Nigerians may have forgotten how we waited for madam for months,
she resumed office vowing, promising, swearing, meeting, huffing and
puffing.
She pledged to tighten fiscal policy amid falling oil prices and
turbulent global financial markets. With her counterpart in the
commerce and industry ministry, it has been all talk, fact is that
except the Lebanese and their bread and bombs, these days, Indians who
are running our plastic factories, the Chinese and all its inferior
phones, Thailand and rice, theses days it's become bad we enterMOUs
with Vietnamese. Who really is investing in Nigeria with sincere
motives for mutual benefits?
Jonathan had asked and begged Okonjo-Iweala to return to government
after 'winning' the presidential polls, expanding her mandate to
include the coordination of economic policy. Her priority, find ways
to meet Jonathan's goals of increasing investment in power plants,
roads and agriculture to help diversify the economy and create jobs.
She is supposed to be fresh breath itself!
How all NOI figure talk in a nation literally run by a group of
political vandals finding plumage in a bird cage of the thieving
ruling class and opposition remains a mirage. Becausethe truth is,
there are no jobs, businesses are falling, industries closing and not
that these are new stories, government bazaar spending and borrowing
continues.
While madam reels those sweet looking figures, in the words of the
Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina Nigeria is eating
beyond its means. "This is not fiscally, economically or politically
sustainable.
Well, let me share this folklore, once, in a certain lake, there lived
a turtle and a pair of swans. The turtle and theswans were friends.
They would spend all their free time together telling each other
stories, and exchanging news and gossip. The turtle especially loved
to talk and chatter, and always had something to say.
One year, the rains did not come, and the lake began to dry up. The
swans became worried. Supposing it did not rain at all, and the lake
dried up completely? Where would they live inthat case? But the turtle
had a plan. She suggested that the swans fly in search of a lake that
still had plenty ofwater. Once they found such a lake, allthree of
them could move there.
The swans agreed and flew off. After flying for several hours they the
perfect lake. They returned to the turtle with the good news. But now
another problem arose: the new lake was too far for the turtle to
walk. How was the turtle to get there? The swans did not want to leave
their friend behind.
The turtle thought for a while and came up with another plan. She
askedthe swans to find a strong stick that they could hold in their
beaks. The turtle would then hang on to the stickwith her mouth, and
the swans could fly with her to the new lake.
The swans liked the idea, though theywere worried that the turtle
might begin talking and fall off the stick. 'You must be careful not
to open your mouth while we are flying with you,' they warned her. 'Do
you think you will be able to be quiet for such a long time?''Of
course,' said the turtle. 'I will be careful - I know when to stop
talking.'
So the swans did as she asked. They found a strong stick and each swan
held one end of it in its beak. The turtle held on to the middle with
her mouth, and away they flew, all three of them.
It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to the turtle.
She was amazed at the way the world looked so far above the ground.
She was longing to say something, but remembered in time to keep
quiet.
At last they reached the lake the swans had found. It was a beautiful
lake, large and blue, with plenty of water. 'Oh look!' the turtle
began in excitement, remembering much too late to keep quiet. The
stick slipped from her mouth and down she fell from the sky onto the
rocks below. The swans were sad to see the end of their friend - the
turtle did not live to enjoy the lake, only because she did not know
when to stop talking.
Fact is all these figures in more than many ways are publicity/public
relations and image stunts...someone needs to stop talking and act.
Like a former finance minister put it, "The issues are: meaningful
anti-corruption with a clear even-handedness, across-the-
board,...power generation and regulardelivery to industry and
households; healthcare to citizens at a level and coverage that's
consonant with our resources; significant level of meaningful
employment through job creation from the real sectors.
Primary, secondary and tertiary, including hard and soft
infrastructures; poverty alleviation through a more effective spread
of social safety net, and the use of fiscal interventions in public
spending at federal, state and local governments.
The prerequisites for improving our weak institutions would cover the
following: adhering to the basic principles of democratic governance,
not just in words, but by deeds!
Adhering to the Principle of the Rule of Law; accountable practices in
public and private financial dealings. It also calls for a secure
environment, and the nurturing of the various freedoms. Freedom to
select and freely vote for candidates, unfettered by political
pressure or corrupting influences".
In Brazil, more than 250,000 anti-government demonstrators took to
streets in several Brazilian cities and engaged police in some
isolated, intense conflicts. Anger over political corruption emerged
as the unifying issue for the demonstrators, who vowed to stay in the
streets until concrete steps are taken to reform the political system.
...This is a Brazil that is seemingly working...Ngozi Iweala, Ms.
Sarah of the 60% of Nigerians have water, and the agriculture minister
dude of give me your gsm number movie, labaran and co. should get
their acts right, andquick too, education is dying a cruel death,
regarding electricity, till we see the tunnel at the end of darkness,I
may be a fool, but I pray for the sake of millions we are wrong and
Jonathan and his transformers are right, only time will tell.
--
Prince Charles Dickson
Editor, burningpot.com