By Jaye Gaskia
According to NACCIMA –Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture:
• In the last two years between 2009 & 2011, over 800 large scale businesses have shut down due to harsh operating environment!
• More than half of the medium and large scale businesses remaining are classified as ‘ailing’!
• Average capacity utilisation across the economy continues to hover around 30% to 45%, with 100% overheads!
• Manufacturing Industries as a whole operate on more than 70% self generated energy produced from their own generators!
What is not stated explicitly is the impact of this on unemployment, inflation and cost of living, as well as the competitiveness of the local capital! How many workers lost their jobs from the shutdown of over 800 businesses? Compare this with the MAN – Manufacturers Association Of Nigeria figures of 1,000,000 job loss from 1,000 shut downs between 2000 and 2009.
How many families were thrown into abject poverty because their bread winners lost their jobs in those shutdowns? How many children had their chances for quality education reduced or completely eroded as a result of this?
How many persons lost their lives to ill health because families could no longer afford cost of treating simple ailments even from the neighbourhood chemist or ‘trado-medicine’ practitioner?
How many families became homeless, their sons forced into a life of crime and their daughters forced into a life of prostitution on the streets? This is why the situation of our country is too dire, the condition of our people too devastating for us to leave our salvation in the hands of a treasure looting ruling class, whose ineptitude, incompetence, greed and wanton corruption led and continues to lead us down this path!
This is why it is up to us, each and everyone of us, devastated by their pillage, and outraged by their impunity, to take seriously the task of organising and mobilising ourselves, building on the gains of the January Uprising, learning the lessons thought by it, and taking firm, decisive action to TAKE BACK NIGERIA.
Our destiny is too important to place in the hands of these pilferers of our commonwealth; we must be prepared, we must organise Alternative Political Platform, and wrest power from these swarm of locusts, these Vagabonds In Power.
The time to act is Now!
Organise Now! Mobilise Now!! Act Now!!! It’s Our Country; Let Us Take It Back!
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