How to make Nigeria better - NGO

Rufus Ebegba Centre for Leadership and Environmental Sustainability, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has advised President Bola Tinubu administration work towards alleviating the economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians.

The founder of the NGO, Dr Rufus Ebegba, said this on Wednesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“On the Petroleum sector, the government should in synergise with academia especially, universities that have petroleum engineering courses as they have capacities to train students on refining crude refining.

“Urgent effort should be made to bring the local refineries on board; emergency option to refine petroleum products at the government rate’’, he said.

He advocated a review or outright waiver for charges that cause fuel prices to rise such as Nigeria port authority charges, tax and others.

“Nigeria should go to countries in Eastern Europe that refine for Nigeria at a cheap amount, and understudy their small-scale refineries that produce up to 5,000 to 10,000 barrels per day’’, he canvassed.

On agriculture, he advised that “agricultural scheme should be adopted to make use of Nigeria’s arable land. Ranching should be encouraged by giving credit facilities to livestock farmers.

“Government should partner with NGOs to monitor government agricultural programmes to ensure success. Fishing programmes should be redesigned’’, he said.

Ebegba advised the Great Green Wall Agency to cultivate fruits-yielding trees not just any tree to serve as food and feed for animals while at the same time combating desertification.

“Biotechnology/Science for agricultural production should be adequately funded and result-oriented. Biosafety and biosecurity should be given urgent national attention’’, he counselled.

He advocated a review of school curriculum from nursery to tertiary level to inculcate moral and civic education.

“The tertiary education fund should be released to offer special infrastructure intervention programmes to improve education after need assessment,” he said.

“There should be 20 per cent annual salary increase for lecturers. Students with special IT skills should be incubated.

“Wealthy Nigerians place brilliant students under special programmes; encourage them by granting them scholarships up to the tertiary level.

“Efforts should be made for a new national reorientation for ideal leadership breeding through programmes’’, he said.

On security, he said Police should concern itself more with resolving small civil conflicts.

“Conflicts resolution methods should be overhauled to avoid breeding dissidents who feel that the society has failed them“, he said.

He advanced that the retirement age of police personnel be raised to 65 years while community policing be well articulated and financially supported for effectiveness.

He said state police should be considered under special laws.

He advocated electoral reforms that would restore confidence in the process of choosing the nation’s leaders.

“The use of BVAS machine should include voting with the machine if its to continue, electronic voting should include mobile voting to save cost, avoid vote buying and violence.

“Serious effort should be made to ensuring that bandit and other criminal elements are eliminated without undue political influence,” he urged.

“The NYSC should be converted to ad-hoc security outfit as an emergency measure for the next five years. All Police Officers should be entitled to at least a power motor bike.

“Welfare of security Officers should include early house mortgage, Frontline commanders should be given discretionary authority to combat bandits and kidnappers.

“Nigeria with over 200 million population, 50 per cent of the population is unemployed and 80 per cent or more of the youths are unemployed or more,” he said.

He advanced improved welfare package for judiciary workers to enhance the efficiency of that arm of government.

“The judiciary should be well funded and judicial officers well paid. The judiciary should be insulated from political influence. anti-corruption should be well paid and trained,” Ebegba said.

“On health, he advocated that specialist hospitals should be built and well equipped in each senatorial district of the country; this will curb medical tourism’’, he said.