A former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Doyin Okupe is of the opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari needs emergency powers to tackle the economic recession in the land.
Okupe made the disclosure on Monday on his Facebook page in a post entitled, “National Economic Emergency”.
Writing on the issue, Okupe said it was high time we stopped the blame game as to how we got here. He said our focus should be on how to get out of it fast.
He said the current situation was not about Buhari or the All Progressives Congress (APC) but about the “survival of over 20% of black population in the world”.
He called on former Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Oknjo-Iweala to have a rethink on her decision not to work with President Buhari. He also urged the likes of Kalu Ndika Kalu, Chukwuma Soludo, Bismarck Rewane, Tunde Lemo, Pat Utomi, Shamsuddeen Usman, and the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to join hands to salvage the situation.
The statement read in part, “Nations have gone in and out of recessions before now, we can jointly, working together, find answer to this thorny all encompassing national malaise.
“Does the President need emergency powers to deal with this situation? I answer YES in the affirmative even though I have reservations. But truth is sacrosanct. Monies must be spent that cannot wait for the normal process of legislative approvals. Actions must be taking by the President and his executives that cannot wait for the usual debates in our hallowed legislative chambers.
“But alas, there are fears, genuine fears of abuse of such powers, especially against political opponents. Perhaps this is what we need to debate and work on and ensure that all such possibilities are eliminated with legislative craftiness and deftness that cannot be wanting amongst the robust body of our legislators.
“But if the president must lead this struggle against Recession such legal framework will assist him greatly,” he said.
A former governor of Abia state Orji Uzor Kalu had last week made a similar call for President Buhari to push for emergency powers to stimulate the economy.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
Comment: Any emergency powers to Buhari will spell more doom for the country as he cannot be trusted with such powers, he will use such powers against the opposition to kill it and then he will begin a circle of tyranny which he has so far unleashed on the country so far which of course is what has brought us to the recession. He will use such powers to further his islamisation of the entire country, seizing lands for grazing by his Fulani killer herdsmen. The national assembly must not make such mistake, as granting Buhari emergency powers will amount to national suicide. Buhari has enough powers to heal Nigeria from the economic wounds which he inflicted on her in the first place. All he must do is to assemble the likes of Pat Utomi, Chu Okongwu , and Kalu Idika Kalu to advise on the way forward. Emergency powers to Buhari will strip the national assemble of its power of checks and balances and the country will be further enslaved under Buhari’s military boot misrule. That will also mean absolute power for him and such absolutism will nail the burial coffin of the country.