President Muhammadu Buhari recently called on Nigerians to make sacrifices for the betterment of the country. PAUL OKAH seeks the views of Nigerians on the issue.
Nigeria is worth dying for
Nigerians should be prepared to give out something in return for the betterment of this country. If, as individuals, we can make sacrifices for our personal betterment, I think we can do same for our country. That American citizens are willing to make sacrifices on behalf of the country at any given time is not because America has succeeded in making them happy, but the love for country supersedes love for oneself. Buhari’s call for sacrifice will be misconstrued, but the subject of the sacrifice is the country and not Buhari. He is only a messenger. Some people will wonder whether Nigeria is worth sacrificing for…yes it is, because, as a country, Nigeria has not offended us. It is poor leadership that is letting us down. And whether we like it or not, we are indirectly making sacrifices for Nigeria’s betterment. For instance, despite the inherent dangers in fighting the Boko Haram sect, our soldiers are confronting them everyday and laying down their lives. Corps members are still being sent to serve their fatherland, despite the security challenges confronting the country. Despite the poor remuneration of workers, they still go to work. In fact, Buhari’s call for sacrifice should be heeded, not misconstrued.
Rosemary Mbe, a political scientist.
Government should sacrifice too
When I heard President Buhari say that Nigerians should make sacrifices, I wondered why poor Nigerians are targeted again. It was in the news recently that if salaries and other allowances of Senators were cut, the FG could pay a minimum wage of about #90,000 to 70,000 workers. If you’d like sacrifices to be made, review Senator’s benefits. How can we be paying taxes just to promote luxurious lifestyles of Senators? And more disturbing is that most of them do not move a motion in their entire senatorial career. But we pay them. When teachers go on strike to get better conditions for the good job they do, you threaten to dismiss them. Mr President and those in his government should lead by example if they want Nigerians to make sacrifices.
Mbrey Chimaobi, fashion designer.
It will be difficult for Nigerians
Nigeria, ab initio, has remained a land of sacrifices. Since independence in 1960, our leaders have always told a frustrated and demoralized citizenry to always “make sacrifices to move the nation forward”. This making of sacrifices took a higher dimension during the military era; our past military leaders kept telling us to always make sacrifices, while they looted our national patrimony to near stupor. Sacrifices are not made out of nothing; people are first of all developed before making any demand of sacrifices on them. For instance, parents must first of all develop their children before asking them to make sacrifices for the family. Successive American governments before President Kennedy, had developed American citizens before Kennedy came and started asking them to think of what they can do for America.
In Nigeria, a man, who cannot feed himself and his family, is told by President Buhari to make sacrifices. What sacrifices? From where will he make the sacrifices? Telling a civil servant whose take home pay cannot take home to make sacrifices is ridiculous and preposterous. What Nigeria needs now is massive empowerment of the citizenry. Workers should be paid reasonable minimum wage like they do even in neighbouring African countries, with lesser potential indices. It is only then that the citizens can make sacrifices, not in the face of massive pauperization. It is unfortunate that ours is a nation where oddities walk on four legs!
Hon. Ogbonnia Nwachi, a Political Scientist and Public Commentator.
Buhari is going senile
First of all,I can’t fathom how we got to this situation where everybody is complaining about hardship in Nigeria. We’ve never had it this bad in the country and I am surprised that the president has the audacity to suggest that we should make sacrifices. On the other hand,I am not entirely surprised because he’s an old man,so we shouldn’t take whatever he says to heart. He should just go and sit down or go retire to Daura instead of talking gibberish. Fortunately,2019 is around the corner and we can be able to get it right with a more discernable man.
Maryjane Aminu, a trader.
Buhari is right
It was John F Kennedy who told Americans not to think what their country can do for them,but what they can do for they own country. Buhari needs help. We all have a stake in Nigeria and should make it work. It is not a bad thing to make services for one’s country. If we want the best things in Nigeria,then we should be able to forego some so things in order to be able to achieve that.
Godwin Elleh, a barber.
The government is deceiving us
Don’t let anybody to deceive you, Nigeria has no hope of redemption. Buhari can say all that he likes because 2019 is fast approaching, but I want you to know that Nigerians are now wiser. There is no way Buhari can tell us to make sacrifices and suffer, while he lives on the fat of the land. Why can’t he start the making of sacrifices by resigning or forgetting about contesting again in 2019? Politicians are simply a bunch of hypocrites.
Faruk Ibitoye, a trader.
We have been sacrificing
Nigerians have made a lot of sacrifices. A close study of the Nigerian situation shows that our leaders are taking us for a ride, from 1999 till now. I am not talking about Buhari as a person because, as far as I am concerned, he is on the part of greatness. Nigeria has made a lot of money from 1999 till now, but it is not accounted for and we are still paying dearly for it, while we are being asked for more sacrifices. We don’t have light and the unemployment rate is high, but ghosts are being employed daily in government parastatals. The minimum wage that was advocated for by the previous government is not being paid, but people are getting richer everyday. Our leaders should make sacrifices too. They are very corrupt and insensitive because Nigerians have been making a lot of sacrifices or is it that they want us to die?
Iheanyi Obasi, a clergyman.
