Tony Elumelu, Chairman of the United Bank for Africa and founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the economic situation of the country, urging Nigerians to take to the polls during the 2023 general elections and vote for the right leaders.
Elumelu stated this in a tweet on Thursday as he lamented the hardship under the current administration.
The philanthropist who premised his argument on complaints of staff members at his organisation condemned the incompetence of the current crop of leaders who haven’t been able to find a solution to the fuel scarcity saga, food inflation and electricity challenges as he queried how 90 percent of citizens in a country such as Nigeria can be living in poverty.
Elumelu further alleged that the country loses 95 percent of its oil production to thieves while security agencies who are paid with taxpayers’ money are not able to put an end to such.
He ended his tweet with a call to action, urging Nigerians never to keep quiet in the face of evil, by adding “demand and advocate for leaders that deliver”.
He wrote in a Twitter thread, “This morning, I am listening to my colleagues at the office bemoan the very pressing issues that they face every day in this country, and how things have been getting worse and worse – no electricity for 5 days, hikes in the price of diesel, frightening food inflation, etc.
“How can a country so rich in natural resources have 90% of its citizens living in hardship and poverty? I have often said that access to electricity is critical for our development, alleviation of poverty and hardship. And speaking of security, our people are afraid!
“Businesses are suffering. How can we be losing over 95% of oil production to thieves? Look at the Bonny Terminal that should be receiving over 200k barrels of crude oil daily, instead it receives less than 3,000 barrels, leading the operator @Shell to declare force majeure.
“Why are we paying taxes if our security agencies can’t stop this? It is clear that the reason Nigeria is unable to meet its OPEC production quota is not because of low investment but because of theft, pure and simple!
“Meanwhile, oil-producing countries are smiling as their foreign reserves are rising. What is Nigeria’s problem? We need to hold our leaders more accountable! Elections are coming – security and resources need to be everyone’s agenda – let’s be vocal for our nation’s priority.
“Evil prevails when good people are silent. We need to be vocal about 2023. Let’s focus on Nigeria. Demand and advocate for leaders that deliver.
In 2023, Nigeria must be on a strong trajectory for progress and development.”
