From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Prince Chukwukadibia Moneke Jonathan has described President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s economic policies as International Monetary Fund(IMF) imposed and anti-people.
According to him, “I am vehemently opposed to the proposed cyber security tax policy of the Federal government. I have never seen or heard are the office of the National Security Adviser is turned into a tax or revenue agent of the government.
” It was shameful that some duty bearers in government and the National Assembly suddenly became self-appointed trumpeters of the new unpopular policy”, he added.
Prince Jonathan who is the Chief Executive of Anambrian Properties Ltd, with business interests in Agriculture, Estate Development and Management, as well as the Oil and Gas sectors wondered why most government officials see their offices as personal estate.
He listed other harsh economic policies of the Tinubu administration that have reduced the cash holdings and take-home pay of citizens including the removal of petroleum subsidy, increase of electricity tariff, categorization of electricity supply to rich and poor citizens, forcing citizens to pay for darkness in the face of the abysmal performance of the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) and many others unfriendly policies.
Jonathan urged the government to use all the recovered looted funds to take care of these needs that were listed to be tackled but however noted that there are still so many leakages begging to be plugged in revenue-yielding federal agencies like the NNPC, the Customs, the FIRS, etc.
“Instead of looking into these areas critically the Federal government keeps coming up with more means of squeezing the little remaining funds from the citizens. Yet no one has at any time come up with policies to better the lot or put smiles on the faces of citizens, more so none of the security agencies has complained that they have been hampered by funds,” he reasoned.
Prince Jonathan also called on the government to drop the idea of a death sentence for hard drug users and dealers noting that with proper rehabilitation most of them would be recovered.
He gave instances where rehabilitated drug users eventually became notable influential investors or leaders in his communities.
Government at all levels, Prince Jonathan counseled should invest in agriculture, sports, and industrialization to create massive employment opportunities for the youth in other to take their minds away from drugs, restiveness, idleness, and other antisocial conducts.