A Lagos-based constitutional lawyer and public affairs analyst, Jide Ologun, has urged President Bola Tinubu to deal with all saboteurs frustrating his reforms and governance agenda.

Mr Ologun, a former chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ikeja branch, made the call in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.

He was reacting to the nation’s current socio-economic and other challenges.

The legal practitioner and social commentator urged Tinubu to tackle the nation’s challenges by dealing decisively with those instigating the challenges.

“The Nigerian problem is in the hands of the cabal and as long as any government fails to deal with the cabals, the nation will continue to groan. I have said it openly: it is left in the hands of the president to deal with the cabal working to frustrate his administration.

“Our country is too crime-permissive. Where there are no consequences, the situation like what the nation is currently going through will be happening,” Mr Ologun said.

Commending the president for showing the door to corrupt persons in the cabinet, the lawyer said Mr Tinubu must go further to ensure the prosecution of all corrupt public officers to send deeper signals.

He said that efforts must be made to sanitise and cleanse Nigeria’s political and economic environment of all saboteurs.

Mr Ologun described the prevalent distribution of palliatives to vulnerable Nigerians in the current economic challenges as dealing with symptoms, “we are not dealing with the substantial issue.”

“The substantial issue is that there are some wicked personalities and organisations in the country that are ready to sink the nation. They have amassed so much wealth and they are determined to frustrate the system. They do not care who pays for it, whether the citizens or anybody.

“These are the sponsors of terrorism and poverty: when some people hijack the resources that should be engaged to create wealth for the generality of citizens,” he said.

According to him, the president has been given executive power by Section 5 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and has substantial powers under his control to bring about his renewed hope agenda.

Mr Ologun said blame games would take Nigeria nowhere, adding that all hands should be on deck to reverse the current trend.

He urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, avoid a lavish lifestyle, exercise themselves and cut their coats according to their clothes in the face of the current economic challenges. 

(NAN)