17/07/2021
Before I commence, can I start by saying; May the Soul of Obi Cubana’s Mum Rest with the Lord. Amen.
Going by the glorious ‘Eastern Shut-down’ over the weekend it is clear that Obi Cubana has got something clearly right. Be it entrepreneurship, social emancipation, youth empowerment, entertainment, gender inclusion. Literally, the event at Oba has shown that Government Appointments/Jobs isn’t and shouldn’t be the only aspiration of our people. Our citizens can be successful outside the Government and Obi Cubana and his associates somehow have clearly proven this!
So the question now is how can the Government multiply these individual successes? If the Eastern Governors are serious about creating Youth Employment, eradicating crime and if they are serious about raising the regional GDP growth rate, they must now commission ‘An Obi Cubana Policy’. This policy will be bold and must be aggressively implemented in the Eastern Region. This will be more economically salvaging than using ‘Fulani Herdsmen’ as a cheap excuse for the perennial economic downturn in Eastern Region.
The Obi Cubana Economic Policy should include but not limited to;
Business Investment. Government support for individual businesses both financially and otherwise.. .
50% Budget Sequestration. Relinquish 50% of the State budget to Obi Cubana and his nuclear group to administer but not without independent scrutiny…
State Deficit Reduction. If Obi Cubana’s event can raise over half a billion naira in one weekend then we can use this drive to formulate mutual taxation. Debt free states can be more trusted internationally…
Diversification. What items are popular in large ceremonies and how to enable young people to engage in these trades/ set up local production companies with Government backing… Can you imagine nearly 300 cows donated, how many Easterners supplied, probably none?
100k Regional Minimum Wage. Instantly increase minimum wage to 100k to all public and private workers; private wages subsidised by Government…
Debt Reduction. How the Government can reduce or write off individual and family debt giving Citizens opportunity for a fresh start through mutual donations like Obi Cubana’s type… Government could create bubble of successful individuals (social engineering) etc
Let me stop here for now and I’ll leave you all with this optimistic, hopeful and prophetic words of the Great Oliver De Coque – “…biakene abia, Kifu ife ndi’be’anyi na alu na’aka; ….. anyi were’nchekube na’ife ga dimma, ife dioku ga di’oyi…..”
Signed: Hon. Cllr Celia Osakwe-Hibbert
Elected Councillor For Penn Ward Wolverhampton.
Immediate Past, Special Adviser to Imo State Governor on Diaspora Affairs
Comments 1
I am totally in support of this submission. It will serve as the best approach to public-private partnership, and a significant panacea to all forms of vices. Youth unemployment, criminality, poverty and unproductivenes will become parts of our past. I hope to see this become a working policy in the near future.