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Today the 10th of May, 2020 everywhere you go what you hear in Nigeria is COVID 19, Lockdown, Ease of Lockdown, Palliatives and so on.I was on a radio programme today as Economic Crisis is the only relevant topic at this time.
Some are even paying less attention to health related issues.
It is a like a Class Action Case ...All Nigerians are Claimants and Plantiffs while Goovernment is the defendant and Respondent.
Can this Respondent ....Respond to all of us?
It is like an attempt to fly an Excavator like an Aeroplane...Already Crashed before take off.
You find people with Face Mask even while inside their car with car window rolled up and A/C on.
We need to up our games on proper dissemination of information on health matters.
Even the Medical Face Mask that could absorb Infections are been kept by people for further usage.
What people do not understand is that this matter of life and death should be taken personally and seriously too.
The eagerness to come out of lack should also be taken as a personal crusade without any expectation of back up from government and if there will be back up; may be from a far off.
Why? The main reason is that Government cannot solve all our problems.
Imagine if government is to feed all of us.
Breakfast, lunch and Dinner.
Even if it is a meal of N1,000 per day; be rest assured that the Government will soon go bankrupt if they attempt to do so.
To feed 1m people daily at N1,000 government will need N1b each day.
It means that if Ogun State attempt to feed 2m Citizens for example in a day and moderately at N1,000 for breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, it means N2b will.be spent daily.
In a month, it will be N60b.
What is Total IGR and Federal Allocation.? Then we can just be declared Bankrupt ab initio.
Knowing the kind of complain you get from people all over the country about quality of food; It means that a whole day meal at N1,000 as moderate as it sounds can lead to State Bankruptcy.
There will be nothing else at all.
That is even, if that money is available anyway.
Therefore; we must know that Government cannot solve our problem.
Here are few tips to overcome the crisis of the season.
1. Where there is life, there is hope.Focus on how to remain alive.Have hope of better days ahead.
2.Value your safety.Don't opt to die now.Obey all the rules of the lockdown.Seek knowledge on what is good for your safety.
I read somewhere where someone stated that.." I have been broke before, but I have never been dead before"..What a revelation.
The person knocked down by a reckless car is not the one that will be discussing the plate number of the hit and run vehicle.( Yoruba: Eniti Moto bagba ko lo ma mu number).
3. Convert all empty land in your compound to a mini farm.Plant Crops.Plant Vegetables.
4.Check people in your network.What can you do to them to earn little income that will sustain you during this lockdown.
5.In your community, what can you do to people to earn little income.
6. Control your expenses.Eat healthy food and not junks.Remember your energy usage has reduced..Hence you could reduce your meal to once or twice a day.Some of us don't eat more than twice a day even before lockdown.
7.Learn to save now.Don't consume all your earnings.
8.The rich should help the poor.Cook for some people that cannot afford food.
Send food stuffs to some people.I know a lot of people doing this.
Recently a lot of people have given items to vulnerable people. We can step up the game by doing more if we can afford it.
9.Those that are making good money should pay Tax to government and government should jusify the usage of tax revenue too.Very Controversial but it is as simple as it is.We must be responsible.citizens and government must be responsible too.It is a two way thing and we call it "Tax Justice".
10. Finally; only go out when it is neccessary .Develop your skill in Technology.When the lockdown is fully over ..Invest a percentage of your income in either land, Stocks, joint ventures and that could be with start-Ups.
We shall overcome.Even after World War I and II, there were people left to tell the stories.
You will be healthy and alive to tell the unborn children about this Covid 19 by the grace of God.Amen.
Dr. Gbenga Adeoye holds a PhD in Management Accounting .
He is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
An Arbitrator of UK and Nigeria with Interest in Law and Criminology.
He is Passionate about Good Governance, Tax Justice and Economic Development of Africa in General and Nigeria in Particular.
He can be reached on gbengaglobal@gmail.com
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