ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE AUGUST 2023

etween N590 and N600 and you
can bet that the price hike was
all over the country. I considered
the term that led me to write this
piece again: captured-economy
and it dawned on me that some
supposed compatriots are surely
taking undue advantage of the
hiking of petroleum products’
prices in order to sustain their
membership of the millionaire and
billionaire clubs respectively. And,
you know what? All of those who
take such undue advantage of the
masses, through negative policies
and policy implementation, have
also mastered ways to get most
of the masses to sing their praises,
falsely, in return for a mess of
porridge!
You can imagine how hard I am
trying not to discuss the manner
the subsidy removal was done or
how the students’ loan scheme
is skewed or how electricity
tariff is climbing to the moon.
Haven’t so much been said and
written about them already?
Perhaps, I may still write about
them some time later… At the
centre of my concern is the
timing and approach of these
policies! But, on that strong
desire of members of the
National Assembly to appoint
billions of naira to themselves
as palliatives, I hope to return
soon!
Back to the ways one can
win in our heavily awkward
economic malaise… Our
hardworking and discerning
economists will continue to
reel out the shenanigans that
have so suffocated Nigeria’s
economy, bringing it flailing on
its back with seeming asthmatic
gasps. As they do this, they
‘and we the people’ can
show the deep wounds and
scars etched on our personal
economy by the repeated,
selfish, poverty-inducing
knocks inflicted by our local,
state and national leaders. Yes,
every passing 4-year political
tenure makes us realise how
grievous the damage caused
by a select, conniving few has
frisked much of value from our
commonwealth.
Yes! Nigeria’s economy
is a captured-economy! I
repeat, captured by those few
whom the majority among us
frequently, thoughtlessly entrust
our votes to… Then, on the few
occasions when we all dare to
employ sound judgement with
our votes, some compatriots
in hallowed chambers simply
wear their wigs and dust
up some technical twigs to
puncture our joy!
However, I have good news
even with all the sadness
poured out in this piece… Yes…
Even in a captured-economy,
there is still some hope of
making it out of the povertyladen
rat race. Really! That
brings us to take a look at
a number of steps we can
employ to cash out of the
captured-economy ,employing
legitimate means. Let’s go…
1
STEP ONE
1. The first step is to take
advantage of the mystery
connection between thoughts,
words and action. Who has
achieved anything the world
will marvel at who didn’t first
think about it deeply? Who is
that who achieved enviable
heights who didn’t repeatedly
speak about the great goal
he or she has set? (It is enough
even if most of the great
speaking is inwards.) You just
have to be captivated enough
by your great goal to speak it
forth! Show me anyone who
Accomplish Magazine 29