INDEPENDENCE DAY : A LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT.

Mr President Sir,
It is with great honour that I write to you on this remarkable occasion, our Independence Day.
First of all, I will like to give my heartfelt appreciation and commend the efforts of the Office of the President, his cabinets and all other law makers of the country for some of the progress we've had in recent years.
In the year 2015, you brought "change" to this country as only a matter of words, yet the whole country geared to joy, we supported you because "change" was actually something we longed for, we believed in you, we saw you as our beacon of hope, a beginning of a new future. You possess the tenacious character and charisma to lead this nation.
We voted you as our president knowing you are our "knight in shining armor" despite your old age, those are our decisions, but Sir, with all due respect, we also have the right to question the activities of any elected candidate including our president, if we feel he/she hasn't justified his/her position.
After you resumed office in 2015, it should be noted that only glimpses of the much anticipated "change" was seen, our dying economy was revived following a dramatic fall in value of our currency. A decapitalized economy bound to only doom, an ever rising fuel pump price, but all these could as well have been prevented.
Today, as we celebrate Nigeria's 58th anniversary, our past should be a constant reminder and our future should be reflective in our ways and actions, as a nursing mother will never forget the pain of child birth at any point in her life. So is Nigeria, she is badly hurt and bleeding out from the inside.
I would like to reminisce on five (5) key areas that needs addressing as we mark our Independence Day.
Poverty; this is one of the areas in your manifesto in which little has been done as you promised to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. You created "N-Power," this however generated income and jobs for only the literates, what about the illiterates? In all fairness, you alone can't remove poverty from our land, it has to be a continuous development, but there has to be a foundation before a house is built. There has to be a plan that should cater for the uneducated and poor citizens.
Under development; one of the factors that sprouts the growth and development of any country is "education." Our 6-3-3-4 system of education has become faulty, and the government has turned a blind eye into investing in the future generations of this country. We solely rely on acquiring foreign expertise to get the job done, for how long are we going to have graduates suffer in this country? I could remember the nursery rhyme I grew up with, "Parents listen to your children, we are the leaders of tomorrow." I actually realised that it was a passed down generational rhyme and those ancestral children are long dead now. As a youth, I refuse to be fooled into being classified as a future leader when our present government shows a lackadaisical attitude to our education, welfare and growth.
However, I will give heap of praises to Mr Mohammed Buhari , for being the first president to consider and sign into bill, "Not too young to run," however, our education is of paramount importance, our background, foundation, strength and development.
I have also taken time to notice how bad we fare with our medical services, it is so poor that Yusuf Buhari, the "President's son" travelled to Germany after sustaining injuries from a bike accident and our president has also made it a function to travel out of the country on numerous occasions for his medical leave and check ups. Why can't we have a standard hospital here in Nigeria, with qualified doctors, medical facilities and equipments?
Not everyone could afford such luxury. People receive ill or poor treatment in various hospitals because they can't afford the bills. Taxes are being paid for the development of the country, why can't we have a solid structured health insurance scheme for everyone. A lot of lives has been lost because doctors shut their doors to the people they swore to protect.
Corruption; you took an important stand  on the fight against corruption, Nigeria is  like a tree with seeded fruits, while you maybe plucking out the fruits, we actually need to burn down the whole tree. Bad governance has lead to embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, lack of social amenities such as good roads and electricity and lack of credibility.
Our motherland has to be protected from self-centered politicians who loot and take our money overseas. Corruption has to be kicked out of every system in the country.
Economy; in ancient days, Nigeria used to rely solely on agriculture and it sustained us, but after the discovery of crude oil, every other sector was neglected. Nigeria is blessed with enormous resources; solid minerals such as gold, tin, limestone etc., agricultural farmlands, and crude oil. If we have just one these, we can actually survive as a country, so it is quite a shame that we are not ranked among the richest countries in the world.
It is good to note that in some years from now, crude oil might start to diminish, and we will have to fall back to something, but right now most of our refineries are reportedly working fine, and the oil market is soaring high at about $86 per barrel, also we still pay as high as #145 per litre.
Security; life and property has been given little regard in this country as we have experienced terrorism (Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen and biological warfare: Ebola). Surprisingly, these acts have claimed numerous lives more than any deadly disease or infection and still does. The military and other security personnel should be provided with adequate firepower and ammunition to guard this nation.
Domestic violence, religious crisis, armed robbery are other areas that seek attention.
Thuggery: this has taken a new dimension as politicians use thugs to carry out various ungodly acts for their own selfish interest. Some of these thugs dress in military uniforms or disguise as policemen but are known for disturbing the peace of the people while taking lives in the process. We have seen various examples or demonstration of the high influence of political leaders in well sponsored thugs and criminals.
As a concerned and patriotic citizen of this great country, I don't want to believe that we are conned into believing in "change." Compared to other countries, Nigeria isn't prepared for whatever comes next.
I leave you with these points to ponder on, as your re-election bid zooms in 2019.
God Bless Our Motherland!
God Bless Nigeria!!
Happy Independence Day!!!
Ajani Adams Ayodeji