THE PAINS AND THE HOPE by Rt. Hon. Barr. Sadiq Ibrahim Dasin

Seven months had passed from May 29th, 2015 to 31st December, 2015. There are a lot of challenges though that only determination and further sacrifices can solve. Dama na fadi cewa Marasa hakuri diga cikin mu zasu ce gara Mai Malfa. Amma kada a mance da Mai Malfan ne yaci zaben da yanzu babu Nigeria. So as we continue our journey through the 8th month of this regime, it appears that there is every reason to thank God that, at least, now the country has a direction and a leader capable of leading the way.

I came to Abuja full of enthusiasm, humbled by the task of being a representative of the people of Song and Fufore and grateful for the trust they bestowed on me. With the promise that I made that I will not let them down, I set with colleagues to begin work. But we all have realized now that the challenges before us are more enormous than we ever imagined. Within these eight months I have realized that Nigeria’s economy, which relies on oil for two-thirds of government revenue, has been battered by crude prices falling 42% in the last year to less than $30 a barrel today . With Iran which has not been selling oil pouring in over half a million barrels a day into the already saturated market, the price of oil may go as low as $20/ a barrel.. Yesterday the dollar sold for N199/ to a $1 at official market while it sold for up to N295/ to a $1 at the parallel market. I have realized as a result that investors in the Nigerian economy have lost N 1.032 Trillion in the Nigeria Stock Exchange . These are the realities of our situation today.

During our recess I was at home for 12 days . I was at Fufore town on Tuesday the 5th from where I proceeded the same day to Cikito and inspected some Rice Farms of would be beneficiaries of my dry season fertilizer distribution and then stopped at Gurin and condoled with the District Head who lost his step mother that day. On the 6th I went to Wuro Mo'u Pariya and greeted Wakili Ba Ballo then to Dasin Abba Kumbo through Wuro Bokki where I condoled with Alh. Adamu Apupu over the death of his father and later proceeded to Malabu and condoled Saidu Garba over the death of his mother. I also visited the proposed Sadiq Centre at Jambutu between Farang and Malabu. On the 7th I went back to Cikito and proceeded to Mbela Tapare and Ribadu where I distributed fertilizers to rice dry season farmers in the three towns. On the 8th I went to Sabon Pegi Mayo Belwa and condoled the family of late Bagudu, one of our party EXCO Members, who died recently and I spent the afternoon with Ardo Mayo Ine where I said my Friday prayers. On the 9th I accompanied governor Bindo to Zaria for the wedding Fatha of the son of Alh. Indimi and the daughter of the Emir of Zazzau. I lost my nephew the previous night at Abuja so I stayed at Dasin receiving condolences on the 8th, 9th and 10th and on the 11th, I went to Janjangre and condoled Baba Nenne over the death of his father, the late Wambai Ribadu and also condoled the family of Alh. Ardo who died recently there . That same day I went back to Dasin and condoled Danjuma Umar, the Ribadu Ward APC Youth leader who lost his wife the day before. On Wednesday the 13th I travelled to Dumne and Dirma in Song LGA where I inspected the piece of land for the proposed Sadiq Centre Dirma. Then on 14th I received the Delegation of Consultants and TCN staff who came and conducted  a reconnaissance inspection of the site for the proposed Dasin Hausa Dam.  I rested on Friday the 15th and returned to Abuja on Saturday the 16th. That was a working leave.

During my visit I have observed the stress and strain in the eyes of the people I represent. I looked helplessly at the situation of our youths who formed the backbone of our electioneering campaign teams. In all the towns and villages I went, all I saw was poverty and despair . I was born in the village and I lived there . So I know what it was to grow up there and I have seen what it is to live there today. There is a world of difference between what life used to be back then and what life is there today. My greatest challenge as I traversed my constituency for 12 days (even though I go home every month) was how to explain to the man in Song, Dumne, Zummo, Fufore, Gurin, Malabu, Dasin, Farang or Karlahi etc, that the economic challenges we are facing today has made investors to have lost N1.032 Trillion in the Nigeria Stock Exchange in the last two months, that inflation rate is now at its highest and now oil sells for less than $30 a barrel and that Iran will pour in over half a million barrels a day into the already saturated market which will further drag the oil prices down . That yesterday, the dollar sold for N199/ to a $1 at official market while it sold for up to N295/ to a $1 at the parallel market. These the causes of the challenges we face today which are not caused by Buhari. But then, if one may ask, What is the business of the common man at Galamba, Lainde, Loko or Gudure with what is happening with the economy today . How do I explain this to the common man at Ugi, Masanganare, Dulo Fulani, Bilachi or Kofa Gafade since all the common man knows today is that money has stopped coming to him either from his business, work or as gift from politicians ?

THE HOPE

The majority of Nigerians used their thump and willingly chose this president . They also freely gave a four year mandate to majority of the state governors in Nigeria as well as to members of their state Assemblies. They chose us as majority in parliament at the national level to work with the president who they trust because they want things to be different this time round . So change that the majority desired, has come to Nigeria. It is a change brought about mostly by young boys and girls and by women. Seven months have gone. But their lives have not changed for the better. But since Boko Haram has been degraded to an urban warfare guerrilla force, I believe there is hope . Hope for a better day. But the hope may not be realized unless we appreciate the enormity of the challenges that lie ahead. Unless we realize that the road ahead will be long . Unless we remain resolute with determination to do a lot more sacrifices. If we do, I have hope that the social content of Buhari's budget is achievable at the end of the day. The social content is the N500 billion program in respect of “school feeding program initiatives, conditional cash transfer to the most vulnerable, and post NYSC grant.” If you add zero tolerance to corruption, sustained recovery of stolen funds and return to Agriculture to depend less on oil, by 2019, fruits of our sacrifices would surely begin to germinate .

Dan Allah a kara hakuri.  May God help us to over come this.