Federal government and POS operators

SIR: The threat issued by the Federal Government to the Point of Sale (POS) operators to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) within a specific time or get arrested is, apart from being ill-timed, ill-conceived as it paints the picture of a government that is out to frustrate its own youths completely.

Nigeria’s teeming unemployed youths have almost been pushed to the wall because of their raging idleness occasioned by government’s inability to create jobs or even the enabling environment. One can only pray that there will not be a recurrence of the #EndSARS protests witnessed in Nigeria some years back.

Right now, there seems to be a relative peace in the land because many former idle hands have now found solace in internet surfing whether legal or otherwise while a whole lot of others are also exploring the POS business as a way of keeping body and soul together instead of searching for non-available jobs. But now, the Nigerian government is trying to cause crisis for the youths who are only striving hard to survive under a very harsh economy that offers no succour to anyone.

How much are operators of POS generating to warrant them registering with the CAC as at now? In the history of Nigeria, successive governments are never known to confront all those who keep stealing billions of the nation’s wealth in a bid to retrieve the massive stolen funds and plough them back into the economy. The preferred option has always been to put more burdens on already utterly impoverished people because Nigerians are known to be totally resilient.

The government must not drive the youths into going on rampage because it could have dire consequences for the country. Nigerians are currently facing hard times and everyone is just trying to find a means of survival which has led to the upsurge in the number of people venturing into the POS business. The government should not see such influx as another avenue to generate income just as yet. That can come later when the business has achieved a visible boost and operators can cope conveniently with such registration.
Jide Oyewusi is the coordinator of Ethics Watch International, Lagos.