Afghanistan will soon show the whole world that you cannot run a government without coherent policies

Ayo Akinfe

[1] This picture was taken on April 29, 1975 when the Vietcong captured Saigon. The Americans had to beat a hasty retreat and evacuate all their people immediately

[2] Is it not ironic that September 2 is actually Vietnam’s Independence Day when they celebrated freedom from the French in 1945. Fast-forward 76 years and Afghanistan is the new Vietnam

[3] Both the USSR and USA failed to subdue Afghanistan, just as both the French and Americans failed to subdue Vietnam. A natural fortress, Afghanistan simply cannot be colonised. It has to develop from within

[4] In an audacious show of bravado and valour, 100,000 ill-equipped Taliban fighters overran 300,000 heavily-armed US-trained troops. If you ask me, the Afghan people deserve no sympathy for what awaits them as they refused to stand up to the Taliban

[5] However, the Taliban will soon find out the hard way that rhetoric and religious fervour can help you mobilise fighters but hey, that is it. Islamic rhetoric will not grow your economy by 1%

[6] As we speak, the Taliban does not even have the expertise to run Kabul airport. I do not see flights resuming soon

[7] Afghan banks are all shut. They will not open until there is a coherent government policy on matters like interest rates, usury, inter-bank lending, government loans, debt servicing, remittances, etc

[8] As we speak, the Taliban has no policies on the economy, housing, transport, agriculture, education, healthcare, etc. It is delusional for them to actually think they can run a government without any form of guidelines

[9] For too long, Nigeria has suffered from this malaise too. A politician without policies is just a criminal going into office to enrich him or herself. Sadly, the Nigerian people are complicit in this crime. A candidate with no policies should get zero votes!

[10] If you have voted for a Nigerian candidate with no policies just because he or she “dropped” you have no moral right to attack the Taliban. Your thinking is identical!