Throughout the last electoral campaign that saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu crisscross the six-geopolitical zone of the country, campaigning for the country’s top office, he committed more than one faux pax, and in that light cracked not a few ribs with his witty comments, even as some skit makers that seemed not have a high opinion for their elders lampooned him to the consternation of many, particularly his supporters. Despite the somewhat setbacks, he made a lot of promises so much so that most of us saw him as the “political messiah” that everyone has been waiting for since Nigeria transited from a “Millitarycratic dispensation” to a Democratic regime, particularly as he assured Nigerians that he has what it takes to fix the economy even as his body language cut the impression that Nigerians will enjoy life to the fullest under his administration like people living in Eldorado.
For instance, in a voluminous document titled: Renewed Hope 2023, He stated, “Our nation’s history affirms that our people constitute our most valuable treasure. Whether the hardworking farmer, the industrious market woman, the dynamic young entrepreneur, or the hopeful child, Nigerian people rank among the best anywhere. They excel in every aspect of human endeavor when given a fair chance.
“Senator Shettima and I have traversed every part of our beloved nation, listening to the concerns of our fellow citizens. Young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; all have expressed their views and concerns. People do not seek superficial answers to hard questions. Nor do they want the broken, unimaginative, failed promises repackaged and fed to them again. They want true and innovative solutions that address the challenging realities of today”.
But barely two months after he was sworn in, Tinubu seems to be doing the exact opposite of what he pledged, as not a few Nigerians are today trekking to work and sleeping on empty stomachs due to the removal of fuel subsidy which he removed by speaking extempore thus, “Fuel subsidy is gone!”
The Igbankes in Edo State have a popular saying that says, “Ele okwu we kujen ugbo ke we kulua”. This means that not the same thrill and passion that characterized discussions on the way to the farm characterize discussion on the way back”, as the burden and weariness that manifest on the way back are not child’s play, particularly as such chit chats are usually episodic with gossips most times.
Indeed, Nigerians are hungry. No, that is an understatement. Nigerians are extremely “hangry”. But no one seems able to understand what is going on as it appears we have embarked on a similar familiar journey that was deceptively thrust upon us as we were assured in 2015 that “Things will change” and that we will come out better. But alas! Here we are today, nothing seems to have changed as promised. We came out from the tortuous journey on May 29, 2023, whereupon some Nigerians gave thanksgivings across worship centers, but the undeniable fact remains that we all came out worse from the 8-year-long journey. A friend of mine jokingly said we were all “Panel-beaten” throughout the 8 years that former President Muhammadu Buhari held sway as Nigeria’s President.
Unarguably worsening the harrowing situation, Tinubu’s immediate policies are hurting Nigerians as an $800 loan was hastily obtained from the World Bank, wherein 500BN was removed from the ginormous amount to assuage the pains being suffered by many Nigerians. However, there is a seeming lack of clarity and sincerity of purpose behind this sharing formula and its illogical rationale as a further breakdown suggests that each of the 469 legislators gets about N24m each, while the more vulnerable public beneficiaries with unknown Know Your Customer (KYC) statuses, get N8, 000 each month for a period of 6 months.
In a similar vein, Tinubu has signed the Student Loan Bill into law, to which Mr. Dele Alake, his current Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy and a ministerial nominee explained that “The signing of the bill was in “fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to liberalize funding of education”.
As gathered, the Students Loan Act becomes President Tinubu’s second people-oriented piece of legislation signed since he assumed office.
Despite the fact that the law or rather the policy is been lauded to enable indigent students to access loans at interest-free rates, not a few individuals and groups have been taunting it.
For instance, the leadership of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), a non-governmental organization, NGO, has called on Nigerians including students, parents, Civil Society Organisations (CSO), education workers unions, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to reject the Student Loan Act and the plan to introduce tuition fee.
The group made the call during a press conference organized in Lagos lamenting that President Bola Tinubu’s Student Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act 2023”: is a smokescreen to take higher education out of the reach of the poor.
In a joint by the Deputy National Coordinator and National Mobilization Officer, Ogunjimi Isaac, and Adaramoye Michael Lenin respectively, it was revealed that those who have applauded the Act are either ignorant of the real consequences or they are anti-poor and pro-capitalist elements who do not believe that education ought to be an inalienable right and not a privilege.
In his view, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who vehemently condemned the policy, said the Student Loan Bill, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law has the potential of sending many students out of school. Osodeke expressed this view while speaking with newsmen.
Opinionating from a different perspective, the dust raised through Tinubu’s criticism against the leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in his inaugural speech on 29 May, saying that monetary policy requires a “Thorough house-cleaning” is yet to settle as it is negatively affecting the consumer market as manufacturers cannot afford to run at a loss. And indeed on 14 June, the CBN announced the unification of all segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market, replacing the old regime of multiple exchange rate “windows” for different purposes with, in effect, a market rate. Upon the implementation of the policy, like a thunderbolt, the naira immediately fell 36% against the dollar on the official market.
At the moment, ostensibly due to the literary wind of hunger that is sweeping across the land, mass looting of warehouses was reported in Adamawa State today, compelling Governor Fintiri to declare a 24-hour curfew in the State.
Governor Fintiri said the curfew followed the dangerous dimension the activities of hoodlums had assumed across the state capital as they attacked people with matches and break into business premises and homes carting away property.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Humwashi Wonosikou said there would be no movement throughout the state except those on essential duties and with valid identification would be permitted to move around during the period of the curfew. The relevancy of the foregoing reference cannot be pooh-poohed as hoodlums that were arrested confessed that the almost unaffordable price of Petrol, has brought unprecedented hardship upon them.
The Governor appealed to citizens and residents of the state to comply with the directive, adding that any person found contravening the order will be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
While offering advice to the president, Mr. Idowu Sobowale, a public affairs analyst in an opinion article titled, “Friendly advice to Tinubu stumbling as President”, published in the Vanguard Newspaper on July 30, 2023, wrote, “Since 1999, we have experienced a series of economic policies and programmes embarked upon by all the governments which were anchored on payment of fuel subsidy – even when Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari knew it was not in the national interest to continue the unsustainable and, ultimately, ruinous policy. No army of foreign invaders could have worked for so long to wreck the Nigerian economy as the Presidents before you had done. Follow me down very recent history.
“We can forgive the American humourist for his statement. He was living in a more decent society than our own. Nigeria is the only country known to me where more than eight Heads of State, military and civilian, have ruled, and paid more in fuel subsidy than most of our national debt – and the people have never been told who were the recipients of the trillions of naira that had been paid out.
“President Tinubu, if you are ever going to rescue your government and yourself, the first thing you should ask for is an annual list of those who collected the funds paid out for subsidy, how much they supplied, when and why? Fuel subsidy payment accounts for a great deal of debt you have inherited from Buhari; which you will spend the next four years trying to repay. Before you assume responsibility for the repayment of the debts incurred, find out how much fuel subsidy payments were justified. You will be shocked to know how many trillions were pure “authority stealing” approved by all your predecessors to be paid.”
Be that as it may, it is expedient to say that despite Tinubu’s renewed hope mantra that Nigerians are groaning and lamenting as a result of biting hardships,
