Two years of Tinubu

IN a matter of days, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be two years old in Aso Rock as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since his assumption of power, the former governor of Lagos State has completely changed the face of politics and economy of the country.

Whether these changes are positive or otherwise largely depend on who is looking at what. However, the general opinion across the country is that a fast majority of the populace are not finding it easy to cope economically and financially. Under Tinubu’s watch, only the political class of the All Progressive Congress and the super-rich Nigerians are not crying and complaining.

ECONOMY AND POLITICS

The removal of oil subsidy in his inauguration address to the nation on 29 May, 2023, clearly set the tone of what awaited Nigerians during Tinubu’s presidency. During the electioneering preceding the 2023 elections, all the presidential candidates were unanimous that subsidy on petrol would have to go. One of the reasons that were adduced was that a cabal in the oil industry were profiteering from it at the expenses of the country. Another reason was that imported petrol to the country was being smuggled to our neighbouring countries and that the subsidy was largely beneficial to Nigerians who owned fleet of vehicles. 

From 1st June 2023, when the subsidy was removed, trillions upon trillions of Naira have gone into the coffers of the Federal Government. As a result of this, allocations to the three tiers of government have increased significantly. But the reality is that these humongous allocations to the various governments do not cascade down the masses. Therefore, the subsidy which hitherto being enjoyed by the oil cabal is now being enjoyed by the political cabal in the country.

Yes, all the presidential candidates of the 2023 elections agreed that subsidy on oil had to go. But this did not make them right. There are so many angles to solving a very knotty problem like that of the cabal in the oil industry. For President Tinubu to have said in his first address to the nation that “subsidy is gone”, to me was absolutely wrong. He should have studied the situation surrounding the whole subsidy, invited some well meaning Nigerians, told them the details and together with them, mapped out workable strategies that would not put Nigerians in jeopardy which the removal had caused.  

Since the return of the country to democratic rule in 1999, cost of governance has been unnecessarily too high. A large chunk of various revenues of governments at all levels are being spent to satisfy the greed of our politicians. Politics has become a goldmine. Both the executive and legislative arms of the government vote huge percent of national and state budgets for their own comfort.

The current National Assembly appears to be the worst since 1999. No robust debates on issues of national importance like the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State two months ago. There was no clear-cut distinction among members of the ruling party and those in opposition in their debate and votes on the matter. Nigerians could not believe that there were no dissenting voices during the debate and voting on the Rivers matter.

Particularly worrying in recent times were the mad defections to the ruling party. The impression this is giving is that the APC Federal Government is at peace with Nigerians. The net result of this is that President Tinubu and his APC will be complacent and behave as if all is well across the country.

INSECURITY 

Despite huge amounts being spent to secure lives and properties of the people, it is harvest of human lives across the country. Majority of the people live in constant fears. Movements across the country are high risks. Boko Haram, terrorists, kidnappers and bandits are giving government sleepless nights.

When you look at the numerical strength of all these social miscreants vis-à-vis that of the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Navy, the Air Force, the Police, DSS and other paramilitary outfits in the country, one finds it very difficult to say what is really happening. Can the government really be said to be serious and interested in dealing with the security situation decisively? Can all the Boko Haram, kidnappers, bandits and terrorists, with their weapons, match those of the Nigerian Forces?

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan once told bewildered Nigerians that there were Boko Haram patrons in his cabinet. It cannot be far from the truth that what Dr. Jonathan said then is still applicable now. Or what could be the reasons for the recurrent senseless waste of human lives in Benue and Plateau States over the years without the government having an answer? What are the roles of the intelligence agencies of the government in all these embarrassing situations?

Boko Haram has been terrorizing the North East of the country since Chief Olusegun Obasanjo exited Aso Rock. The group, of recent, has gone sophisticated by using drones in its operations. Is it not too obvious that these miscreants are being used by the powerful people in the country? What makes it difficult for the government, through its intelligence agencies, to identify these individuals and deal with them decisively? It is as a result of the failure of government to handle the Boko Haram group that emboldened others in forms of kidnappers, terrorists and bandits to spring up in other parts of the country.

THE HEALTH SECTOR

Throughout his presidency, former President Muhammadu Buhari was always in and out of London hospitals on medical tourism. For the eight years of his presidency, the man never thought it fit to upgrade one of the teaching hospitals in the country to a world-class standard so as to save for Nigeria, millions of Naira on oversees medicare. President Tinubu has taken his cue from his him. He patronizes Paris hospitals at regular intervals. He has not made any effort, at least overtly, that he will reverse the trend. Nigerians medical personnel leave the country in droves and making waves in better climes.

POWER SECTOR

For several decades, Nigeria, with a population in the region of 230 million people cannot boast of 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The little we have, we cannot maintain. This accounts for the regular collapse of the National Grid. President Tinubu, like his predecessors, knows very well that without adequate and regular electricity supply across the country, Nigeria cannot grow economically and technologically.

Britain, with a population of around 58 million, generates 74,800 megawatts, Scotland of less than six million people has over 13,000 megawatts, Egypt has over 59,000 megawatts to a population of about 118 million. Japan with a population of around 123 million, has 335,000 megawatts and our neighbouring Ghana, with a population of less than 36 million, generates almost 6,000 megawatts.

By installing solar power in Aso Rock, it appears that the power sector is not on Tinubu’s priorities list. Therefore, it will not be a surprise if at the end of his four or eight years tenure, the story in the power sector remains the same. Darkness all over the country.

NIGERIA FIRST POLICY

This is a novel policy in the history of Nigeria by President Tinubu. Whatever can be produced in Nigeria should not be imported. By the same token, any service that can be provided by Nigerians should not be contracted to expatriates. But can the president walk the talk? Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged him on the policy. According to Atiku, President Tinubu should dispose off his Escalade Limousine and go for a locally assembled automobile. He also said President Tinubu should patronise Nigerian hospitals instead of those of Paris.

Very unusual of Bayo Onanuga, the spokesman of the President, he has not responded to these charges. This is a very constructive criticism from AlhajiAtiku which AsiwajuTinubu cannot brush aside. Unless the president leads by example, this policy will be meaningless. If the president is sincere about it and applies it to himself accordingly, its enforcement in government circles and among Nigerians will make it work.

Two years down the line, there are no obvious signs that the president will make any meaningful impact on the life of an average Nigerian. He has not really done much differently from his predecessors. His predecessors failed woefully or pretended not to understand that government and governance are essentially about the wellbeing and welfare of the people. It is the responsibility of the government to provide an enabling environment for the people to carry out their various economic, social and other activities with little or no constraints. What we have been having over the years is in sharp contrast to this. Political leaders are the major beneficiaries of dividends of democracy while the ordinary people wallow in abject poverty.

The president has a duty to reverse this trend. Things are certainly going out of hands. It is in the interest of our politicians to focus on the people and not themselves alone. Things cannot continue like this and we expect BokoHarram, kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism to abate. Economic deprivation has direct links with the insecurity in the country.

Akinloye, a former staff of Tribune, wrote from Ibadan