Who makes sacrifices for the nation?

By: Desmond Agbama

IT is very common to hear Nigerian leaders asking the citizens to make sacrifices for the improvement of the nation’s socioeconomic and political life. Each time I hear this I began to wonder the type of sacrifice the leaders want from the already impoverished and deprived citizens. To me, it is like milking the citizens dry or a thief calling for help from his victim. The question is, do our leaders really know the meaning of sacrifice? Or do they think that making sacrifices is using oneself as a sacrificial lamb for the nation to survive? In a country where system and governance work effectively, it is the leaders that makes sacrifices for the people to survive. It is the rich or affluent citizens and those in various leadership positions in the society who ought to make sacrifices for the poor to survive. As parents, we make every sacrifice for our children to survive and do well in life. Many parents forsake pleasure and other good things of life to invest in the training and upbringing of their children to become better and useful citizens to themselves and the society.

In this scenario, the government as represented by our leaders is supposed to serve as parents to every citizens of Nigeria. Therefore, as leaders, politicians are supposed to be the ones to make sacrifices for the citizens to enjoy better life. This, they can do by providing quality and affordable education, health care, transportation, security, social welfare, infrastructure and modern facilities. To achieve these for the people, the leaders must ensure prudent management of the nation’s resources as well as cut down on their astounding salaries and allowances. For example, the president, governors, national and state Houses of Assembly members can show good example by reducing their salaries, allowances and other benefits for the sake of the nation and its citizens.

However, what we hear from our leaders is that the citizens should make sacrifices, while they continue to enjoy increase in their salaries and allowances. This is quite unfortunate and it goes to show the insensitivity of our leaders to the plight of the people. The majority of Nigerian leaders do not have the citizens at heart and they don’t care about their welfare or security.  Making sacrifices for our nation is not a bad idea, however, such sacrifices must be displayed first by the leaders at all levels of government. The leaders must lead by example so that others could emulate them. For instance, the president who has more than five presidential jets in his fleet could do well by reducing it to two or three. The president, governors, members of the national and state Houses of Assembly, ministers and commissioners, could as well reduce their salaries and allowances. In addition, the nation’s leaders should also cut down on their foreign trips and reduce the numbers of their personal aids and convoy. If they do all that it will help save cost and money for the country.

However, in Nigeria today, former presidents and governors earn fabulous retirement and severance allowances. Some earn double, having served as both military and civilian presidents. Many governors also earn double retirement and severance allowances having served as former governor and a senator. These go a long way to drain the nation’s resources, while the ordinary citizens are left with nothing. It therefore means that it is the nation’s leaders that are not making the desired sacrifices that the country need to grow and survive. It is their greed and desires that is responsible for the poor economy of the country. As president, governor, national and state houses of assembly members, they live on public funds. The houses they live are free, the cars they drive are free, the food they eat are free, the clothes they wear are free, their children school fess and welfare are free, their hospital bills are free. In fact, almost everything they need in life as public office holders in their various capacities are free.

On the contrary, the citizens provide everything for themselves. For instance, the citizens sink water bore holes to provide water for their use due to absence of public water supply to homes in cities across Nigeria. The citizens in most cases purchase electricity poles, wires, conductors, and transformer to supply electricity to their communities, otherwise they will be without electricity as government has failed in that regard. Others purchase generating sets to power their businesses or for domestic use. Furthermore, the citizens contribute money to rehabilitate their roads, schools and health centres. In the absence of such voluntary or community efforts, the roads, schools and health centres will remain in a state of shamble. A visit to some rural communities in Nigeria would reveal the dilapidated state of their roads, schools and hospitals, making it impossible for the people to access quality education and medical care. Despite this lack of government commitment in the provision of basic social amenities, the citizens are compelled to pay taxes, bills and other tariffs to government.

The question is, what are the responsibilities of the government to the citizens? Has government reneged on its responsibilities to the citizens? What does government use the tax, bills and tariff paid by the people to do? All over the world, the primary responsibility of the government to its citizens is to guarantee the peace, welfare, security and development of the citizens. The reason for this is to ensure that the society is developed. If there is no peace, security and welfare for the people, the citizens will not have the confidence, ability, faith and zeal to contribute to the growth and development of the country. It takes healthy and well educated citizens to develop a nation.  In reality it has been the citizens of Nigeria, not the leaders that have been making sacrifices over the years for the nation to move forward. Perhaps that is why our leaders kept calling on them to continue to make such sacrifices, while they sit in their comfort zone to eat and grow fat on the sacrifices.

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in a recent broadcast, towed the path of past leaders by calling on the citizens to make sacrifices for a better Nigeria. President Tinubu should realise that Nigerians have been stretched to the limit, and they can no longer make any sacrifices. Come to think of it what sacrifice can be more than the deliberate hardship Nigerians are made to experience?

Nigerians were made to suffer in the guise of redesign of the naira notes. Many of them lost their lives, while otherswere dehumanized in protest for their money. Today the new naira notes which the CBN claimed to have spent over N68 billion to print are no where to be found. Nigerians are still spending the old naira notes. Meanwhile, some Nigerians like the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Mr. Godwin Emefiele and his cohorts are enjoying their loots freely from the criminal process.

Again, it is the citizens that are at the receiving end of the removal of subsidy from petrol. Since the announcement of the removal of subsidy from fuel, Nigerians have been facing the worst hardship ever in the history of this country. The policy was introduced by President Tinubu without a corresponding policy to cushion its effects on the people, instead he ask them to make sacrifice. When the subsidy removal was announced, the prizes of goods and services rose spontaneously by over 100%, thereby making the living condition of the citizens to be adversely affected. Many Nigerians find it difficult to eat one meal a day. As if that is not enough, the Federal government is still considering increasing electricity tariff, tuition fees in higher institutions, hospital bills, including import and export duties. All these will further strangulate the citizens and make their standard of living poorer and poorer.

In the midst of these harsh economic policies of government, our nation’s leaders are considering increment in their salaries and allowances without considering same for the entire public and civil servants of the federation who are the goose that lay the golden eggs upon which the leaders feed fat on. As at today the total monthly salaries and allowances of political office holder who are less in number are far more than the total monthly salaries and allowances of the entire public and civil servants. One is forced at this point to ask who are supposedto make sacrifices, the political leaders who earn more or the public and civil servants who earn less or Nigerians who are jobless? Our leaders should not only do things in their own interest, but should also consider the interest of generality of Nigerians. Our leaders should learn to always take the position of a servant leader who has been elected or appointed to serve the people and not to be served.

At this point it is right to place on record and commend the action of the former Governor of Ogun state His Excellency OtunbaGbenga Daniels who recently wrote to the state government to discontinue the payment of his retirement and severance allowances. The letter dated 14th June, 2023 reads “I write to request for the suspension of my monthly pension/allowances of N676,376.95(gross) six hundred and seventy-six thousand, three hundred and seventy-six naira, ninety-five kobo being paid as a former Executive Governor of Ogun State. The request is in compliance with my conscience, moral principle and ethical code against double emoluments that a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who hitherto was a former state Governor shall not be entitled to the payment of pension and allowances from such state”

This is a true demonstration of leadership by example and sacrifice to the nation and state. This is what is expected from all Nigerian leaders past or present. President Ahmed Bola Tinubu was a former Senator and a former Governor. Has he directed the suspension or stop the payment of his pension and allowances as both former Senator and Governor? In the National Assembly as currently constituted there are former Governors. Have they also suspended the payment of their pension and allowances in their respective states? They should emulate the action of the former Governor of Ogun State.

Therefore, President Tinubu does not have the moral right to call on Nigerians to make sacrifice for the survival of the country when he has not exhibited same. Consequently, for President Tinubu to call on Nigerians to make sacrifice for the nation in the face of grinding poverty and unbearable hardship is like calling them a sacrificial lamb waiting to be slaughtered for their own good and selfish interest only. Again, for President Tinubu to call for sacrifice from Nigerians without the President, former Governors, Ministers, Members of the National and State Houses of Assembliesdoing same amount to calling Nigerians fools. It means that all they are after is to milk Nigerians dry and subject themto unnecessary stress, pains, and anguishby deliberately imposing harsh and excruciating economic policiesto drain the citizens.

• Dr. Agbama writes in from Benin, Edo State.