On May 29, 2023 when he took office, the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, started to roll out economic reforms which he said were for the betterment of the country, and thereafter the Commander-in-Chief, who did not mince words, said that Nigerians had to tighten their belts.
Many Nigerians, however, did not fully understand the gravity of the president’s utterances and so nine months after his much-heralded swearing-in ceremony, they (Nigerians) are now at their wits’ end because of the abolition of fuel subsidy which led to an astronomical rise in prices of petroleum products which then jumpstarted a yet-to-abate, unmitigated climb in the price of goods and services in Africa’s biggest economy.
Because of the multifaceted problems created by the unpleasant situation, together with the general uncertainty cascading down the polity, which have been ratcheting up their mysteries, many anxious Nigerians have said that they no longer know what to expect from the current Federal Government the All Progressives Congress is superintending.
Moreover, in this distraught state, the people have cried out about being pulverized by hardship on all fronts and, thus, want to know how long their arduous wait for the results of the changes and improvements promised by Tinubu will come knocking on their doors so that they can begin to reap the fruits of their perseverance and the daunting hardship they have, so far, been enduring.
Then, there is also the question about whether Tinubu’s reforms will also go the way of ex-Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida’s Structural Adjustment Programme, which did not achieve most of its intended objectives as Babangida was eventually overthrown and SAP was thrown out of the window.
For his own part, Tinubu has never hidden his intention to reform important aspects of Nigeria’s national life and at his inauguration as president; he got down to the nitty-gritty of policy design and implementation.
From the economy, health, banking sector where recapitalisation is in the offing, as well as agriculture, aviation, bold statements have been made which are geared towards revamping these “ailing” sectors described by various stakeholders as being comatose.
The president, who was the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, said the reforms were necessary to correct past wrongs and set Nigeria on the right course towards economic recovery.
For the records, Tinubu is described by those close to him as an individual who puts his fingers on the pulse of Nigerian society and knows where the shoe pinches the people.
He, characteristically, always tries to pacify Nigerians, assuring them that the transition to stability, prosperity and renewed hope is on course.
For instance, in his last Christmas message to Nigerians, the President said, “I am aware that the necessary reforms we are implementing (in order) to achieve a more prosperous, peaceful nation for all have imposed unique sacrifices.
“My administration will continue to implement palliative measures to ease the burden on the most vulnerable, address current hardships and alleviate the suffering of our entire nation’s people.
“Fellow Nigerians, as we navigate this transition to stability, prosperity, and renewed hope, I urge you once more to hold fast and rest assured of my commitment to govern with vision, dedication, and empathy.”
Unfortunately, “holding fast” for too long is neither the ordinary people’s forte nor a luxury they can conveniently afford and so some of the president’s henchmen have decided to start lending their voices to assuage the grief of disgruntled and disoriented Nigerians.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is one of those who urged Nigerians to be patient with the economic policies responsible for the hardship in the country.
Recently in Abuja, the usually loquacious Minister said, “To change the economy is not by mouth. So many things will go wrong, but in going wrong, it will get right.
“Even some of you, when you are training your children, you know how painful it is to get money to pay their school fees. But at the end of the day, when your child is graduating, it is like you are flying.
“So, also, what the President is doing today…we may be having some inconveniences, we agree. But be patient. You will see the turnaround of things.”
While Nigerians agree that Wike made some valid points, they however point to the fact that they smell a rat after the former Rivers State governor made his flowery statement.
As it is, eagle-eyed Nigerians have been quick to remind all and sundry that during the tenure of Nigeria’s immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, the then government, like Wike, had preached patience and even promised that the hardship would soon be over.
To the credit of those Nigerians who tried to keep Nigerians abreast of those developments, a former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, did indeed blurt out during the heyday of the last administration that the hardship Nigerians were experiencing would soon be a thing of the past.
“There will be employment, school meal programmes, scholarships and expansion of small-scale investments in the country, and many more.
“Our message is that hardship will soon be a thing of the past.
“The President (Buhari) is committed to strengthening the electoral process and the Nigerian economy,” Mohammed said at the time.
For some inexplicable reason that promise and other similar tantalising words attributed to Mohammed Nigerians insist, failed to come to fruition.
“Whatever the president does, he must ensure that Nigerians will start to enjoy and prosper before the next general elections, otherwise he will have many aggrieved voters to contend with”
As it is now, the old cliché, ‘our hardship will soon be over’ does not seem to hold its usual fascination for Nigerians and it seems the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has gotten a grasp on the new status quo.
Last week, in a dramatic turn of events, the Sultan who is usually a strong advocate of the government of the day said that the current hardship was likely to incentivise Nigerians, particularly northern youths, to revolt against the present government.
Abubakar III said that people were agitated, hungry and angry because of the insecurity, poverty and economic hardship but were keeping quiet because certain influential individuals have been urging them to stand down.
The first-class ruler, however, said it would soon be difficult to keep the people from revolting.
To exacerbate an already bad situation, sombre news still dominating the newsstands suggests that it is very likely that Nigerians will go through another sticky patch as they navigate the path to national and economic salvation and this is due to the government’s decision to quit subsidising electricity.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said Nigeria could not continue to subsidise electricity and that the nation must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as the country is currently indebted to the tune of N1.3 trillion to Generating Companies and $1.3 billion owed to gas companies.
Exasperated Nigerians have said the announcement would likely translate to a new pricing regime for electricity tariff, a scenario that would further distil plenty more air of despondency.
Asked to elaborate on the time when Nigerians will finally wave goodbye to their present traumatic predicament, most members of the ruling party have failed to give specific dates.
A chieftain and former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had also dodged the question when he was asked about it on national television.
Oshiomhole, a Senator who is representing Edo North Senatorial District in the National Assembly simply said that he did not support any anti-people policies of the Buhari government and that Nigeria was in safe hands with president Tinubu.
However, when Tinubu spoke in Abuja with members of the Board and Management of the Nigeria Economic Support Group in August last year, Nigerians heard from the horse’s mouth.
In that meeting, Tinubu reiterated his unequivocal resolve to fully implement the eight priority reform areas under the Renewed Hope Agenda within the next three years of his coming to power.
And that was all. Nigerians only know that the government’s reforms would be implemented within three years. That was all Nigerians could glean from the president’s address. Nothing was said about when the people’s birth pangs would be over.
A political analyst, Alex Nwadike, said, “Whatever the president does, he must ensure that Nigerians will start to enjoy and prosper before the next general elections, otherwise he will have many aggrieved voters to contend with.
“People are not happy. You have asked them to be patient with your government but you didn’t tell them how long their weeping will endure before joy comes to them.”
Another analyst, Sylvester Enefeli, said, “The problem with this kind of wait is that it can outlive Tinubu’s government.
“And if care is not taken, the new government that comes to power in 2027 if Tinubu wins another four-year term might upend everything this current government is doing.
“Were this to happen, Nigerians would then be forced to start new reforms from scratch and that would be catastrophic and unacceptable for so many people who have been tossed here and there by their sorry condition.”
