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NIGERIA is in the intensive care unit and her nurses don’t seem bothered. No. They are actually involved but not caring for seriously ill patients. They pay lip service to keeping their promises, but are committed to fulfilling their desires and hedonistic pleasures.
This is 146 days [in November 2023 when this article was first published] since another group of rulers took power in Abuja. But not a day goes by that Nigerians can breathe a sigh of relief. This is like the rebellious reign of the biblical Absalom in one part of the divided Kingdom of Israel. Absalom had told his people that when his father, King David, punished them with whipping,
he would do the same with scorpions. Under former President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria is suffering unimaginable suffering. It is true that, as the clueless regime bereft of imagination and humanity began to wind down, a common refrain among Nigerians was: Never Again. Many citizens believe that no future government in Nigeria will be worse than Buhari’s in terms of abuse of power, impunity, desecration of the democratic ethos, insensitivity to the country’s diversity, disregard for the suffering of citizens, and intolerance towards critical and opposing views. Obviously we were wrong.
For a long time, there have been differing views on what that day will bring and its promises between English speakers and my native Igbo speakers. In English, it is widely believed that the morning indicates the direction of the day’s likely outcome. On the other hand, there is a saying in Igbo that says ‘anagh eji ututu ama njo ahia’. Loosely translated, this word means that guessing how a day will pan out just because of how it started can be misleading. But our ancestors were also wise enough to moderate the above adage when they argued that if a dozen cooked eggs were needed to appease the gods for the recovery of a seriously ill child, then it was appropriate, proper, and wise to feed the sick child with some of the delicious nutrients from the eggs. For them, feeding the gods all the cooked eggs in the hope that a sick child would get better soon was a bad idea.
Yes, it could be said that it is not good and uncharitable, in fact it is too early to determine the results of a four-year presidential term in only around 146 days. Sorry for the potential offense, but our guys also say that you can guess the taste of poop from the smell of previous gas emissions from the intestines. We can see what the future holds through our collective experience today and especially from the priorities of this regime in its early days.
Tinubu’s appointments to key government offices follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Buhari. They are nepotistic. Tinubu may actually be worse. There is no intention to suggest that some of the people appointed are not qualified or capable, but what needs to be taken into account is that there are other qualified people from other countries who could or should be appointed. If perhaps the reason is because these people are unknown to the President, then we have reason to worry. That means we are still in the era of Buhari provincialism. The country is still having to bear the huge consequences of this isolated regime. Doubts about the priorities and direction of Tinubu’s six-month-old government were dispelled a few days ago. With less than two months to go before the end of this fiscal year, the regime deemed it necessary to prepare a supplementary budget. There’s nothing wrong with the idea even though it happens one week before the end of the fiscal year. The general understanding of supplemental budgets is that there is something important that is not covered or provided for in the current budget, or that the budget is not adequately provided for in terms of funding, or that something new and important has emerged and cannot wait for the new fiscal year. Some things that can be done are to provide additional funds to reduce people’s suffering due to the sudden and undigested removal of fuel subsidies; funding apparently revived conditional cash transfers to the most vulnerable families who have been harmed by harsh government policies or providing student loan proposals or funding salary support for civil/state employees and similar programs. It turns out that the critical issues that make additional budgets a necessity are simply attachment to providing food for the basic and unreasonable lifestyles of our rulers.
How do you explain the additional budget at the end of the fiscal year just to renovate unused mansions for the President and Vice President after previously spending billions of Naira to renovate their offices and official residences? Some of these complexes including the Dodan Barracks in Lagos should be candidates for conversion into museums as they represent the majority of Nigerian society. What is the urgency in budgeting billions of naira to acquire a sports utility vehicle [SUVs] for the President and Vice President when there are no reports that their predecessor’s former vehicle suddenly broke down and cannot be serviced? How do you explain that a regime that is so persistent in taxing its citizens and willing to borrow money from international lending institutions also approved emergency funds to pay for a luxurious and well-appointed presidential yacht? To cover it, the supplementary budget also has a subheading worth billions of Naira for the procurement of a set of SUVs for the “Office of the First Lady”, an office not recognized by the law of any country. It is ironic and embarrassing that this same ‘First Lady’ had told Nigerians before her husband’s ascension to the presidency that God had so blessed her family that they would not have to live off their Nigerian heritage during their reign. Now Nigerians know better.
When our rulers indulge in debauchery, citizens complain. Life in 21st century Nigeria has become ‘poor, ugly, brutal and short’. The regime’s slogan is ‘Renewed Hope’ but the reality in society is hopelessness, hopelessness, disappointment, dissatisfaction, disillusionment and depression. To be sure, some Nigerians are not too upset by this incident. Suicidal thoughts and actions due to severe deprivation are now commonplace.
Unemployment is rampant. Few workers are grappling with the value of their wages being eroded, this is not the case because inflation is at around 28% and is expected to reach 30% by early 2024. Many families are hungry and children are malnourished. For the first time since the experiences of Biafran children more than 50 years ago, kwashiorkor stalks our land. Death and funerals are also everyday experiences. Every day you hear or read about the wails of people who are sick and unable to pay for medical expenses. Two recent viral videos depict the castration of many Nigerians. One of them complained that the price of the antibiotic, Agumentin, has skyrocketed from around N5000 before Tinubu came to between N30000-N40000 now depending on the outlet. Likewise with the Seretide inhaler for asthma patients. It now costs between N40000-N70000 depending on the brand name and country of manufacture. It used to be around N7000. One pack – discus – lasts approximately 30 days. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria PLC, maker of the popular Seretide inhaler, has notified relevant regulatory bodies that it will leave Nigeria. People in countries rich in natural resources are now suffering unspeakable hardship due to the greed, greed and evil of their rulers.
Under Tinubu’s rule, Nigerians have the right to hope for the best but they must prepare for the worst. The indications are that it will get worse before it gets worse. His priorities are not only wrong but also insensitive. The policy statements were not well digested, were not consulted, lacked time limits and measurement benchmarks, and were very detrimental because there were no mitigation provisions. In Tinubu we have another Buhari. He chose to live on the Presidential Jet that departed America for India, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and elsewhere with occasional visits to, and stopovers in, Nigeria. He will rationalize Ajanya’s trip in an attempt to woo foreign investors. Buhari told us the same thing but how will it turn out after eight years. If the environment in Nigeria is not conducive to domestic investors, as is currently the case, then it would be foolish to expect the influx of foreign investors unless they are irresponsible investors. Our country is experiencing a severe energy shortage. Our country is not safe. Roads and other critical infrastructure are in disarray. Our forex market is unstable and repatriation of profits/capital is uncertain. For example, it is estimated that foreign airlines operating to Nigeria have working capital reserves of around $800 million trapped here.
Those who listen to Tinubu should advise him to stay home and roll up his sleeves. It was a tough job in Nigeria and the job was clearly not suited to him. We just hope that, unlike Buhari, Tinubu does not seek to become president to fulfill a ‘lifelong ambition’. So far, unfortunately, it looks like that. Eight years of Buhari’s rule is a long time to rule a country. We can’t afford anything else.
FOOTNOTE: This article was first published three years ago this coming November. Tinubu’s regime is only six months old. I write with the belief that the country’s economic and political conditions will only get worse. Unfortunately, that has happened. But the bigger tragedy is that there is no more rest time. It’s going to get worse before it gets worse. As Bishop Gbonigi once said of the former military head of state, the late General Sani Abacha, our rulers were “very evil” and insensitive.
AUTHOR: UGO ONUOHA
Articles published in our Graffiti section are solely the opinion of the author and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stance.
