The month of May, especially the latter part of it, is usually the best time of the year for me to travel out of the country. The weather is kind to tropical birds like us and the air-fare is kinder still on the pocket. It is no wonder then that I have missed many a Democracy Day celebration. The advantage in being out of the country at this time, is that it makes me feel somewhat detached from the half-truths, to the down right lies and the ill disguised political commentaries often masked as state of the nation analyses. PRESIDENT BUHARI This year’s May 29, was no different.
You could tell which side of the political divide a writer came from just by reading his assessment of the past year. In addition to this, and it is unsettling, is the new dimension of regional bias. These days, you could tell, by looking at the by-line, what the tone of the article would be. It seems a section of the country has decided to shoot the President down irrespective of where he is perched. Unfortunately, there are many reasons to shoot him down if you are so inclined. Or if you are unwilling to understand the peculiar circumstances of this presidency. Those who write that General Muhammadu Buhari has performed creditably in his first year of presidency know they are not telling the truth. They know that most of his electoral promises have not been fulfilled. The key areas of security, corruption and economic renaissance are still works in progress. Yet those who say nothing has been achieved or that the country is worse off because of him are economical with the truth as well. The truth must be somewhere in between.
President Buhari, truth be told, was slow off the block. Some of us advised that the economy be addressed with the same urgency he took on the retrieval of our stolen funds. This was not done. The result is that the country has slipped into avoidable recession. I think the reluctance to make the hard choices on FX, fuel subsidy, political payroll and restructure coupled with the budget that took ages to put together and passed, has hurt the economy. Even now, the Government in to refusing restructure the country, in refusing to grant more economic autonomy to the federating zones, is holding the country back. In these dire times, the Federal Government has to let go and unleash the creative energy of its people. I am an advocate of derivation. Each zone should have a major say in whatever is derived from its zone. This will create competition and energise the states. It will also eliminate this cap-in- hand culture of the state governors. I am also an unrepentant advocate of an inclusive government. We must evolve the ‘Nigerian Dream’ where every Nigerian must believe he has a chance to make it to the top if he is diligent and hard working in addition to his God-given talent. He doesn’t need to have a god-father. The top 5% of the populace has taken far more than it deserves from the system and is even now putting its children in positions of priviledge. It has to stop. Unfortunately, the only change our APC leaders seem to want is just a change in political leadership; not a change in the looting culture of the elite. But has President Buhari made Nigeria a poorer country as some political commentators are saying?
The answer is a definite no. Nigeria became poor because the price of crude oil went from the high of 120 dollars per barrel to the low of 25 dollars at some point. Nigeria became poor because we did not save for the raining day when we were awash with petrol dollars. Nigeria became poor because we had leaders at this critical time, who were given enough signs that the price of oil was going to crash but decided to fiddle rather than act. Nigeria became poor because of enemies within—the looting leaders of the past administration, the terrorists in the North-East and the militants in the South-South—who have sapped and are sapping the scarce resources of State. Nigeria became poor because we had neither infrastructures nor industries to fall back on. The PDP leaders and their sympathisers who are belatedly bemoaning the state of the country and blaming Buhari for it are being unfair. He is probably not the best man for this critical period in our national life—although even that is debatable because no economic wizardry can emerge given the corruption and leakages in the system—but neither is Jonathan.
In fact, Nigeria would probably have become a failed State if Jonathan had continued in office one more year. Those who doubt it should realize that the discontent in the country resulting in the tension from the Boko Haram in the North-East, the Niger-Delta Avengers in the South-South, the Fulani Herdsmen, the Biafra agitators in the South-East, the kidnappers in all the Southern Zones, to the rapists and wife killers all over the country, are signs of a failed state. We expected so much from Buhari not necessarily because of what he promised and didn’t deliver—because he just couldn’t—but because we are in denial. We know our major source of revenue has dried up but we still want to continue importing our Gucci shoes, our cornflakes and our furniture. And we are willing to believe any leader who promises the good life without any sacrifice on our part. He will not be the first leader to make what have become empty promises. All our leaders have done that since 1999. That is why May 29, has become a day of lies told by the deceitful to the gullible. President Buhari is guilty of trying to sugar coat what should really be a bitter pill. A man who is left with a third of his take-home pay should be courageous enough to tell his household that certain indulgences will have to stop. He should also start the cost cutting with himself—no more beer in the fridge, no more night clubbing, no more frills etc. He should then sit down to plan what role each member of his household will play according to age and ability to increase family income. He needs the creative and positive energy of every member of his household.
VANGUARD
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Succinct… Couldn’t be more apt
On point. This is the best and most truthful write -up on Nigerian’ economy since May 2015. We are in denial.