Fola Ojo, willieojo@yahoo.com
Once upon a time, a man was tapped to
deliver his people from oppression. The oppressed were excited when the
deliverer showed up. They saw light at the end of a deep, torturous
tunnel. The deliverer formed a rescue team. After many duels and
dogfights with a reluctant cruel and callous king, the people were
released into freedom.
Relief from oppression is not the same
as fulfilling happiness. The path to the land unknown through the
wilderness was both pathetic and apathetic. When the deliverer couldn’t
quickly deliver on his promises, the people rebelled: “We hate you! You
should have left us in the hands of the cruel king who killed our
children and raped our wives.” The heart of man is so feeble; and so
bewilderingly unpredictable. The deliverer lost momentum. He did not
make it to the land of freedom. Throughout history, men who shoulder too
much of people’s problems usually don’t make it to the land of freedom.
Momentum is the power that allows
something to continue or to grow stronger or faster over time. In
physics, momentum is real; but in politics, it is a metaphor. In the
purlieu of politics, it is generated out of the goodwill of the people.
It is the heartbeat of what keeps a leader going. Momentum helps win an
election; it also helps rack up political capital. But, it is a
phenomenon that can be lost when the candidate out of ignorance and
intransigence squanders goodwill. When elected leaders fail to meet the
needs of their people in a timely fashion, momentum plummets. Is that
now the case in Nigeria?
2015 was Annus mirabilis for Muhammadu
Buhari. Men danced; and women hailed when he won the election. I was
one. Many believed he was the deliverer. Although Buhari may have his
heart in the right place about a re-engineered Nigeria, his head may be
tucked away deep into his soldiering self. That’s why today, he has lost
momentum! But, why that quick? Many believe Buhari is applying analogue
solutions to digital problems. Pain and suffering may be part of
Divinity’s prescriptions for humanity; but man detests suffering and
pain.
Are Nigerians suffering now? You may be
living in Paradise here on earth with easy access to your choice food
and drinks; you may be privileged to be driven around town in your jeep
and jest at others from your jet; you may be getting cash with no limits
and sleeping sweet on your water-bed with no qualms. If these are your
stories in today’s Nigeria, you are one of the very few playing in that
big league. Nigerians are suffering and not smiling. To profess
otherwise is insensitive, unfair, and can be called man’s inhumanity to
man.
The Presidency recently threw out some
figures about its accomplishments: 11,595 people rescued so far from the
grips of Boko Haram; the implementation of the Treasury Single Account
has helped the Federal Government collect N3tn between June 2015 and
April 2016; the opaque accounting structure of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation has been reconstructed to be more transparent with
the closure of more than 40 accounts. These and more are true
accomplishments! Only an unfair man will declare that Buhari has folded
his hands in the last 12 months. He is doing his best. But the price of
tomato has gone up; and rice and beans not affordable. Inflation is
spiking, and pervasive poverty, hunger and a general state of
despondency continue to thrive. That is what the people feel. And many
don’t understand why. The optic of the insalubrious state of the
economy is awful. That’s why the momentum has muffed for Mr. President.
Iberia Airline stopped being a bearer of
debt burden. It dumped Nigeria. Virgin Airline lost its “virginity” on
the bed of debt we refused to pay. United Airlines will disunite from
Lagos June 30 because foreign exchange has been depleted. Brutish
Airways, sorry British, is considering doing just the same. The destiny
of our economy is being exchanged through the mechanics of a lousy
foreign exchange system. Dollar sells for N355! These developments are
scary! The domino effects are unsavoury. The people have to directly
feel government touted progress to believe it. Very few feel the breeze
of ease now. This may or may not be as a result of what Buhari has or
has not done. But, that’s where we are now with the “deliverer” as
President.
Of course, we still remember that the
corruption heat wave Buhari has to contend with has not come in a
derisory, piffling or piddling measure. It is huge. With a treasury
stripped to the bones and till looted lean, he picked up the bits and
pieces. A castle of chaos and confusion for Nigeria was built through
monstrous midday and midnight ignominious round-robin robbery. In
billions, monies that walked out of the coffers under the cover of
darkness are reportedly now finding their ways back. It is true that
this President did not have much to work with when he came on board.
With stern sangfroid, applaudable aplomb and equanimity, Buhari is
cruising through tough times. But according to one of my pastor-friends
in Chicago: ‘…na that one we go chop?”
The President promised to name names of
thieves on May 29, but he reneged. His media aide, Garba Shehu, said on
Channels TV earlier this week that the much anticipated list will be
published “latest Thursday.” As of the time of fine-tuning this article
by Thursday evening to go to bed, there is no sign of any list from
anywhere. We don’t know why; and we don’t know who stole what. Is this a
paper tiger government? Why promise what you can’t make happen? Any
government which fights corruption in speeches and press conferences
alone is only a maker of noise. But a government that’s able to convict
criminals and keep them in the coolers is a maker of history. Which one
do we have now in Nigeria? Let Nigerians be the judge.
A majority of Nigerians are tired of
hearing stories of corruption. They want relief. They are too hungry to
be harangued daily of tales of corrupt men who stole so much but still
walk around throwing fiestas for family and friends. The tart
prescriptions from the government for the insalubrious state of the
economy and the perceived quandary are concerning. Nigerians are
stupendously hardworking; prodigiously creative; and with resilience,
they refuse to have their backs pinned against the wall and kayoed by
troubling circumstances. All that they ask for right now is to have
governments at all levels fulfil their own parts of the bargain of
democracy.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo recently
said Buhari was frugal to the hilt! But frugality is not a virtue where
men are dying of hunger. Mr. President must deliver himself from the
mindset that frugality automatically begets prosperity. No one is asking
Mr. President to be reckless and ostentatious; but he cannot lord over
his personal frugal nature on Nigeria.
Did I hear someone say Nigeria is broke?
You can tell it only to the birds, not to brainy beings in Nigeria. We
know that even if a barrel of crude is sold for $15, Nigeria will still
thrive in affluence. Nigeria is not broke; wealth is just lopsided.
With the vast wealth she’s been sitting on for years, she cannot be
broke in 500 years! We only need sanity in the way priorities are set in
government business and strive to eschew mismanagement and greed.
Nigeria needs about $14.5bn per year
alone to bridge the infrastructural gap. Investing heavily in this
sector will create thousands of jobs for angry young men blowing up
pipelines. Money in circulation helps small businesses grow. They are
the heartbeat of Nigeria’s economy. Can Buhari still deliver? Yes; if he
recalibrates his style. Nigerian government business is overwhelming.
This 74-year-old President may already be overwhelmed. May God
strengthen this President.
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