May 29, 2024, President Tinubu’s First Year In Office – Matters Arising
On May 29, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took the oath of office as president.
Barely five minutes into assuming official duty as president, after his swearing-in and inauguration ceremonies, Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy in a terse sentence, “Fuel subsidy is gone”.
That statement led to the release of an avalanche of hardship across Nigeria on Nigerians – the prices of food, transport, fuel and goods soared out of the reach of masses.
President Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy led to a more than three-fold increase in the cost of petroleum and an over 50 percent devaluation of the naira, which was accompanied by severe cost of living crisis, characterized by historic and spiraling inflation levels, a 36% jump in food prices, and up to 78% increases in transport fares in some cities across Nigeria.
In December 2023, president Tinubu’s motorcade was mobbed by Lagosians when he visited Lagos for the first time after his inauguration, chanting in Yoruba, “Ebi npa wa oo”, meaning we are hungry. This was a reflection of the suffering across Nigeria.
As if that was not enough, while Nigerians are yet grappling with the hardship foisted on them by the inglorious removal of fuel subsidy, penultimate week, the Minister of Labour, Mr. Adelabu, on behalf of the Federal Government, announced a hike in electricity tariff by the creation of Band ‘A’ consumers. For any intelligent Nigerian, that is a surreptitious, cavalier method of railroading Nigerian consumers to tariff increase, especially when power supply has not improved and estimated billing is the tradition of power DISCOS.
Come May 29, 2024, like the proverbial lizard that jumps down from the iroko tree, president Tinubu is expected to proudly beat his chest in self-praise, gloating and telling Nigerians that he has done what no past president dare not do – he has successfully removed fuel subsidy!
Tinubu should not be carried away by the chorus of his APC praise singers – they will never see anything wrong in his policies – removal of fuel subsidy; floatation of the Naira and recent hike in electricity tariff and removal of electricity subsidy. He should go into introspection mood by asking himself, “Are Nigerians better off now in 2024 after his removal of fuel subsidy, electricity subsidy and floatation of the Naira, than as they were on May 28, 2023?”.
As he proudly attempts to regal Nigerians with his ‘achievements’ on May 29, 2024, president Tinubu must ponder on the effect(s) of his policies on ordinary Nigerians. Sadly, the stark truth is: Nigerians are dying from the excruciating pains of his policies.
Finally, president Tinubu should make deliberate effort to review the trajectories of his ministerial appointees, most of whom have been nothing but mediocre in their performance. Aside from the ministers of the FCT; Mineral Resources; Internal Affairs; Works, etcetera; the other ministers should be dropped. Nigeria does not suffer from a dearth of qualified persons – it is time for the president to look outside his political party, the APC, for ministers. Election campaigns are over until 2027.
May God bless Nigeria.
© Onorakpene Eviosekwofa