The Tinubu “presidency” releasing a statement to the effect that the cost of living in
Nigeria is lower than that of other African countries is laughable, when locally produced
food items like gari, vegetables, meat, rice, and several others continue to rise every
hour. The rate of inflation in Tinubu’s Nigeria and the manner in which the naira
collapses on a daily basis are unprecedented in Nigeria’s history. A collapse of this
scale should never occur in any geographical location where a government exists!
Tinubu’s anti-people government continues to live in denial and has created, through its
defensive press releases, a “perfect country” where everything is better than elsewhere
in West Africa. It is the way people create their own happiness when the prevailing
reality does not seem to be in their favour. The irrefutable truth, however, is that today’s
Nigeria is on its knees, and Tinubu’s economic team, if he has any, appears to be totally
incompetent to address this alarming situation.
The Tinubu “presidency” releasing a statement to the effect that the cost of living in
Nigeria is lower than that of other African countries is laughable, when locally produced
food items like gari, vegetables, meat, rice, and several others continue to rise every
hour. The rate of inflation in Tinubu’s Nigeria and the manner in which the naira
collapses on a daily basis are unprecedented in Nigeria’s history. A collapse of this
scale should never occur in any geographical location where a government exists!
With the lacklustre attitude of Tinubu towards the daily rise in the cost of living across
Nigeria, there have been times when I have been tempted to think that Tinubu and his
cabinet members govern Nigeria from space, which probably makes it impossible for
them to comprehend the extent of the economic collapse. This is because it is incredibly
difficult to imagine that any responsible government could so callously look the other
way while the economic situation in its country continues to deteriorate, like what is
precariously unfolding in Tinubu’s Nigeria.
One of the most ludicrous ways Nigerian politicians often defend their incompetence is
their regular claim that those who criticise or protest against their damaging policies are
people who are sponsored by the opposition, an indirect insult suggesting that citizens
are not intelligent enough to independently denounce their cruel policies. Do every day
Nigerians get a different price for a bag of rice, for instance, which now approaches
N70,000 to warrant them waiting for the so-called opposition to “instigate” them, as
APC’s laughable statement recently claimed? Are Nigerians immune to the ongoing
terrorism and ransom payments that terrorists and kidnappers demand from innocent
families across the country? Are Nigerians immune to the effect of the daily depreciation
of the naira, which presently stands at more than N1,500 to $1? It Is disrespectful to say
that people who are genuinely seeking redress for the skyrocketing cost of living are
being “instigated” by opposition politicians.
The continuous politicisation of citizens’ genuine agitations, which has become a
trademark of successive Nigerian governments, must stop forthwith! In countries where
governance is considered a serious business, officials devise ways to confront problems
when they arise, not by relying on blame games or releasing confrontational press
statements to defend their destructive policies, like Tinubu’s anti-people government,
which has raised the bar of incompetence by more than 100 miles—unmatched
anywhere in the world!
It Is frightening to realise that Tinubu is turning out to be worse than dictator Buhari, the
worst president Nigeria ever had until Tinubu rewrote history in record time—even
before stepping into his office. Never at any point did I imagine that another president
could become more horrible than dictator Buhari was. But rather than working to fix this
hellacious situation, in their typical fashion, spokespersons hired to carry out all sorts of
damage control are claiming that a completely crumbled Nigeria is better than several
African countries or that people are being “instigated” by the opposition to protest. This
is a sign of an irresponsible, insensitive, and bungling government. It is incapable of
fixing a problem, and so it decides to say that the problem does not exist. How will this
denial erase the fact that land and air transportation have tripled since Tinubu assumed
office last year? How will this barefaced denial erase the fact that prices of gari, rice,
and several other locally produced staple foods have been rising with a kind of rapidity
that is both frightening and unprecedented? How will these denials erase the fact that
the naira has become arguably the worst currency on earth under Tinubu’s watch?
Making it difficult for people to meet basic needs like food is the worst mistake any
government can make. It is the fastest way to ignite the ire of citizens, resulting in full-
blown anarchy. Tinubu’s anti-people government may think that it has the police,
soldiers, and other security agencies to call upon in the event of any uprising, but these
security agencies, who themselves are not exempted from the fast-spreading economic
malady, will be facing a desperate population with absolutely nothing to lose. The only
way to avert the wrath of the people is to immediately implement measures that will
address the soaring cost of living and the epidemic of poverty that has become the
trademark of contemporary Nigeria.
One of the commonest things one easily notices about Nigerian politicians is that,
besides their desperation to grab power at all costs, they have zero leadership skills and
have never bothered to acquire any. The implication of this is that they know nothing
about the relationship that should exist between them and their followers. This is
principally why, upon assuming office, they become antagonists by deliberately
imposing anti-people policies that are meant to torture those they were “voted” to
protect.
Nigeria is so vulnerable today that people are being freely kidnapped in the country’s
capital—even inside military barracks! Terrorists have moved away from operating in
rural areas. They now walk freely in major cities, stop, and exchange pleasantries with
people before proceeding to abduct whoever their next target may be. Families are then
made to cough out millions of naira to secure the release of their loved ones. Tragically,
in most cases, even though these ransoms are paid, the victims never return alive. In all
of this, the government shows a cavalier attitude, as though it is under no obligation to
protect the people it purports to govern. The insensitivity of Tinubu’s government is
startling. And the attempt to create the false impression that these challenges are
nonexistent is totally irresponsible.
Tinubu started failing at Eagle Square, where he callously announced the removal of
subsidies on petrol, and he has never looked back since then. His government has
gone from one catastrophic situation to the next, particularly in the economic area.
Although Nigeria has some of the most docile people on earth, deliberately inflicting
citizens with economic hardship like Tinubu’s anti-people government appears to be
doing is a risk any serious government should never contemplate. The threat of your
equally starving soldiers and police means nothing to a hungry crowd.
The only way forward is for Nigerians to rise in their numbers throughout the country
and demand an end to economic hardship. The outrageous cost of living brought upon
Nigerians by Tinubu’s atrocious and insensitive government is unsustainable and must
be firmly resisted.
If Tinubu is in disagreement with the shabby economic situation he is presiding over, it is
within his power to dismiss his entire economic team, especially his Minister of Finance
and Central Bank Governor. Their ineptitude is unmatched in Nigeria’s history! Years
ago, Serie A, the Italian football league, used to have an award called “Bidone d’Oro,”
meant for the Worst Footballer of the Year. It was the antithesis of the Ballon d’Or of
today. If that award existed in Nigeria for its politicians, it would have been keenly
contested between the Minister of Finance, the Central Bank Governor, and Tinubu
himself, who continues to breathe life into their incompetence.
The other day, Aisha Yesufu lambasted Tinubu over his ineptitude, and the regime went
entirely berserk. But the question is, how can any serious president tolerate appointees
who have so abysmally failed?
Is Tinubu waiting for Nigerian streets to be littered with the corpses of the victims of the
starvation that his anti-people government is brewing before he swings into action?
The primary purpose of government anywhere in the world is to protect the welfare of its
people, not to carry on as though it were elected to care only for itself. When the
government fails in this basic responsibility, like Tinubu’s, it loses its legitimacy. Tinubu
can, however, redeem himself by dismissing his entire economic team and replacing
each of them with competent individuals who should be appointed not because of their
political affiliations but based on their track records. If this move is not timeously taken,
not only does Tinubu risk going down in history as Nigeria’s and possibly the world’s
worst president of all time, but his attempt to unleash starvation throughout the country
will trigger an irrepressible nationwide rebellion against his government. The choice is
entirely his!