By Sonnie Ekwowusi
Please, make it a habit to check in on your family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues. You never know who might have passed away or who might be struggling with thoughts of suicide. Nigeria has unfortunately seen a rise in suicide rates in recent times. Many are also suffering greatly due to the current economic hardships and widespread poverty. Kakistocracy, a term for a government run by the worst people, seems to be prevailing more than ever in Nigeria’s political history. We live in a time where death seems to triumph over life, darkness over light, and lawlessness in cities with kidnapping becoming rampant.
There are reports of walking corpses on the streets, protests, riots, and the poor seeking revenge. In Lagos, even those who used to rig elections are now seen begging for food and money. The traders they once harassed have found new means of livelihood, while the riggers themselves are left without jobs or a future, becoming a burden to society.
Meanwhile, electricity supply is practically non-existent. It’s astonishing that a country as richly endowed as Nigeria still struggles with providing basic electricity in the 21st century. The high humidity worsened by global warming is unbearable. At a time when people need electricity for fans, air-conditioners, and work tools, it’s unfortunate that Nigeria is facing a collapse in electricity supply. Most Nigerians are experiencing sleepless nights, with rats and mosquitoes adding to their discomfort. The unemployed, who rely on electricity for their work, are unable to make a living due to the prohibitive cost of fuel for generators. Despite this, the government is considering increasing fuel prices once again. What a country !
In the horizon, the prominent lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana, SAN, calls for a social uprising. If the fiery fighter Gani Fawehinmi were alive and kicking today, he would have, among other things, staged a one-man revolution to register his protest. Anyway, if care is not taken, the hungry and angry Nigerian youth will stage another social uprising in Nigeria.
The most tragic aspect is the simmering soaring prices of foodstuffs in Nigeria under this Tinubu government. Go to the market and see for yourself. Prices of foodstuffs such as garri, rice, tomatoes, tubers of yam, egusi, pepper, egg, and so forth have skyrocketed. Spiral inflation is on the prowl. The free fall of the Naira currency is unabated. The foreign exchange crisis has worsened. The US dollar, at the time of writing this, exchanged for N1,600 at the parallel market. It may hit N2,000 very soon. Our leaders hear nothing and say nothing. Ordinary shoe polish now sells for between N1,500 to N2,500. A mudu of yellow garri sells for N280, while a bag of yellow garri goes for N22,000. A mudu of beans now sells for N1,300. The price of sachet water, popularly known as pure water, is now N300 per bag. Meat is unaffordable. Ditto for fish.
A long loaf of bread sells for N1,200. Bakers are about to go on strike. Primary health delivery has been jeopardized. Ordinary drugs and medications are so scarce and exorbitant now. A bag of cement goes for N10,000. Some hospitals have shut down as most medical doctors are continuously fleeing the country in search of a livable medical practice abroad. A bag of rice now sells for N88,000. As usual, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is confused. Meanwhile, President Tinubu and his Ministers have no inkling on how to recover the economy. President Tinubu, like Buhari, is busy junketing the world, feigning ignorance of the killing and kidnapping holding the Nigerian people hostage.
In its defense, the Tinubu government blames the Buhari administration for the current economic woes afflicting Nigeria. This defense, in my humble view, is fundamentally flawed. These politicians should cease these blame games. The Buhari government blamed the Jonathan administration for its failures. Now, the current Tinubu government is blaming the Buhari administration for its failures. Haba! How can one APC federal government blame another APC federal government for its failures? Governance is a continuum. A government comes to power to govern, not to apportion blame. Therefore, the Tinubu APC government cannot blame the Buhari APC government for its failures. How can one Beelzebub blame another Beelzebub? Assuming the Buhari government was responsible for the current economic hardships, why go after Godwin Emefiele and leave Mr. Buhari untouched, who probably aided and abetted Emefiele? It is noteworthy that despite all the allegations of stealing in Nigeria linked to former President Buhari, the Tinubu government has not deemed it fit to invite Buhari for questioning. Is Buhari above the law of the land?
We knew from the onset that Bola Tinubu would be a disastrous President. The man’s rising baggage points in that direction. The Presidency is the central focus of power and responsibility in a presidential democracy. Therefore, it is essential that the Presidency functions effectively in a presidential democracy. If the President is incapacitated both intellectually and physically, the presidential democracy will be incapacitated. This is why we were warned not to let Mr. Tinubu take over power as President because he would make a mess of it. In his characteristic charismatic manner, Olusegun Obasanjo penned down some articles urging us to make a clean break from our ruinous past. But we did not listen to him. Now we are suffering the consequences.
The man virtually all Nigerians are blaming for Nigeria’s current calamities is the chairman of the so-called Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu. This man truncated the will of the Nigerian voters in the last presidential election. Prof. Yakubu had the opportunity to become a hero of a free and fair Nigerian election, but he bungled it. If Prof. Yakubu had allowed the will of the Nigerian people to prevail in the last presidential election, the whole world would by now have been honoring him for his integrity. But Prof. Yakubu lacks character. This is why Nigerians are heaping all sorts of abuses on him. For example, the bolt driver who drove me in Abuja two weeks ago was cursing Prof. Yakubu and saying in Pidgin English, “E no go better for him, e no go better for his children and grand, grand children.”
Armed with their respective PVCs, an uncountable number of young voters who longed for the betterment of Nigeria for the benefit of their generation and generations yet unborn left everything and trooped out en masse on February 25 to vote for progress, innovation, and production in Nigeria. Even many Nigerian voters residing abroad flew into Nigeria a few days before the presidential election to vote for a new dawn in Nigeria. But Prof Yakubu simply refused their votes to reflect in the presidential election. Unsurprisingly, Prof. Yakubu has not been sacked as the INEC chairman. Why should President Tinubu sack Yakubu when he (Yakubu) announced him as the purported winner of the February 25 presidential election? Amid the monumental rigging and cheating complaints trailing the February 25, 2023, Presidential election, shameless Prof Yakubu stole out in the mid-morning when Nigerians were still asleep and announced Mr. Tinubu as the purported winner of the February 25 Presidential election.
Picture Prof Yakubu alongside his professional colleague, Prof Nnenna Oti. Whereas INEC’s Returning Officer in the Abia State governorship election, Prof. Nnenna Oti, maintained her integrity and refused to accept the financial incentives offered to her from Abuja to manipulate the Abia State governorship election, Prof. Yakubu sold out and scuttled the will of the Nigerian people. Today, Abia State is excelling more than any state in Nigeria because Prof Nnenna Oti refused to accept the financial incentives from Abuja to refrain from announcing Dr. Alex Oti as the true winner of the Abia State governorship election. Whereas Prof Oti acted rightly and caused Abia State to be put on the excelling world map, Prof Yakubu compromised integrity and honor and brought rot and ruin to the country.
Prof Yakubu and his paymasters do not want an Igbo to be President of Nigeria, but ironically they want an Igbo to play for the Super Eagles and bring glory to Nigeria. In other words, a Stanley Nwabali can be allowed to become the goalkeeper of the Super Eagles and bring glory to Nigeria, but a Stanley Nwabali cannot be allowed to emerge as the President of Nigeria and positively reset Nigeria. Because of this, you and I are now gnashing our teeth in suffering. Serves us right. Until the ghost of ethnic irredentism is exorcized from us, Nigeria is doomed forever.
Despite the Oronsaye Report and public outcry against the high cost of governance, the Tinubu government continues to indulge in over-borrowing and wasteful expenditure. It has refused to cut down on the cost of governance at all levels in order to save Nigeria from financial collapse and to promote the welfare of the people. Unnecessary allowances such as travel allowances, travel estacodes, wardrobe allowances, housing benefits, and other benefits should be eliminated. For instance, in the proposed 2024 budget, a scandalous sum of N15.961 billion has been allocated for international and domestic travel expenses for President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and their respective hordes of aides at the Presidential Villa. A breakdown of the amount shows that Tinubu’s personal travel budget amounts to N7.630 billion, predominantly earmarked for foreign trips, with N6.992 billion specifically set aside for international travels and N638.535 million set aside for domestic travel.
In the same vein, Vice-President Shettima’s travel allowance amounts to N1.847 billion, split between N1.229 billion for foreign trips and N618.399 million for local travel expenditure. Also, the 2024 Budget has allocated N40.616 billion to the Villa Headquarters, with a substantial portion of N6.484 billion allocated to Villa Headquarters for international and local travel. The sum of N3 billion has also been allocated in the budget for the construction of offices for Special Advisers and Senior Special Advisers. Another N3 billion has been set aside for the acquisition, renovation, rehabilitation, and furnishing of the State House Annex.
Notably, an extra N6 billion has been allocated for operational vehicles, with an additional N4 billion for operational vehicles and an extra N2 billion specifically earmarked for Special Utility Vehicles (SUV). For President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, he is expected to get a total of N21 billion in the budget. A breakdown of the proposed amount shows that he would get N10 billion for the renovation of his official residence, N104 million for the purchase of computers and printers for local travel and transportation, N290 million for the purchase of vehicles, N10.1 billion for the purchase of computer software, and N103 million for miscellaneous expenses.
You will recall that on December 9, 2023, Senate President Godswill Akpabio threw an extravagant public birthday jamboree to mark his 61st birthday. Apart from the N150 million donated by different Senators at the jamboree, a whopping sum of N800 million was allegedly withdrawn from the Senate Account to foot the birthday expenses. The National Assembly has made a fresh proposal for an increase in constituency projects, which currently stand at N100 billion per year. In fact, the National Assembly wants 20% of the National Budget to be set aside for constituency projects.
It is on record that from 2003 to date, a staggering sum of N2 trillion has been spent on constituency projects. As you know very well, constituency projects allowance is a conduit pipe to siphon the national treasury. Unsurprisingly, Senate President Godswill Akpabio endorses an increased constituency projects budget. It is high time the constituency allowance was abolished. It is preposterous, unconscionable, and a grave betrayal of public trust that a country in debt, running a deficit, should allocate the aforementioned scandalous sums of money for the benefit and comfort of President Tinubu, Vice-President Shettima, Godswill Akpabio, and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and for the so-called constituency projects.
Anyway, hope is the spice of life. Hope is the inseparable companion of hardship and oppressive suffering. Hope banishes fear. Life without hope is repugnant to good judgment. So, hope remains our greatest asset in this Tinubu hardship. With our hope, we can endure the present Tinubu suffering, except that hope that is not anchored on future joy is a blistered hope that leads to destruction. Unfortunately, the Tinubu political-appointee tree is an accursed tree that cannot bear fruits.
In their humble acknowledgment of their respective personal shortcomings and deficiencies, IBB, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and even Abacha surrounded themselves with the best and the brightest to help them run the country during their respective stints in power. But President Tinubu has surrounded himself with all sorts of Jannes and Jambres who are only keen on embarrassing themselves and embarrassing the Tinubu government that appointed them. The other day, a Minister in the Tinubu government was threatening to take the United Nations to court. Birds of the same feathers, it is said, flock together.
As I said earlier, we must remain hopeful. Be watchful. Be prayerful. Darkness cannot last forever. We must always be hopeful, I repeat. We cease to live when we cease to hope. With our hope, we can drive from our hearts the specter of Tinubu melancholy and hardship.
Sonnie Ekwowusi is the Chairman, Human & Constitutional Rights Committee, African Bar Association
