Adebayo A. Michael
We have a culture of expecting so much from our leaders in Nigeria. People have in the past expected a President to be that good and return us to the 60s era; whereby our sometimes back functional industries will come alive from the grave, business travel allowance and personal travel allowance will be easily accessible, there will be near absolute peace and security, save for few political salvos that the opposition will be expected to throw intermittently. The list of those expectations keep remaining endless and remained elusive in the order of their expectations. To some people, Nigeria is jinxed and nothing good can come out of it, hence the japa syndrome on overdrive. Some others decided to resign to fate. The level of expectations keeps dropping year after year. I read some descriptions that likened Nigeria to a circus, whereby all the leadership bearers are just there to make us laugh away our sorrow and hope for nothing spectacular. To a mind that has been inundated with litanies of down moments our nation has been through in the last decades of return to democratic rule, it is easy to let go of one’s good expectations.
At Abeokuta explosive declaration by the then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he went back memory lane like a time machine, reeled out few of his political credentials that qualifies him as the next Commander-in-Chief. To be fair to President Tinubu, his braggadocio posturing and boastful vituperate at Abeokuta and elsewhere before he clinched the ticket for the President at his party’s primary were not vainly, but anchored on his past political successes.
Political context winning strategy is not a strange turf to the camp of “The BAT”. Outcomes of our last two electioneering cycle has dampened hope of many Nigerians and left many home and dry. The dreamers vowed never to dream of anything eldorado about Nigeria again. The hopeful lowered their expectations to the rock-bottom rung on the list of democratic dividends. Some decided to live each day without any expectation for another day. It was that bad. Renewed Hope, a slightly similar sidestep from what Chief MKO Abiola offered Nigerians in 1993 was coined as the theme of Jagaban. No one consulted like he did throughout the electioneering campaign.
There is a saying among the Yorubas, that when one truly earns his accolades, running with such accolades is the way to go. That is exactly what President Tinubu did throughout the period he quested to be the President of the most populous black nation on earth. His declaration of “emilokan” will remain the most open and entitled brag anyone has ever done while shooting his shots at becoming the president of Nigeria. It was daring to all his adversaries and those who do not like his guts, possibly, including the sitting President at that time (his body language says it all). However, it was a sagacious daring of the old order. The sagacity of President Tinubu’s political calculation factored in all the majors and minors that could deny him of his political aspiration. To crown it all, summarily, Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the 2023 election and was sworn in as the Commander-in-Chief on May 29, a symbolic date for the revolving door of Presidential seat in Nigeria to be opened and slammed concurrently. Victory of the magnitude, such as Nigeria’s presidency can be tasty and at the same time overwhelming.
There are many challenges confronting Nigeria, dealing with them frontally appears to be taking the front burner as series of engagements like never before has been happening in less than a month of the new administration. The industrial action threatened by the labour union has been properly managed by the swift and responsive engagement of the new government, a clear departure from what we used to have. Also, I have seen continuous consultations ongoing with various stakeholders in the project Nigeria. The National Assembly Members have been met ahead of their inauguration and tasked by the President to ensure that the nation is put ahead of their political interest while their inauguration takes place. The list of series of consultations that has taken place is inexhaustible. Since it is a season of Renewed Hope, one can hold on to a strand of optimism that all the steps taken so far and to be taken later will yield good tidings for Nigeria.
How is the new President the real Idan (Magic)? One of the recurring phrases on the discussion of bleeders to the nation’s treasury is PMS subsidy removal. None of the past Presidents since the return to democratic system in 1999 have been bold publicly and acted as a matter of responsibility the way and manner President Tinubu did. His predecessor made so much noise about subsidy scam under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan without making any corresponding decisive action that could have saved the nation trillions of naira paid by his regime to subsidise fuel price.
Although, I felt President Tinubu’s approach could have come with better human face, whereby cushioning effect of the hardship total fuel subsidy removal will bring could have been taken care of, may be simultaneously with the removal. The Idan himself has been able to appeal to the conscience and patriotic spirit of the labour leaders across all the divides of trade and vocational bodies so as to collectively adopt a unique solution that will be in the interest of Nigeria while subsidy removal is total.
Another masterstroke from Idan is the suspension handed the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele. I saw it coming and I think it is a step in the right direction. What kept Emefiele in that position till President Tinubu did the right thing should be investigated and punitive action taken against his collaborators. Circa 2014, nearly everyone thought we were going to have a truly Commander in Chief that will defend the economy from being experimented with and ultimately save the soul of Nigeria. He nonetheless granted Godwin Emefiele free reign of terror against businesses and other economic entities. Under Emefiele as Central Bank Governor, we saw policies that their outcomes could be regarded as economic terrorism. All his interventions, especially in the aspect of foreign exchange and money supply achieved nothing, but rather hurt Nigeria’s economy the more.
If a General Buhari could not apply the full weight of the law against grossly political Emefiele, I think President Tunubu’s wielding the big stick qualifies him as the real Idan. Under the suspend CBN Governor, we had a grossly messed foreign exchange system that its impact on the economy is still being felt harshly. He went as far as wearing the garb of a politician and obtain nomination form to contest as the President of NigeriaI while holding sway as Chief Monetary Policy regulator of the nation. There are many sins of Emefiele in connivance with the past administration that our new Idan must thoroughly investigate. I hope the due process within the ambit of the law be followed to the letter in showing Emefiele the consequences of his actions. Idan deserves the support of everyone as things stands and I hope he succeeds in the tasks ahead.
May Nigeria succeed.
About the Writer: Adebayo A. Michael is a public affairs analyst. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
Adebayomichaeladeyemi@gmail.com
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