By Eric Elezuo
That day was a Monday. Nigerians had waited to know what was in store for them for the next four years. Expectations were high, considering that the three major presidential contenders had painted a blossoming picture of a better Nigeria. It was like whoever emerges knows the problems of Nigeria, and will fix it within a twinkling of an eye. Nigerians were sure to smile again.
But hope began to dim as the just sworn in president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, began to drift during his inauguration speech. Thousands were at the Eagle Square, venue of the swearing in ceremony, and millions were watching via online or cable television. When will he made the turnaround announcement that will usher in the much expected Eldorado.
The announcement did come. But it had no smack of Eldorado, it had no dressing of the Renewed Hope agenda on which Tinubu, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned, it was a blunt ‘spirit possessed’ outburst that changed the landscape of everything political, economic and welfaristic. It was a line borrowed from non-concentration, and it says “Subsidy is Gone”.
Since that Monday in 2023, May 29, to be precise, till now, one year after, Nigerians have practically lived from hand to mouth, moving from one terrible woe to another, and respite seems far from coming.
Just immediately after the announcement of May 29, the price of Premium Motor Spirit, ordinarily known as petrol, jumped to the roof. It sold at N615 as against N180 prior to the Tinubu era. The people did not protest. The people murmured, and adjusted to the hardship that came with the rise, and emboldened the government for more draconian policies. The prices of foodstuffs such as staples like garri, rice and beans soared beyond the reach of the regular citizen, and so emerged hunger, extreme starvation, deprivation and untold woes.
Then the government took more extreme steps, and descended on tariffs, increasing electricity cost even with abysmal supply. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had defended the move, and in a petty response, blamed Nigerians for putting on the freezers and A/Cs. He however, apologized for his misplaced utterance.
The naira totally collapsed, and nearly exchanged at N2000. Today, it trades at a price a little less than N1500.
Adding salt to injury, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in a bid to deepend the country’s forex reserve introduced the Cybersecurity levy. The public outcry that followed the policy led to its suspension.
In the midst of all the woes, members of the National Assembly are buying cars at N160 million each and sending “prayers” to their various account numbers at regular intervals – while the masses continue to understand.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and his supporters have maintained that the government is doing well, and deserve applause as it completes one years in office.
Every Nigerian wants Tinubu to succeed, yes, but so far, it’s been a bleak one year of hunger, taste, deprivation and hopelessness. Someone says the matra has become renewed fraud!
The most fearful part is that there are three more years for the clueless administration to further torment Nigerians.
Tinubu government just have to review all they have done in the last one year with the eye of the regular citizen on the street, and not the Abuja landlord, and make amends before the hungry man truly becomes an angry man.
But Nigerians hope for the best, and this catalogue of woes may just end.
