By Levi
Obijiofor
Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governing party at the federal level, has cast himself as the chief defender of President Muhammadu Buhari. His exaggerated defence of Buhari’s economic and political policies should be expected. After all, he was the one who threw his weight behind Buhari as the presidential flag bearer of the APC during the general elections last year.
Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governing party at the federal level, has cast himself as the chief defender of President Muhammadu Buhari. His exaggerated defence of Buhari’s economic and political policies should be expected. After all, he was the one who threw his weight behind Buhari as the presidential flag bearer of the APC during the general elections last year.
Answering
questions that focused on the state of the economy, the falling oil price in
the international market, and the government’s options for dealing with the
ragged economic situation at home, Tinubu offered simplistic excuses why
Nigerians should not be nervous about the instability in the oil market which
has also affected global currencies. He said: “We are not the only country
affected, it is universal. We have to manage ourselves, challenge ourselves,
and be more creative in a way that will not affect the welfare of the people,
because the government is about the people.” He also said: “We should also be
innovative and develop our economy in such a way that will show the leadership
position that we always espouse in Africa . Now
and years back we have been talking about diversification of the oil sector but
we never implemented it.”
The idea that
the significantly reduced oil price should be regarded as a worldwide problem
might be true but should the country go into lockdown just because the global
economy is experiencing turbulence? If the problem is worldwide, shouldn’t the
government have its own emergency response strategies? Should we fold arms,
suspend our lives, and wait for the situation in other parts of the world to
abate before we can start to live again?
The hallmark
of good political leaders is the ability to respond instantly to unanticipated
problems that confront their nations. I do not subscribe to Tinubu’s rallying
call for all citizens to support President Muhammadu Buhari because there is no
evidence that the government is taking strong action to mitigate the nation’s
economic problems.
It is okay for
a party leader such as Tinubu to aim to rouse the citizens to support their
government in times of economic adversity. However, before that can happen, the
government has to demonstrate practically to the citizens that it is working
hard to alleviate poverty, economic hardships, health problems, and other
problems that have overwhelmed the people. In times of growing economic
problems, speechifying is not the best way to appeal to and win the support of
citizens. The government has to show with verifiable facts that it is working
tirelessly to attend to national problems.
Other than its
ongoing campaign against corruption (which appears to be yielding stunning
results), the Buhari administration has been known since inception for
inaction, slow response to serious national problems, and at times for its
unwillingness to engage with the citizens. A government needs to sell its
programmes and policies. A government needs to engage the citizens by going to
the people rather than speaking to the people from the top of Aso Rock
mountains.
The Buhari
government in concert with the Central Bank of Nigeria has acted to stifle and
discourage local and foreign investors willing to do business in the country.
It is indeed ironic that a government that should encourage business growth has
rolled out policies that are not business or investment-friendly.
When
government discourages business growth through disincentives that serve neither
the nation’s interests nor the interests of the citizens, the economy suffers.
For example, many businesses have been suffering from the effects of unsound
monetary policies made by the government and the Central Bank. One of such
bizarre policies placed very small limits on the maximum amount of foreign
exchange that businesses can access and use to import goods into the country.
Keep in mind that Nigeria
is an import-dependent economy. Across the country, many big and medium-scale
businesses have been strangulated by these weird policies that do not encourage
investment. Ordinary citizens are also affected. I have heard many people
lament their inability to access sufficient foreign exchange to use when they
travel overseas for business purposes. Similarly, the Central Bank has stopped
the sale of foreign currencies to bureau de change for what the governor of the
bank, Godwin Emefiele, described as inadequate foreign exchange.
Buhari said in
Kenya the other day that bureau de change operators should obtain foreign
currencies from any other sources because the Central Bank has no obligation to
provide the bureau operators with foreign currencies at reduced prices which
the operators go on to sell to other people at inflated prices. This appears to
be a sound argument except that the environment for foreign exchange trade has
been corrupted by our banks. At times like this, you wonder whose interest is
being promoted, advanced, or destroyed by the government and the Central Bank’s
monetary policies.
Against this
background, I was puzzled when I heard Tinubu arguing that there are many ways
to revive the nation’s flagging economy without anyone pressing the panic
button. Last weekend in Ibadan ,
Tinubu preached that “Nigerians also need to be patient for the present
administration to revitalise the economy.” The problem is not with the people
but with the government and the institutions of government that are established
to support economic growth and national development.
I am not
persuaded by Tinubu’s argument that the economic situation in Nigeria “is not
as bad as people make it appear”. This kind of argument shows that Tinubu is
far removed from the situation on the ground. He does not need to go too far to
find out the truth about the level of poverty in the country. He can have a
chat with a couple of ordinary people who feel the pains more than privileged
politicians.
Every time
things go wrong in the country, the government tends to blame the previous
government. For goodness sake, we have grumbled endlessly about the economic
blunders of previous governments. While it is true that the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) mismanaged and ruined the economy in the past 16 years, we must not
dwell on that for too long. We cannot continue to hiss, whinge, and moan
forever about the wastefulness and prodigal spending habits of the past
administrations. We cannot continue to live in regret. The world will not wait
for us till we rise from our stupor.
Buhari was
elected on the platform of his campaign slogan that depicted him as a miracle
worker. Now is the time for the miracle president to show Nigerians that he has
not been sleeping but has been working very hard during the day and during the
night. Nothing else would satisfy many people who are wearing gloomy faces as
they go about their daily activities.
As Buhari
approaches the first anniversary of the election that brought him into the
Presidential Villa in Abuja ,
it is important to remind him (just in case he has forgotten so quickly) that
the nation showered him with immense goodwill and support before, during and
after the presidential election . That national support was based on the
presumption that he symbolised change, good government, swift economic revival,
and a new beginning. So, Buhari must start to make a difference in the lives of
ordinary Nigerians. He must empower ordinary people economically, politically,
educationally, and through provision of employment opportunities.
Following the
inauguration of his government last year, Buhari raised public expectations
when he signalled he was fully aware of the problems that confronted the
nation. He spoke of his determination to prevail over all problems. To the
delight of everyone, Buhari said his government would take no time to start
rebuilding the tattered economy, including urgent improvements in higher
education, as well as rectifying our crooked social and political institutions.
As a
reflection of the earnest desire of the nation for change, Buhari said: “We shall correct that which does not work
and improve that which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle. We shall, if
necessary crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.”
Well, it seems
that Buhari has been standing and looking for too long. The current state of
the economy dictates that Buhari must start running rather than sitting in his
office waiting for direction from no one in particular. The national call for
urgent change is justifiable. The nation is in a hurry. And this is why. The
years of PDP rule are remembered for the unprecedented corruption, disrespect
for the rule of law, and mass embezzlement of the nation’s treasury and
government property. No one in the country today wants to see a repeat of these
experiences. When citizens feel frustrated by the slow pace of Buhari’s
government, it is easy to understand why.
Buhari and the
APC leaders must rise to work to provide for the welfare, wellbeing, security,
and safety of the citizens. No amount of excuses adduced by APC leaders could
be used justifiably to defend Buhari’s lacklustre performance in some sectors.
While he has focused on fighting corruption and appears to be making some
impact, there are many other areas that remain untouched nearly one year into
his government. So far, it all looks like the pre-election campaign slogan that
portrayed Buhari as an immaculate change agent has now worn off.
Time waits for
no nation. As everyday passes, the people’s megastar president known as Buhari
looks, sounds, and acts weak regardless of APC leaders’ sustained campaign to
polish his image. Last year, I wrote a critical assessment of Buhari’s
government and the performance of the APC. My assessment remains as apt in 2015
as it is today. I wrote: “The longer it
takes Buhari and the APC to start making a difference in the lives of ordinary
people, and to get the economy that has been stalled since the beginning of
this year (2015) moving again, the more likely the citizens will deliver a
damning verdict against Buhari. The public is likely to view Buhari’s slow
speed as evidence of the president’s inattentiveness to the welfare of the
citizens. When people are hungry, you cannot alleviate their hunger through
never-ending promises. Buhari has been promising everyone that his best is yet
to come and yet there is nothing in the horizon to show when or how soon the
long-expected change would arrive.”
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