Nigeria, The Bottom Is Dropping!

 By Tony Iwuoma

Things are happening at dizzying speed. A mere pronouncement of two men and their naira swap policy have merged the rich and the poor into one mass of needy Nigerians.

*El-Rufai and Buhari 

It’s more amusing because the minority high and mighty who were hitherto alien to the suffering of the majority seem caught unawares in the same web in which they enmeshed the people. In their confusion, they have begun tearing down their own houses with their own hands.

That this roforofo fight is timed to coincide with a few steps to the 2023 elections they had mapped out rigging strategies is ominous.

The cries of woe are coming from unexpected quarters but the recriminations are unmistakable. The sovereign passes instructions but the non-sovereign counters, beckoning anarchy and confusion.

How come it is now that those accuse the sovereign of riding roughshod by flouting court order? Where have they been all these years when court rulings were trampled underfoot, even by the sovereign’s accusers themselves? Why did the courts keep sitting and giving ineffective pronouncements that the sovereign scoffs at? So, is it because they are now direct victims that they found their muted voices?

And, by the way, what is really their problem?  Why do they want to drink Panadol for someone else’s headache? Are they justifying the fear that a huge cache of cash is stashed somewhere for invidious designs?

It is ironic that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, who has a history of flouting court orders, suddenly became a champion for the rule of law. He has decreed that the N500 and N1,000 banknotes remain legal tender in Kaduna, regardless of the President’s directives. Is Kaduna a state within a state? Nigeria, beware, the bottom may be dropping.

Actually, though some other states have joined, three governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, including El-Rufai, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, Yahaya Bello of Kogi had sued the Federal Government at the Supreme Court, which gave a controversial order restraining the Federal Government and its agencies from enforcing its February 10 deadline for the use of old N200, N500, and N1,000.

Many have, however, argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction in the matter but yet court order must be obeyed, whether it is right or wrong.

However, President Buhari literally overruled the Supreme Court and insisted on the ban but only extended the validity of old N200 notes by 60 days. This action has set off a spiral of treasonable vituperations and actions by notable APC members and governors. They have disrespectfully deployed verbal arsenals against the President and curiously accused him of angling for interim government by undermining the chances of the ruling party he is supposedly the leader.

The strident and shrill cries of the APC governors against a policy of the APC-led government are as confounding as the implementation of the policy itself. It is yet to be proved how the naira policy is anti-APC when it is not the only party affected. It seems that what is more injurious to the APC is the opposition mounted by the APC against a major policy of the APC.

The antecedents of the President’s main hackers are quite interesting. El-Rufai, who is seemingly fighting for the masses and criticising the President for disobeying court orders, may have forgotten his notoriety for flouting court rulings. Most of his atrocious disregard for court orders was against the masses whose interests he now purports to defend. 

For instance, he demolished Kaduna market ‘Kasuwan Barci’; he sacked thousands of Kaduna teachers and refused them compensation; he also evicted Kaduna civil servants from their government quarters, all against court orders. He also refused to conduct Kaduna local government elections at a stipulated time and failed to pay the fine imposed by the court against the state. So, when did he become an apostle of rule of law?

The hypocrisy of the opponents of the naira policy became more glaring in the viral picture of a northern governor, who owed the state workers upwards of six months’ salaries but quickly paid them with the old banknotes that have become illegal. Quite unbelievable!

The question is where he got the old banknotes from. If he had this money piled up somewhere all this while, why did he allow the workers to undergo such excruciating privation, only to now pay them with useless pieces of paper? Yet, he is among those that sued the Federal Government. Have the workers become so pauperised and enfeebled they couldn’t reject the money? Moreso, had they been receiving cash payments hitherto?

In the case of Kogi, is the government involved in the case against the Federal Government because of the trial of Governor Bello’s nephew and wife over alleged multibillion-naira fraud or because the governor truly cares for the suffering masses?

The likes of El-Rufai could actually be working to checkmate the chances of the APC presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. All that he said about Tinubu in the recent past are testimonies that it is either he is fooling the Jagaban or a confirmation that he is unreliable. This also includes the loose cannon that has become a daily guest of the Department of State Security (DSS) for opening his mouth too wide and has now been exposed that his balls are made of jelly when he ‘regretfully’ swallowed his venom. His vituperations against Tinubu are also well documented.

The truth is that Tinubu is a great Nigerian, take it or leave it. He has paid his dues, irrespective of people’s perception of him. However, he needs to watch his back in his quest to be President in order to be sure of who is truly behind him. He is making a grave mistake by allowing such men free rein and by doing so endangering his chances.

Of course, Tinubu is a master of the game and could have his own plans. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the actions of some of these men only point to chaos and confusion that could hurt February 25 and subsequent elections.

One takeaway from all these is that this fight against President Muhammadu Buhari and CBN governior Godwin Emefiele is all about self-interest, even for those that stuff dollars under their caps and agbada. Buhari and Emefiele also have self-interests they are fighting for, but the greatest interest of all should be the national interest and that is what matters most.

This piece is not about who is contesting the presidency or who wins. It is all about God winning in Nigeria for Nigerians. I don’t have a crystal ball and so cannot see beforehand where the pendulum swings. The men who claim to see tomorrow seem to have lost their anointing or tainted their calling, thereby confusing us the more. Is it not time we asked which G(g)od they hear and speak for? Their conflicting prophecies (nay, predictions, or soothsaying) could not be from the same Almighty God.

Sadly, journalists have continued to receive bashing for the confusion and doublespeak of entangling infirm hands tossing about in the windy CBN. The apex bank should be ashamed of its shoddy implementation of an otherwise good policy and failure to coordinate its house in an orderly manner, resulting in multiple spokespersons and causing innocent journalists to receive unfair brickbats for reporting what emanated from its house of confusion.

Beyond this, I am worried about those that have died in the run-up to this election. I am worried about those that will still die this week and thereafter. Strangely, none of the children or relations of the principal actors would be among the victims because, unfortunately, we live in a world of deception; only the emasculated masses are usually bought to defend and fight for their oppressors. However, on Saturday, make sure you vote wisely and make your vote count!

Nigeria is experiencing a foretaste of what is about to come upon humanity. The Bible talked about 666, the mark of the Beast. When the time comes, no man can buy or sell without that mark; when you cannot access your billions whether legitimate or looted, as we are witnessing now. Therefore, we need to put our houses in order. This election shall come and go but let us be mindful that the pain of missing heaven shall endure forever in the burning lake of fire. Beware!

*Iwuoma is a commentator on public issues (toniegoodlaw@yahoo.co.uk