By Nick Dazang
Unless drastic, coherent and proactive measures are taken, the chickens may soon be coming home to roost for the fledgling Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. I state this with the highest sense of responsibility and advised by recent tragic events and ominous auguries.
For the first time, and on his watch, we have thus far had a rash of peaceful demonstrations against hardship. Nigerians, in their numbers, protested in Kano, Minna and Suleija. It is noteworthy that even before he departed Lagos for Abuja, after the Christmas and New Year breaks, Lagosians shouted at his convoy that Nigerians were having a hard time.
The Naira plunged to its lowest
point some two weeks ago, exchanging at not less than 1,500 to an American
dollar. This precipitous nosedive further increased the prices of products –
from foodstuffs to building materials. Little wonder, the protests we saw in
Minna and Suleija came hot on the heels of the further collapse of the Naira
which resulted in spiraling inflation and worsening living conditions. On the
security front, we witnessed an uptick. Insecurity not only heightened, it
escalated to an all-time high. It was hallmarked by the killing of three
monarchs in Ekiti and Kwara states, many acts of terror, kidnappings and
criminality.
Even as the country was
literally on fire, the President jetted out of the country, claiming he was
paying a private visit to France. The visit which lasted 13 days, and which is
alien to our laws, smacked of insensitivity and abdication of responsibility of
the reckless variety. It is tantamount to a head of family who deserts his home
as it is ablaze and relocates to the cosiness of a placid abode in another
district, leaving his family to its devices. Worse, and grating to the
sensibility of Nigerians, was that political jobbers visited the President in
France and had photo opportunities with him. As if that were not insulting
enough, they proceeded to regale us with how our President cared for us.
It is horrendous that in the
midst of these insults and in spite of the cacophony of laments recently issued
by bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and their sympathisers, that
the economy was in a terrible place, government has not deemed it wise to come
clean and tell Nigerians, in crystal clear terms, how bad it was. This writer
had argued that such an accounting was in consonance with democratic ethos
which put premium on transparency.
He also argued that such
openness would elicit the support and understanding of Nigerians who are being
daily exhorted to make sacrifices. It is heartwarming that one’s clarion cry is
not a lone one in the wilderness. Acclaimed economic pundits, such as Bismarck
Rewane, have joined the bandwagon of the clamour for full disclosure regarding
the parlous state of the economy. Mr. Rewane has also underscored what all
right thinking Nigerians had previously observed: that President Tinubu’s
economic team is not stellar enough and that his Central Bank leadership may
not be well credentialed and savvy for the task at hand.
This assessment may appear
unflattering and disapproving. But it is adjudged by the reflexiveness of
government policies, government’s lack of coherence and constancy, the
continued exodus of multinational corporations and government’s frequent resort
to summoning the fire brigade to put out fires. Given the headwinds which
confront us on the economic front, what we require is a solid economic team at
par with, if not surpassing, the one which former President Olusegun Obasanjo
constituted during his civilian tenure.
Apart from coming clean on the
economy, President Tinubu must be forthcoming on his frequent visits to France.
It appears quixotic and unserious that a man whose ambition is to transform our
economy into a trillion dollar one can leave the country and his exalted office
on a whim and pay a private visit to another country. This writer is yet to
hear or learn, in the modern age or era, of a President of the type of country
Tinubu aspires Nigeria to attend, who has paid a private visit to some other country
and for 13 days without just cause or compelling reason(s).
American Presidents and British
Prime Ministers travel abroad. But they do so either in the line of duty or
official vacation. An extreme case was Bill Clinton who travelled to far-flung
Australia and Africa to play golf and to go on a safari. But he did those when
he was on official vacation and America was at peace. And to say that President
Tinubu’s visit to France came shortly after a vacation in Lagos, and at a time
of heightened insecurity, smacks of insensitivity of the highest order.
It is true that during the
campaigns, the media organisations were awash with lurid speculations about the
President’s health. But these speculations, which animated the media space,
were thought merely to be the handiwork of his political opponents who were
keen on undoing him. Assuming that these speculations were valid after all. And
assuming that the President were suffering from one ailment or the other,
and he needs medical treatment abroad, what stops him from opening up and
telling Nigerians rather than using private visits as veneers or covers?
The President, after all, is
human. And as humans, we have frailties and we can fall ill. In fact, few
persons, who are above 60 years, can be said to be free or immune from one
health challenge or the other. It will, therefore, not be surprising, if at his
age, the President is suffering from an ailment. If that is the case, what is
wrong in leveling with Nigerians? Besides, democracy as we have often stated,
thrives on transparency. The more leaders are open, especially about their
health, the more they get the respect and empathy of their citizens. Openness
also demystifies these ailments and encourages fellow sufferers or those with
similar health challenges to come forward and obtain help. Their first thoughts
will be: if the President is getting help, why not us, ordinary citizens?
It is ennobling that even monarchs, who ordinarily have no obligation to disclose their health statuses, because they are not elected, are coming clean with their subjects. A notable and most recent one is King Charles III. In respect of coming clean on his health, King Charles has carried himself splendidly and to the admiration of the world. He first announced he was going to the clinic to treat a benign prostrate.
When, however, his diagnosis revealed cancer, he, rather than allow
some nosey reporter to out him, was forthcoming. He announced to the world, via
an official statement issued by Buckingham Palace, that he had cancer and that
he was proceeding, with alacrity, to treat it. His prompt announcement
accomplished three salient things: it endeared him to Britons, it earned him
the empathy of leaders and ordinary folks around the world and it strengthened
and comforted more than three million Britons who live with cancer. They now
know they are not alone in their travails.
President Tinubu must be
forthcoming, both with the economy and his visits to France. It is by so doing
that he will show respect for Nigerians, put our democracy on a transparent
pedestal, invest the presidency with dignity and get the sympathy of
Nigerians.
*Dazang, former Director of Voter Education at INEC, wrote from Abuja
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