Tinubu’s Government of Cankerworms and Caterpillars

Bola Tinubu
It is less than a year since Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over power as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “Took over” is a befitting description of what happened, as all living Nigerians are witnesses to the inconsistencies and flagrant abuse of laid down procedures that occurred for the Lagos boy to achieve his life-long dream of becoming president. He is now president – by hook or crook – whether Nigerians like it or not.
Promising to “hit the ground running” from day one, Tinubu began his presidency by announcing the removal of subsidy on petrol. Some of his supporters would later argue that the Eagle Square declaration had been a mere “declaration of intention” and not actual “removal” of the fuel subsidy. Whatever the difference between the two, Nigerians hit the ground suffering from that moment.
Since then, Nigeria has snowballed from one degree of suffering to another without respite. The prices of essential commodities such as food, cooking gas, toiletries, medications, as well as the cost of transportation and tuition, have continued to escalate. No one is sure any more about the price of commodities in the market. Today, for every market day, there are new prices for the same commodities. Traders are stressed trying to keep up with the changes in the cost of procurement of items which they sell to their customers.
In addition, the Nigerian national currency – the Naira – has continued to fall helplessly. This is not strange because the “official” exchange rates which the Central Bank of Nigeria used to brandish were summarily fake and not anywhere close to reflecting the true value of the currency. Basic economics teaches that the strength of the currency depends on the demand for it, usually manifesting as the demand for goods and services produced in the country of that currency. In Nigeria, even local demand for the Naira has continued to fall. Everyone knows that if you save the Naira, that Naira cannot save you.
Also, the local economy is heavily dependent on imports. Even though the politicians love to ask the rest of Nigerians to patronize local products, the politicians themselves rapaciously gallivant around the world, shopping for the most mundane of commodities. Unmitigated insecurity and the blatant gross enthronement of lawlessness have also made the business environment uncertain, forcing some of the few manufacturing companies previously operational in the country to close shop and leave.
The cumulative effect is that Nigerians are working harder and harder just to be able to afford fewer and fewer necessities of life. After many years of working and rising in their careers, Nigerian civil servants are realizing that they cannot even afford the same quality of life they had when they just entered the civil service years ago. Over the years, they put in a lot of effort, time and money to grow in their careers, but where is the evidence of that investment? It has gone down the drain – swallowed up by Tinubu’s government of cankerworms and caterpillars.
While he has “hit the ground running” by inflicting hardship on the people, there is no evidence in Tinubu himself or his government to show that they appreciate the consequences of their actions. On the contrary, from day one, the administration established itself as wasteful, thoughtless and grossly insensitive. Nigerians have already lost count of the government’s several profligate misadventures undertaken at the expense of hard-earned taxpayers’ money. It is now common knowledge that whatever Tinubu touches, he destroys.
The people are groaning, but there is no one to listen to them. Tinubu is reported to have told them to see their present situation as “baby steps of suffering.” Anyone who doubts where the National Assembly stands today while Nigerians struggle to remain alive, should revert to the session during which Tinubu presented the budget. The National Assembly is not standing with Nigerians – it is standing on Tinubu’s mandate. It is not the National Assembly’s fault because Nigerians were duly warned about this man.