Communication, it is said, is not complete until it’s received and understood. Last Thursday, Nigerians spoke. They were on the streets to express their frustration with the excruciating cost of living and the resultant widespread hunger across the country.
Now, in coming to the streets to communicate with the government to address the dire circumstances that we now find ourselves in, can we safely say that the message was received and very well understood by the government? Can President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be said to have listened to these protesters and understood the message sent from across some states of the federation?
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Tagged #EndBadGovernance, the protesters represented a broad spectrum of Nigerians who are today suffering or experiencing the pangs of hunger and are barely existing. They represented as well those who may have been wrongly mobilised to thwart their efforts and colour their constitutionally guaranteed right to protest bad, because hunger does not discriminate against tongue, religion, tribe or political affiliations. We all are under this yoke of unbroken chain of bad governance since the return to democracy in 1999.
This is not the time to point the finger at any political party as the reality on ground is that Nigerians can no longer take excuses from our leaders, because while the people are hungry and dying of opportunistic afflictions our leaders are living in so much affluence and opulence. It is a contradiction that is not only insane but also a look in the face insult on the sensibilities of the greater majority of the people.
Again, there was the unfortunate attempt to impute tribal sentiments to what is purely a demonstration against the existential threats that confronts the mass of the people.
From the top north down to the south, the fangs of poverty has not spared race, tribe or religion.
This unfortunate development of threatening people because they hold dissenting views must be checked before it becomes that monster that would consume us all.
Asking a particular tribe to leave Lagos as a way of frustrating the planned protest was very unfortunate because at the end the protesters did not belong to any particular tribe or religion.
This divisive rhetoric has always been there, the dangerous dimension of actually carrying out that threat is worrisome. It’s convenient for those benefiting from this today to treat this warning with disdain or levity but if left unchecked it would most certainly come around some day to haunt the perpetrators.
It’s heartwarming to know that the Lagos State government has come out to denounce those behind it, but until something drastic is done, not very many are convinced that this would serve as enough deterrent to those ethnic bigots.
Sadly, those who play up these ethnic and religious cards during elections and when issues of national importance or national relevance are at stake are the political elite who because of their immediate economic benefits have blinded themselves to the likely devastating consequences in the future.
Now, what were the protesters seeking to pass across to our elected officers at all levels of governance? That they are hungry and are suffering severe hardship as a result of the wrong choices of our leaders.
There is hardly anything new about the demand of the protesters because it is similar to the same demand made by the same APC leaders while in the opposition in 2012. Granted that our situation has been compounded by the lackluster performance of erstwhile President, Muhammadu Buhari, the incumbent president too has taken drastic decisions which has further impoverished the people and for which he must act fast to ameliorate the burden the people now suffer for the twin decision of floating the naira as well as petroleum subsidy removal simultaneously.
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Can the Federal Government revert to the former pump prices prior to May 29, 2023, I sincerely do not think so, but the demand of the people can be met half way by making some adjustments downward.
Also, the government should stop forthwith with further borrowings because it appears these facilities end up being wrongly used. There is no gainsaying that the government would save a lot of money by pruning down on its costs of governance. It’s unacceptable for an aide to a minister or political appointee to be riding in provocatively long convoys. What message is the government then passing to the people? Can you then imagine what the convoys of the president, vice president, leadership of the National Assembly, governors and ministers would be like?
We have heard arguments that the savings from these efforts may not amount to much, but I totally disagree. Have those who canvass this argument, considered the fact that it would be impossible to convince the people that a nation that is broke can still afford the ostentatious lifestyles of our political office holders and their long retinue of aides? When a man’s resources become leaner he needs nobody to tell him to adjust his lifestyle to meet his current realities.
Why keep asking for sacrifice from the people when their political leaders are obviously living in a manner that offends the people? Or who engages in a renovation or beautification of a building that is not threatened in any way when the occupants of the building are starving?
Because the nation’s economy is road-driven any upward adjustment in petroleum pump price would automatically have a spiral effect on our total existence. Therefore, how soon can the government give vent to the order of the president to NNPC to supply crude oil in naira to Dangote and other refineries? Can the government now halt further loan to crude swaps and explore the options of meeting the demands of Dangote and the rest so we can begin to have some reliefs or would there still not be any difference?
The issues around insecurity has to be taken care of dispassionately and without exception to clannish consideration and tribal connotations. Our farmers have since fled from their farmlands; we have to get them back there. We cannot be tolerating non-performing officers who have been consumed by the corruption that has made our unfortunate situation into a criminal enterprise.
Our elementary economics tells us that when a lot of money is chasing few products, it leads to inflation. We must produce enough food to crash the prices in the markets.
Therefore, the lessons of last Thursday, is that President Tinubu must begin to explore ways to communicate with the people to avoid breakdown in communication; it would be unacceptable that the president who spoke to the electorate during electioneering would now not see the need to speak to the people on his plans and actions while in office.
One year may not be enough to assess the government properly but it is certainly enough to send the right message to the people that it is no longer business as usual and that President Tinubu means business.
Sadly, at the last count, this unfortunate and avoidable incident has cost the country some precious lives and property.
Inviting traditional and religious leaders would not suffice, it is important that we know what efforts are being made to address the problems and that way we can tell if the president is listening to the people and if our communications with him are effective or not.
Those who spoke from the streets mean well and it must be seen as such so that the president does not fall into the traps of those who may be telling him that the opposition or his enemies or the wailers, apologies to Femi Adesina, were behind the protests.
The president’s broadcast yesterday may not completely have assuaged the agitations on the streets but it is by far better than ignoring the people completely.
The time to begin to pass the right message to the people is now.
