President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been in office for less than a hundred days.
His first few days in office was characterized by a flurry of quick but precise policy statements and actions which suggested that the president came in well prepared to hit the ground running.
Those first few days, naturally so, reassured Nigerians and raised hopes that a new and better phase just begun.
Alas! That hope no longer exist. It has evaporated.
Worst still, that hope has given way to despair, anxiety and frustrations across all facets of our societies.
What could have possibly gone wrong?
A combination of some wrong choices regarding party politics and Government policies have conspired to turn this Government, in less than a hundred days in office, to, perhaps, the most infamous in the annals of our polity.
I read a purported survey which claimed that despite the untold hardships occasioned by harsh economic policies of this Government, over sixty percent of Nigerians still trust in the ability of the president to turn things around and I wondered how those who conducted such survey came about such an unrealistic conclusion.
Maybe, there is a Nigeria known to the purveyors of such funny survey different from the one we all currently live in.
I am constrained to write this piece, myself, been one of many who campaigned for the president.
We all saw in him the ability to assemble human resources and harness their potentials to turn things around.
Unfortunately, even the most diehard of the president must be having doubts with regards to such abilities now.
As we speak, the economy of the Nation have taken an alarming dive due to the obvious I’ll advised approach to the withdrawal of subsidies on petroleum and the floating of the Naira simultaneously.
Much as it is desirable to remove subsidies on petroleum, such an action requires a well thought out plan to contain the certain attending hardships. Such plans in the instant case is absent.
Whatever plan Government conceived as palliatives looks like an afterthoughts.
Which breastfeeding mother would wean het baby without adequate preparations?
The president obviously weaned us of removal of fuel subsidies without any preparations and the results is what we are witnessing presently.
President Tinubu’s decision to see an increase in the release of monthly allocations to states is another Ill-conceived decision.
It seems the president overlooked or downplayed the shenanigans of the state Governors, most especially, the stifling of the local governments by the Governors.
Whatever the president released to the states have largely been deployed to satisfy and oil personal greed of the state Governors.
Another issue that is portraying the president in bad light is the Coup in Niger Republic.
An average Nigerian doesn’t seem to understand or appreciate the special interest Nigeria have in the internal affairs of a neighbouring Nation that should outweigh the plethora of problems we face at home.
Yes, president Bola Tinubu is the current Chairman of ECOWAS no doubt, but Nigerians who elected him to lead the Nation would rather have him dissipate energy on the biting hardships at home and allow Nigeriens find a solution to their own problems.
Moreso, it appears that Nigeria, in the circumstances are seen to be used to fight a proxy war of some World powers in the guise of ECOWAS.
As Yorubas used to say, ” bi oode o dun, bi igbe nilu ri”. If ones household is in a foul state, the whole town will be like a bush.
The discontent within the APC, the platform upon which the president was elected is another area where the president is having perception issues.
Our reward system is warped. There is so much agitations within the party and the support Groups.
A large percentage of party men are aggrieved. They can not fathom the rationale behind the decisions of the president and his inner circle in the choice of appointments made so far.
At this point, it is imperative for the president to look at issues holistically.
Under him, party supremacy is dead and that is dangerous.
For the first time, Ministers have been appointed without recourse to the party.
Under him, anti party activities have become something to brag about.
Those who openly campaigned against the party are been rewarded rather than reprimanded.
This are attributes of dictatorship.
So many unhealthy rumours around the president’s inner circle and the leadership of the National Assembly.
Whoever loves the president must tell him the truth that both himself and ourselves as members of his political party do not smell like roses before Nigerians.
It is in the interest of the president and all of us in the APC , for the president to take stock and make adjustments before things get out of hand.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
