There is no doubt now that Nigerians are a resilient bunch. The present hardship, as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy, has made it clear that we have very thick skins and can endure whatever fate throws at us. However, it is very unfair for our leaders to take advantage of it and heap all manner of unpalatable things on us.
Many of us have suddenly woken up to the reality that it can no longer be business as usual. Some of my friends have now resorted to taking public transport as a way out, as it is simply not economical to cruise around town. In fact, the only time they go out with their vehicles is when it is most convenient. Like whenever the whole family has to go out together or for school runs.
One Igbo businessman parked his car for good and got himself a second-hand motorcycle (rubber rubber). But the man I envied most is our production manager, a sporty fellow. The other day, he rode to work on a bicycle, and I immediately got him to teach me how to ride one too. But it turned out to be a fruitless effort. I guess I was too rusty, lacked the stability required for cycling, or was simply too old to begin to learn. Whatever the case may be, I truly regret that I cannot ride a bicycle at a time like this.
Cycling has numerous benefits. It is not surprising that Nigerians have been advised to embrace cycling as an alternative mode of transportation, especially now that the fuel subsidy regime has ended. Mr. Joshua Adekanye, Oyo State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), gave the advice at the 2023 World Bicycle Day celebration in Ibadan recently. He also noted that as more Nigerians ride bicycles, carbon emissions from vehicles will be drastically reduced.
In a lighter mood, the story went viral of the University of Maiduguri student who rode to the campus on a donkey to attend lectures as a way of solving the subsidy 'wahala'.
The point I'm making here is that Nigerians are doing whatever it takes to adapt to the hardship created by the removal of fuel subsidy. Therefore, it is not fair that the much-awaited palliative measures are taking too long to arrive. The subsidy regime came at us suddenly, and very few were prepared for it.
The truth is that many Nigerians cannot cope with the situation any longer. As expected, the increase in the pump price of petrol led to hikes in the prices of every other commodity. It has, in turn, led to the complete erosion of the purchasing power of most Nigerians. This is also expected since our economy is already bedevilled by a rising tide of inflation even before the removal of fuel subsidy.
The best way to go about policies with dire consequences for the wellbeing of the populace is to plan for how to mitigate their possible impact before implementing them. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be forgiven for hastily removing fuel subsidies because he is new and eagerly wanted to stop the astronomical drain of subsidy on our economy. However, it is unfair for the Tinubu administration to be dragging its feet with regard to palliatives in the face of the extreme level of poverty being experienced by Nigerians.
So far, organised labour has shown great understanding of the need to support the new administration in its effort to take Nigeria out of the woods. This is also not lost on ordinary Nigerians, who are bravely facing the unpalatable consequences of fuel subsidy removal. The message is loud and clear: everyone wants Tinubu to succeed. Hopefully, President Tinubu will take advantage of this massive goodwill to ensure that Nigeria grows and develops.
Meanwhile, Tinubu should roll out the palliative measures already. Fuel prices have almost tripled; therefore, increases in salaries and allowances shouldn't be less than that.
There is no denying that most Nigerians are in need of economic empowerment; the situation into which the recent subsidy removal has plunged them is dire and desperate. Yet, some so-called big men still move about, flaunting obscene wealth that can only come from high-level corruption. This is not only sad but quite provocative.
It is very difficult to reconcile the fact that nowadays people steal billions, even trillions, of naira, yet the majority of our countrymen still find it difficult to have a decent living.
It is not in contention that the astronomical increase in subsidy payments, especially in recent years, is a result of corruption in the oil sector. And even from what the government is saying, it is clear that it is the failure of our leaders to curb corruption in the oil sector that has made it necessary to remove subsidy as a way out, since corruption has made the burden of subsidy payments simply unbearable for the government.
As usual in Nigeria, it is the masses that bear the burden. The sad truth, however, is that this time around, they may not survive. Something needs to be done quickly. Please let us begin to feel the effect of subsidy removal already; let us see it in the improvement of our standard of living. But of utmost urgency, roll out the palliatives fast so that we will not die of penury.
One very sad occurrence in our political journey was the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election. It happened at a time when most Nigerians were tired of military rule, or misrule as the case may be. At that time, the military had ruled for about a decade, from 1983 when the duly elected Shagari government was ousted via a coup d’état.
In that dark era of the military, Nigerians saw the possibility of a great future in the presidential ticket of Chief MKO Abiola and Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe of SDP. And it didn't matter that it was a Muslim Muslim ticket at that time, we all voted for them. In fact, great was the desire to have Abiola as our president that he won in Kano; beating Bashir Tofa, of the NRC, his only opponent who happens to be from Kano State in the 1993 general elections.
With just a moment for MKO Abiola, who has been in the lead to emerge president, the election was annulled, thwarting the will of most Nigerians who voted for him with one voice. Therefore, many took to the streets protesting against that decision; many lost their lives as a result of the struggle including one of Abiola's wives, Kudirat Abiola, who was assassinated June 4, 1996 in Lagos. Chief Abiola himself, a billionaire and foremost philanthropist, one of the richest in Africa at that time, wasn't spared. He was imprisoned and eventually died in prison under very suspicious circumstances.
It was therefore with a feeling of respite that many Nigerians greeted the announcement in 2018, by the immediate past Buhari administration that June 12, and not May 29, is democracy day. Many have applauded that decision especially due to the great import of June 12 in our nation’s democratic experience. Indeed, it was on June 12, 1993, some 30 years ago that some heroes, albeit unsung heroes, paid for the democracy we enjoy today with their tears, sweat, and blood.
It is for this reason that we must nurture and not take our democracy for granted. It is necessary that we abide by the rule of the game, as spelt out in our Constitution and not do anything to jeopardize what we have. And that is why anyone who does not agree with the outcome of any election is expected to go to court and fight for his mandate instead of taking the law into their hands. In a similar vein, our Justices must truly and sincerely be seen to dispense justice accordingly. It is tantamount to subversion of democracy when a judge collects money, accepts bribe, to deliver a judgement in favour of somebody who has actually not won the election. The use of money in election tribunal, is almost at a scandalous level now, it is as if justice is for the highest bidder. In a recent interview with ARISE TV, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, disclosed that his party refused to challenge the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election in court due to lack of funds. According to him, “For anybody to go to court to challenge an election that person must have not less than 5 billion naira”.
As we celebrate this year’s Democracy Day, we must continue to make deliberate efforts towards ensuring the survival of democracy. But our effort doesn’t have to stop at ensuring that democracy survives, it will be a great mistake to have that type of mindset. We are not practicing democracy just for the sake of practicing it, but as a means of ensuring prosperity for millions of Nigerians living in abject poverty. Our heroes of democracy gave everything for the wellbeing of the downtrodden masses. There is no gainsaying that it was for this reason, after all, his campaign slogan was ‘Farewell to Poverty’, that people like Chief MKO Abiola contested Nigeria’s presidency, and in the process, sacrificed enormous resources, wife, and life.
Surely, if this were a nation where we have not failed at leadership, no Nigerian should go without food or shelter, electricity supply should have been adequate and stable, our roads should have been rid of potholes by now, and businesses should be thriving because of the general atmosphere of prosperity in that ideal Nigeria.
Still, we should not give up, this democracy day is another opportunity to resolve and make commitments, both as leaders and followers, towards ensuring that we truly enjoy the dividends of democracy and not just continue to go through the motion suffering and smiling.
Therefore, it is indeed high time we started holding our leaders accountable for their actions and inactions. We must stop acting as if we are helpless, because power is indeed in the hands of the people and democracy is simply a game of numbers. If you study Government in secoundary school, you should know that democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. So you call the shot. It is a welcomed development that we saw the use of money in politics being discouraged even by the government in power. We also saw the diehard supporters of Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party in the just concluded presidential elections; saying ‘we no dey give shishi’. Even if it seems as if we are not getting it right now; all these are positive pointers to the fact that our politics is gradually growing to the level where the choice of the people is supreme. And politicians are also gradually realizing that records of achievements do actually matter.
During the Special Investiture and National Honours Award Ceremony for Late MKO Abiola and others on the June 12, 1993 struggle, on June 12, 2018; former president Muhammadu Buhari noted thus: “We cannot rewind the past but we can at least assuage our feelings; recognize that a wrong had been committed and resolve to stand firm now and in the future for the sanctity of free elections. Nigerians would no longer tolerate such perversion of justice”. Surely, it is time to make that commitment and resolve to ensure that democracy works and that we derive its full benefits. This simply means that we would no longer be bystanders, we can begin by supporting our leaders in every way possible, but of utmost importance we must start holding our leaders accountable for their actions. As our new Governor of Niger State, His Excellency Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago, has rightly pointed out, it should not be business as usual. For it is foolhardy to continue doing the same thing in the same way always, when it is very obvious that it is not working or yielding any fruit.
