It is my pleasure to start by congratulating President Bola Tinubu on the rare privilege of mounting the mantle of leadership of our great nation, Nigeria. No matter how anybody sees it, his victory at the Supreme Court suggests he is God-sent to salvage the economic misfortune and catastrophe facing the country at the moment. Prior to his emergence as President in a keenly contested election, hope was high of his ability to fix the economy of this nation for obvious reasons.
Firstly, he is a grassroots politician who significantly understands where the shoes pinch this nation. Secondly, people believe, that whereas most of your predecessors got there by sheer luck or chance, Tinubu is the most prepared for this position. Thirdly, his enviable records of performance as Lagos State Governor speak. On a comparative analysis and comparison with his immediate predecessor, the masses are yet to see a significant difference in the impact of quality governance, and on the alleviation of the suffering of the Nigerian people. The popular slogan all over the place is that right now ‘people are not smiling.’
While most of us are in support of subsidy removal, an age-long cankerworm perceived to benefit only the privileged few, its good impacts on the quality of lives is yet to be felt. Palliative distribution has not and cannot compensate for the hardship resulting from subsidy removal. Rather, it is disheartening that the gains recorded so far is to be expended partly on getting expensive cars for National Assembly members and other government functionaries even though most Nigerian roads are deplorable. The cost of food items, a prime necessity of life, is beyond the reach of the common man. In fact, there’s hunger. Tangible infrastructural development, we are told, starts from road construction.
One major reason the government efforts on road construction are not being felt is due to poor quality delivery. A situation where the government keeps allocating funds to repairing the same road every year is most pathetic. Bad roads have caused many road accidents which have led to the loss of lives and properties.
Given the aforementioned, therefore, the Nigerian people will be very thankful to the President if he can, through his economic team, work assiduously to roll out policies that will raise the value of the naira against other currencies. The people expect Tinubu’s government to formulate economic policies that will bridge the widened gap between the rich and the poor.
Apparently, the middle class has gone into extinction. In Nigeria, as it is, you are either extremely poor or extremely rich. To effect the uneven distribution of wealth, the Tinubu administration’s focus should include bringing back the middle class into the system. The government at all levels should formulate policies that make government functionaries as well as political office holders jettison ostentatious lifestyles which are always to the detriment of the downtrodden.
The Tinubu government must create an environment conducive to production to enable producers of goods and services to raise the quality of their products. This will encourage consumers to patronise made-in-Nigeria products. Notwithstanding the teething problems in the system, the people are optimistic that the Tinubu administration will be favourable to the country and that the aggregate expectations and yearnings of the people will be met. May God assist and direct the President to do that which will make his government the best ever in the history of this nation.
- Matthew Adeleye writes from Ota, Ogun State
