Rising Beyond ‘Kill and Go’ Politics to Reconstruct Nigeria

As the Nigerian economy continues to nosedive throwing citizens into unprecedented hardship and poverty, concerned citizens are proffering solutions on how to get the country out of its present quagmire but the insensitive don’t seem to see reason for change.
It took the general overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church to point the way to his kindred in the Lord’s vineyard. Pastor William Kumuyi at a recent church event announced that it is time to halt the massive focus on building church auditoriums and address the crippling hunger that is ravaging the populace. He urged the church to channel funds into providing food for the many hungry. Nigeria’s poverty index has shifted further downwards since the economic travails occasioned by the naira currency redesign and the cash crunch that came on its heel, now made worse by the removal of fuel subsidy by the Tinubu administration and the ever falling state of the naira against international currencies.
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, which Tinubu is seeking to please by the stringent measure of fuel subsidy removal, and other people-unfriendly policies, has already asked the federal government to begin an immediate intervention of cash transfer to two million very vulnerable Nigerians for six months, to avert looming danger. While the government officials are pretending to be working out modalities for implementing this in the midst of unrivaled massive looting, hungry Nigerian youths are taking the law into their hands by breaking into warehouses, intercepting trucks conveying food items as reported in Abuja, Niger and Katsina states, respectively with cases of kidnapping hitting the roof.
In just one week bandits abducted 280 school children and some teachers in Kaduna, another 100 in Borno states. Consequently, there is a general state of anxiety over safety and food security. Reports of killings meanwhile, continue in Benue, Plateau and sundry places, making the country not just unsafe, but clearly ungoverned.
Truth be told, government has not shown any clear sign that it understands the magnitude of the crisis arising from the fuel subsidy removal nor has it shown any indication that it can stem the tide.
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and some technocrats have spoken out warning that the Tinubu government’s released plans on this grave matter will not yield useful fruit. Also, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has advised Tinubu to consider the reform plans introduced by the Argentine president, Javier Milei, which is putting his country said to have been destroyed beyond the Nigerian situation, back on the path of recovery.
It is sad that while Nigerians are calling for prudent management of the little resources left in the vaults of the country, this government continues to expand the size of its officials, and allow for more looting.
In the last 10 months of this administration, all Nigerians hear or read about is looting – billions of naira, millions of dollars being diverted to individual pockets, reports of no tracking of commonwealth funds. No nation can grow when its vaults and resources are daily plundered. Leakages must be halted.
In like manner, if IMF is urging the federal government to trim its spending on Nigerians, then the Tinubu government must trim its over-bloated leadership size and be miserly with regards to travels expenses including the size of those on his ticket. It should also not hide wastage under committee spending. Perilous times call for sacrifice, prudence and proactive actions.
Rather than blame previous governments, everything must be done to halt the killing of farmers and the destruction of farmlands in all parts of the country, otherwise our food production will continue to decline, fueling further food scarcity.
Above all, President Bola Tinubu must make Nigerians feel and know that they have a leader who cares about their safety, stomach, health and general wellbeing. This is where the recent admonition by Governor Sim Fubara to politicians to strive to make impact should be treated with solemn respect. Fubara had at the burial of the late Herbert Wigwe, sent the message: “What is all the struggle about? You want to kill and bury, to what end? If Wigwe’s money couldn’t control life, is it not enough to ask ourselves, why are we struggling? Why are we not making enough impact on the life of our people? Please let the political class reflect on this”.
Though the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio felt offended by this, the message is apt. Tinubu came to power already rich but rather than make a positive difference, his tenure is depriving Nigerians of the little they had before he came in. He should gather his lieutenants back to the drawing board and urgently, re-redesign a plan to salvage the current ugly situation. Nigerians are dying. This is not what they voted for.