By Theophilus Keme
Today makes it exactly a year since the Tinubu government came into power, and I believe it’s necessary to make an honest evaluation of his performance so far. This is part of the fact that I had not relented in giving my neutral but honest opinion about his ambition, which has now come to fruition as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
During the campaigns of the 2023 Presidential Election, it seemed almost impossible for pundits to make accurate predictions about who was likely to become the next president of the Federation. This was far-fetched because the nation experienced an unprecedented birth of political awareness, which many of its citizens – most especially its youth – beckoned on as a light that ‘it was time to influence a change.’
Using a rather simple but deliberate means, the youths actively engaged in the political decision by first of all getting their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and coming out in mass to vote for their preferred party candidates.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the campaign, was one political character that I was really interested in. This wasn’t because I was a party partisan or had any personal interest but solely because of the controversies and the bash, which I rather found unconventional for an APC party of its status. Despite the numerous controversies and the alleged plot from his APC party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the 2023 Presidency election with 8.8 million votes, slightly above his PDP and LP opposition, to emerge as the current President of the Federation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one personality I had referred to in my previous piece as the ‘Daredevil’ that was needed to influence a better change for the country.
Especially as the affairs of the country are alleged to be operated behind closed doors by some godfathers and caucus of the state, this claim, if supposedly true, then I believed Tinubu to be a perfect fit to play the role of a hero who, by proxy, is the leader’s leader to entreat the supposed agents who are destroying the country.
Perhaps I was wrong with my projections, as the current state of the nation, both in its economic and socio-political space, significantly shows otherwise – that my supposed ‘Daredevil’ is greatly struggling to perform, even disproportionately, compared to his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, in governance.
One year since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took on the mantle of leadership on May 29th, 2023, there have rather been more negative margins than positive outlooks proposed; as virtually every citizen of the country may attest to the fact that the outlook for us as a country is really negative.
So negative that the basic necessities of life seem like luxury. This negative effect since Tinubu became president is no longer hidden, as the opinion of Nigerians vividly foretells that things are not just right. These general opinions, which led to this present state, perhaps are as follows:
-Fuel scarcity and price hike: The removal of fuel subsidies led to a significant increase in fuel prices, causing hardship for many Nigerians, particularly low-income households.
-Rising inflation: The country has experienced a surge in inflation, partly due to the currency redesign and fuel subsidy removal, leading to increased prices of goods and services.
-Economic uncertainty: The policies implemented by the Tinubu administration have created uncertainty in the economy, leading to a decline in investor confidence and a drop in the value of the Naira. Security challenges persist: Despite the president’s meeting with security chiefs, the country still grapples with insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
-Labor disputes and strikes: The suspension of the health workers’ strike notwithstanding, other labor unions have threatened industrial action over issues like minimum wage and currency redesign. •Allegations of corruption and nepotism: Tinubu’s administration has faced accusations of corruption, nepotism, and favoritism in appointments and policy decisions.
Political tensions and opposition criticism: The opposition parties have criticized the president’s policies and decisions, leading to political tensions and divisions within the country.
However, the President, over time, since assuming office, has shown a lot of dedication in averting economic downslope and the suffering that is currently witnessed in Nigeria. This effort and dedication by him and his cabinet have rather not been productive for Nigerians to yet approve his capacity to provide the desired economic change. One year gone, three years more counting for the Tinubu administration to prove his capacity to provide a change.
Can he make any difference??
