Change is necessary but uncomfortable. To change man from the accustomed position, whether good or bad, is always met with resistance in different forms. While change, undoubtedly, is good, the modalities of the application of the change are equally important. A change that inflicts greater injuries on the people, even in the short run, without being attended to, will no longer be related with as change but as oppression.
The relationship between the ruler and the ruled being a social contract, the rulers must then be sensitive to the feelings of the ruled. Otherwise, a catastrophic result must be expected.
It is clear that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu might have had good intentions while aspiring to assume the mantle of leadership of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; however, it should be noted that government is a continuum and no individual or set of individuals can arrogate to himself or themselves the power to fix all the problems of a nation. In other words, the mantra should be “I am committed to put in my best” and this can be done by identifying a particular societal chronic problem which if sorted will lead to the greater joy and happiness of the greater number of people. If this style is adopted, successive governments for the next one hundred years in Nigeria will have enormous works to confront and resolve.
An attempt to muddle up the whole societal problems will not only lead to monumental failures but will also attract general resentment and concomitantly, a widespread rejection of the government.
The announcements of reforms at the commencement of the government of President Tinubu, ranging from monetary to electricity, are laudable. These are governmental policies that we all know, will in the long run, tremendously benefit the masses. Nice ideas! What is questionable is the modalities of the execution of the laudable ideas. Were the pains the masses subjected to taken into consideration even in the short run, and were there palliatives put in place to reduce the pains? Certainly, the hitherto beneficiaries of the frauds embedded in the deprivative policies for masses and a few others may not feel the pains but the majority out there are languishing in the untold hardship resulting from the peremptory and unplanned-for-policies of this new government.
For the avoidance of doubt, a lot of people living within the territory of Nigeria are finding it difficult to appreciate the policies of this government because of the excruciating pains they need to bear resulting from abrupt increase in fuel pump price which activated the skyrocketed prices of virtually everything. While these were ongoing, the players in the energy sector were proposing 40% increments in electricity tariff. It should not be forgotten that the policies of the government will affect everyone inclusive of the APC faithful and every other Nigerian.
To demonstrate this is an example of what happened to the people who came from far and near for the inauguration of President Tinubu. Before the inauguration, some who wanted to buy fuel postponed the same till after inauguration but for the fuel subsidy removal pronouncement of the newly-sworn in President, the price of fuel pump doubled, if not tripled and affected the cost of transportation back to the destinations of those who came to grace the occasion. It is, therefore, the problem of all of us, and we all have a stake in how we are governed.
I, therefore, propose that the governments both at the federal and state levels should urgently put in place measures that will ameliorate the excruciating pains of the masses. There is a limit to the endurance of a man, and it is only the living that can enjoy the long-term effects of any governmental policies. If measures are put in place to reduce the pains of the masses, they will have the stamina to await the much-touted long-term good effects of the policies.
This government should have a policy direction and not muddle up policies and get itself confused at the end of the day.
Energy, to my mind, is crucial to Nigerians, and this government should take the bold step to tackle it heads-on, and if done, a good percentage of the problems in the country would have been sorted out. Agriculture is equally important, and as a matter of fact, it is a veritable source of generating foreign exchange for the countries and a good alternative to the much depended-on crude oil. As a necessary adjunct to agriculture, the government should focus on developing the rural communities by providing social amenities, and this will encourage the return to farms. If there are roads, electricity, water, telecommunications, etc, in the rural areas and farm lands, this will reduce pressure on the cities and will, in turn, increase the GDP of the country. Of course, security is uppermost and this very reason occasioned the social contract of the ruled relinquishing their authority to the state and it is therefore unpardonable for any state to be slack in its responsibility to provide security to the citizens. In all these, two basic things are necessary, i.e. government’s provision of enabling environment and encouragement of private participation in the economy.
May the good Lord bless the President of Nigeria and all those in leadership positions in the country, with wisdom and understanding to lead well.
God bless Nigeria.
▪︎ Adeboro Adamson, SAN, sent in this piece from Abuja.
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