One year later—so little time left, so much to do!

In truth, there really is nothing special about one year in executive political office. Governments operate annual budgets, which run from January to December. This means incoming presidents or governors are required to first operate with the remainder of their predecessor’s budget, and any true assessment of their administration can only be made after the second year, when they have operated a budget they passed.

Even as his ministers ignore the present socio-economic realities and award themselves excellent scores in “imaginary achievements”, President Tinubu tactfully made it clear that he will not engage in “over-celebrations” in respect of his one-year anniversary in office. Critics of his administration say that their first year has been one of “we will”, rather than “we have!”

Indeed, it is difficult to find any unbiased commentator who claims that President Tinubu has made any meaningful impact on the development and economic growth of the country, or that his administration’s policies while (maybe) necessary, have not been harsh, brutish and discomfiting. There can be no denying the abounding evidence that citizens are grappling with spiraling inflation and outright poverty.

In the middle of the worsening economic situation and calls to cut the cost of governance, the decision to increase fuel prices and electricity tariffs adversely affected long-suffering citizens, privately owned businesses, and government-owned institutions such as hospitals and universities, all of whom can no longer afford their electricity bills.

Even as private citizens are asked to make sacrifices, governance at both federal and state levels has been characterised by unjustifiable extravagance. This is especially true in relation to the purchase of luxury vehicles and increased remunerations. This is in marked contrast with the actions of the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who reduced the salaries of ministers and politicians by 30%, increased workers’ salaries by 50% and refused to accept the president’s salary, insisting that he should only be paid his normal salary as an army captain!

Unfortunately for President Tinubu, he inherited a bad economy and bad practices from his predecessor, who did not possess either the necessary intellect or the human compassion to manage the nation’s affairs properly. President Buhari ran Nigeria aground while presiding over serial abuses of financial regulations, and mind-boggling levels of corruption. Truly, a large part of the problem President Tinubu faces is that he took over from a president who belonged to the same political party and therefore could not expose all the malfeasance that went on under his predecessor. 

However, whilst campaigning, he promised to rescue the nation from economic backwardness, multi-dimensional hardship and worsening insecurity by articulating an eight-point plan titled “Renewed Hope Agenda”. He promised to make healthcare, education and housing affordable and accessible to all, but it really comes as no surprise that his administration has been unable to manage people’s expectations for immediate relief, considering that he never claimed relief would be experienced within his first year in office!

In truth, the past year has seen increasing numbers of Nigerians falling into multi-dimensional poverty. Despite inheriting a mess, it isn’t possible to extricate the worsening economy from the ill-considered and poorly implemented removal of fuel subsidy. Critics and opposition spokespersons quote a multitude of statistics, ranging from exchange rates to inflation and unemployment rates to highlight the rapidly deteriorating economy.

As for the war against corruption, President Tinubu never said it would be a priority of his administration. According to Transparency International, which monitors corruption worldwide, Nigeria still ranks amongst the world’s most corruption-prone nations. They have heavily criticised the controversial award of the 700-meter Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, which is immersed in controversy. The bidding process, which the Minister for Works referred to as government-approved “restrictive bidding”, was not conducted in a transparent manner and no mention has been made of any other company, which was asked to submit a bid!

It is curious, to say the least, that the terms of the contract agreement are shrouded in secrecy. Be that as it may, there are more pressing problems to face. There is an adage that a stone you see coming should not blind you.

Lamentably, many Nigerian farmlands are now under the control of bandits and because many farmers, especially in the North East, could not plant this season, projections are that food shortages are looming. Quite incomprehensibly, even as the World Bank attempts to raise $300 million to prevent famine from occurring in northern Nigeria, the federal government squandered N90 billion subsidising pilgrims!

Everything considered, it’s simply not true that President Tinubu has restored hope to the Nigerian people. His first year did not witness any pro-masses government policies and as a result, living standards plummeted, basic goods became unaffordable and jobs are now virtually impossible to come by.

Unfortunately, this administration did not hit the ground running and has already spent 25% of their allotted time in office. Even so, they have a minimum of three more years to go so it is better for economic experts to suggest viable necessary policy shifts rather than simply complain and reel out damning statistics. Nevertheless, there are just two years left before President Tinubu will focus on re-election. If he wants to be regarded as a success during his first term, there is so little time left and so much to do!