Last week, which precisely was the last week of August, 2024, there was the viral directive by the Federal Government that producers and marketers should reduce the prices of goods and service. If I am not mistaken, there was a timeline for that directive to be obeyed or risk clampdown. Barely a week later, the government owned NNPC without any warning and in the midst of product scarcity, increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) also called petrol or fuel from N568/litre to N897 per litre. An increase of 58%.
In Nigeria, inflation responds sharply to any change in the price of petrol as it has a spiral effect on every other price of things in the country. Transporters will increase their fairs, which will in turn affect the prices of goods and services across the nation. Landlords will increase their rents in response to the general purchasing power. All these will make the cost of living in Nigeria higher.
The duty of any responsible government is to make the lives of citizens better but what do we have in Nigeria? A government whose primary focus is to make the lives of citizens unbearable. Just as recent as last month of August, citizens came out across the country to protest against hunger and hardship. The protest had the harsh tag “endbadgovernance”. This is because, we as a country have no business with suffering if not for successive bad leaders Nigeria have been afflicted with as a plague. The body language of the President seems to be “Nigerians should make sacrifices by enduring any hardship while we(the political actors can live in luxury and opulence”! A government that refused to give Nigerians living wages expressly approved bogus salary review for judicial officers across board. The Legislators already enjoys salaries and criminal allowances in tens of millions monthly. The Executive are also a different species of Nigerians who can live all the luxuries but the common man can die of hunger. This year, it is alleged the President just acquired a state of the art official car for his use and whose price is just a few millions from a billion Naira. Am sure the longest distance that car will ever travel is the Presidential villa to the Presidential wing of the Airport. The President also last month acquired a presidential plane despite the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet. The presidential plane was acquired the same month Nigerians protested against hunger! It is alleged the President also acquired a Presidential yatch which as far as I am concern is a pleasurable luxury on the waters. I can’t relate any presidential duties that involves travelling by water for the president. The Vice President’s building was renovated or built at a cost of 25 billion the same time while we have millions of Nigerians sleeping in tents as IDPs. Talk about insensitivity, the present regime of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserve a GWR as the most insensitive and punitive government Nigerians have witnessed since independence. Nigerians thought Buhari was bad and yes he was but his successor has made Nigerians wished Buhari was still the president. The renewed hope mantra has turned to “renewed hopelessness”! The message passed to Nigerians is simple: “we the political leaders can increase our luxuries while you the people can increase in hardship and suffering” with “Renewed hopelessness”!
In conclusion, hunger is a leveller. When last did you hear the song “on your mandate, on your mandate we shall stand”…. Where are all those who were threatening non natives in Lagos to vote “APC or leave the State”? Hunger and the reality of the hardship has humbled everyone. Those that had the opportunity have voted with their international passport with “japa” syndrome as the only hope while those not so lucky to “japa” languish in untold hardship.
When elections come again, feel free to collect a thousand Naira and vote for more suffering. The bitter truth is that will even the vote of the citizens count especially with the “grab it, run with it” mentality propounded by no other than the present occupant of the highest office? Time shall tell.
Anthony Eshemokhai writes from Lagos
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