When will it be our turn, President Tinubu?

Kabiru, my client, sells pepper at one of the popular food markets in Ibadan. The quantity of red pepper (Ata Rodo) and tomatoes that I bought for 6,000 naira about a month ago was bought for N18,000 just before writing this article. Kabiru lamented that as costs increased, his profits continued to decline. He made more money when it was cheaper because people regularly visited the market to buy things. However, sales have since dropped off as fewer people come to the market. Corn is usually the salvation of the working class in its season, but not this year 2024. It was easier to see good maize (agbado) N100 for sale in 2023. This year, easy to grow maize starts from N200 in Ibadan. Once you get to Lagos, it’s more expensive! Gaari is no longer something you can give to people without thinking. Currently, it ranges between N1,300 – N2,200, depending on the grade of Garri, whether you want Garri Oyo or Gaari Ijebu/egba. Many people would not be able to get protein from beans again as the price of oloyin (sweet beans) per congo is currently changing from N3,000 to N4,000. Before the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their comrades ‘softened’ the strike over the fight for a national living wage, striking workers used the song during a street protest. The uniqueness of the song explained protest as justified anger and a mechanism for leaders to know that their minds were troubled. Through the song, the striking workers justified their strike as necessary, not only to draw attention to the problems faced by workers in Nigeria, but also to get an immediate solution. Irritated by the way their lives were (mis)managed, they sang; ó ye kábínú, ó yè kábínú, gààrí wón, ráìsì (rice) wón, ebi n pa mèkúnnù o, ó ye kábínú. In this song, they conveyed that survival under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has become very difficult. They noticed that they were not happy because basic food was beyond the reach of the common man. Gààrí is expensive, rice is expensive, the masses are hungry. Therefore, a hungry man is an angry man.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ April 2024 CPI and Inflation Report, the inflation rate in April 2024 was 33.69%. The cost of transportation is exorbitant, whether you drive your own vehicle or a commercial vehicle. Workers are struggling to feed their families. Marital conflicts are intensifying, depression is growing, and the president keeps repeating e lo fokanbale. It is important for the President to know that there is no ifokanbale (rest/peace of mind) for the masses yet, despite telling them e lo fokanbale (calm down). Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over as leader, he has enjoyed the reign of emilokan (queue to rule). He also provided nominations to members of his internal political clubs and extended political families. No one is sad that it is Omo Olodo-Ide’s turn to enjoy the perks of being president. The question Nigerians are asking the president is: when will it be their turn to enjoy the basic amenities of life and good governance?

The country is difficult for the majority, but the minority in the corridors of power are becoming stronger and better. Only those who interact with the streets will understand what is happening. Small business owners, such as pepper sellers, are closing down. Those in power formulate and implement policies that empower foreign investors but harm and kill domestic industries because they are unable to compete favorably. Lecturers fared no better. Even going to the office five days a week at current wages is unsustainable. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is trying to get the government to sign a living wage and better working conditions deal for overworked and overburdened lecturers at public universities. Since 2009, the government has been dribbleing over the EU and toying with the livelihoods of the intellectual community. However, they expect our universities to solve social problems without committing proportionate resources that could enable effective research. Health sector workers also lament. We are losing more of what is best to the UK, Canada, the United States of America and even South Africa. There is no money to pay workers a living wage or to provide them with decent working conditions, but there is enough for the guerrillas.

25 years of this democratic journey have passed. However, Nigerian leaders at the national and subnational levels have been unable to provide most Nigerians with basic amenities. The children of those in power do not find the education their parents provide to the masses attractive or good enough. They spend our common heritage in schools abroad. Their parents do not believe in the health infrastructure they are building to treat them because they know it is poorly equipped. They prefer to go abroad for treatment. They cannot safely drive on damaged road infrastructure. They fly. The masses who don’t have money to fly have to travel by road. In the process, they are caught by bandits and kidnappers, raped, extorted for ransom and may be released alive or dead. Many households in the north-west and north-east of the country have withdrawn their children from school because the government has failed to show them that they can be relied upon to protect them.

What are the consequences of allowing the above-mentioned conditions to continue? There will be an increase in corruption in offices, markets and streets. People who spend more than they earn to get into office are no longer dependent on wages. They have simply strategized and exploited a system that has not recognized their well-being as important. When the economy is this difficult, the number of children out of school will increase, which means future danger and insecurity. When people close their businesses, there will be an increase in unemployment and poverty, and as a result there will be an increase in social problems, deviant behavior and crime such as cybercrime, armed robbery, kidnapping and banditry.

President Bola Tinubu must know that fixing the economy is an important step towards repositioning the country. Agricultural communities need protection from bandits and terrorists driving them from their ancestral homes so they can plant and grow crops to feed the nation. Our refineries must work and refine products for us locally. Government policy must encourage domestic production and protect the development of domestic industries. Electricity (energy) is crucial here. Power supply for epilepsy kills business. The president must show courage to eliminate those sabotaging his efforts. Workers must receive a living wage. He has been in office for a year and the promises are far from being kept. For Nigerians to welcome you, Mr. President, you must ensure a robust security system, functional healthcare and education, and a rejuvenated economy. Mr. President, fulfill this one request. Help us build a nation where no one is oppressed like they are now. And so, with peace and abundance, Nigeria and Nigerians will be blessed.

Tade is Professor of Criminology, Victimology and Security Studies at the University of Ibadan and writes via (email protected)