President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday begged Nigerians to endure the removal of the subsidy regime.
We picked one other story from the presidency for your reading delight.
1. As Tinubu begs Nigerians
In his official democracy day broadcast, on Monday, Tinubu assured Nigerians that their sacrifice due to the removal of the payment on fuel subsidy shall not be in vain.
“Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country. For your trust and belief in us. I assure you that your sacrifice shall not be in vain,” he said, among others.
Tinubu’s speech drives home the expected price Nigerians would have to pay for years of extreme poor handling of the economy and endemic corruption in its petroleum sector.
Interestingly, it brings to fore the contradictions within the ruling party, as Tinubu’s move lays bare the near absence of a structured agenda, as should have been captured in a manifesto, for a revamp of the economy.
Indeed, Tinubu literarily falls short of branding his predecessor a failure for not being bold and courageous enough to take certain hard decisions.
But beyond all these, what is, perhaps, missing is the failure of the newly baked president to tell Nigerians how much sacrifice the leadership is willing to make in the face of endemic corruption and wastefulness.
Indeed, while Nigerians look forward to positive disruptions, the critical question to ask is, does Tinubu hold the magic wand? Again, many would argue that these are early days.
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2. Tinubu suspends, probes Emefiele
Tinubu, on June 9, suspended the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, from office with immediate effect.
“This is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy,” a statement from the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, read in part.
As predictable as Emefiele’s suspension was, it is a manifestation of intra-class struggles where one unit seeks to upstage the other for access to power. The grounds for this argument are not far fetched.
Critics would recall how vividly the presidency, in tow with the detained CBN governor, had sought to stop Tinubu through the Naira redesign programme, believing that could halt vote buying, as argued by ex-president Buhari.
Emefiele’s suspension, and detention, must, therefore, be seen for what it is, a classic case of intra class struggles with citizens used as pawns in the game.
While the battle rages, it is hoped that basic tenets of the rule of law will prevail and justice would be served transparently, and not delayed.
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