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Tinubu, One Year in Office and Catalogue of Woes
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By Eric Elezuo
That day was a Monday. Nigerians had waited to know what was in store for them for the next four years. Expectations were high, considering that the three major presidential contenders had painted a blossoming picture of a better Nigeria. It was like whoever emerges knows the problems of Nigeria, and will fix it within a twinkling of an eye. Nigerians were sure to smile again.
But hope began to dim as the just sworn in president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, began to drift during his inauguration speech. Thousands were at the Eagle Square, venue of the swearing in ceremony, and millions were watching via online or cable television. When will he made the turnaround announcement that will usher in the much expected Eldorado.
The announcement did come. But it had no smack of Eldorado, it had no dressing of the Renewed Hope agenda on which Tinubu, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned, it was a blunt ‘spirit possessed’ outburst that changed the landscape of everything political, economic and welfaristic. It was a line borrowed from non-concentration, and it says “Subsidy is Gone”.
Since that Monday in 2023, May 29, to be precise, till now, one year after, Nigerians have practically lived from hand to mouth, moving from one terrible woe to another, and respite seems far from coming.
Just immediately after the announcement of May 29, the price of Premium Motor Spirit, ordinarily known as petrol, jumped to the roof. It sold at N615 as against N180 prior to the Tinubu era. The people did not protest. The people murmured, and adjusted to the hardship that came with the rise, and emboldened the government for more draconian policies. The prices of foodstuffs such as staples like garri, rice and beans soared beyond the reach of the regular citizen, and so emerged hunger, extreme starvation, deprivation and untold woes.
Then the government took more extreme steps, and descended on tariffs, increasing electricity cost even with abysmal supply. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had defended the move, and in a petty response, blamed Nigerians for putting on the freezers and A/Cs. He however, apologized for his misplaced utterance.
The naira totally collapsed, and nearly exchanged at N2000. Today, it trades at a price a little less than N1500.
Adding salt to injury, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in a bid to deepend the country’s forex reserve introduced the Cybersecurity levy. The public outcry that followed the policy led to its suspension.
In the midst of all the woes, members of the National Assembly are buying cars at N160 million each and sending “prayers” to their various account numbers at regular intervals – while the masses continue to understand.
Meanwhile, Tinubu and his supporters have maintained that the government is doing well, and deserve applause as it completes one years in office.
Every Nigerian wants Tinubu to succeed, yes, but so far, it’s been a bleak one year of hunger, taste, deprivation and hopelessness. Someone says the matra has become renewed fraud!
The most fearful part is that there are three more years for the clueless administration to further torment Nigerians.
Tinubu government just have to review all they have done in the last one year with the eye of the regular citizen on the street, and not the Abuja landlord, and make amends before the hungry man truly becomes an angry man.
But Nigerians hope for the best, and this catalogue of woes may just end.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to restore fuel subsidy, improve security and create employment if elected president in 2027.
Atiku made the pledge on Thursday during a campaign rally in Kebbi State, where he called on voters to support the ADC, describing it as the only party committed to addressing the three issues.
“The people of Kebbi State, let me ask you a few questions. Do you want the return of subsidy? Do you want security? Do you want employment? Therefore you have no option other than the ADC. ADC is the only political party that is committed to these three objectives and more to bring about prosperity, unity and peace to the people of our country,” he said.
The former Vice President and his running mate also criticised some projects being presented as achievements of the President Bola Tinubu administration, describing them as legacies of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Supporters of the ADC gathered at the party’s secretariat in Birnin Kebbi to welcome Atiku and other party chieftains ahead of the rally.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Austin Akobundu, commended party faithful for what he described as their resistance to intimidation by the state government.
Akobundu said the 2027 general elections would be a referendum between suffering Nigerians and the Federal Government under President Tinubu.
The ADC National Chairman, in his remarks, described the party as a moving train that no amount of intimidation could stop.
He called on the people of Kebbi State to vote for Atiku as president, Abubakar Malami as governor and other ADC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The rally ended with the ADC National Chairman formally presenting the party’s flag to Malami as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The campaign in Kebbi came hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the leadership of the Senator David Mark-led ADC and voided the actions taken by the party’s executives, including the process that produced Atiku as its presidential candidate.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the party, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
Atiku rejected the ruling, describing it as an attempt to weaken his political support and frustrate his campaign. He said he would challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
The ADC also rejected the decision, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to cripple the opposition and vowing to challenge the judgment through all available judicial processes.
The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned Thursday’s court judgment purporting to remove Senator David Mark’s leadership of the party, describing it as a calculated attempt to weaken the ADC and frustrate his candidacy.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the timing of the judgment was telling. It came barely a day after a mammoth crowd turned out in Sokoto to welcome him and attend the launch of the ADC campaign.
“The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable again. What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning. The people of Kebbi will have their say, and so will Nigerians across the country as our campaign moves forward.
“My roots are in Northern Nigeria, but my candidacy belongs to all Nigerians. There is a difference between being from the North and being a candidate only for the North. Hunger and hardship do not respect regional boundaries. Nigerians across the country are suffering under this government, and they deserve a leader with a credible plan to make life affordable again.
“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose message is resonating across the country. But the ruling party’s greatest miscalculation is to assume that my support ends in the North. What we saw in Sokoto, what we will see in Kebbi and across the country, is the strength of a national movement.”
Atiku said the judgment also raises serious legal concerns.
“Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court had already dismissed the challenge to the David Mark-led leadership in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025. The court upheld the defendants’ objections on jurisdiction, standing and the failure to exhaust internal party remedies, and resolved the substantive issues in their favour. Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen the same dispute? This is a calculated attempt to circumvent a subsisting judgment. We will challenge this judicial manoeuvre at the Court of Appeal.”
Atiku urged ADC supporters to remain calm and law-abiding and not to let the judgment weaken the momentum generated in Sokoto. The campaign train is already in Kebbi and will continue across the country.
“Our journey to rescue Nigeria from the hardship imposed by the APC government is a long one. Our Affordable Life campaign will continue because Nigerians deserve relief from this crushing cost-of-living crisis. We urge our supporters to remain resolute, take our message from house to house and door to door, and stay peaceful and focused. There is no shaking.”
President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate to approve the implementation of an external borrowing plan of $7.7 billion.
At an exchange rate of N1,400 to the dollar, the money amounts to about N10.79 trillion
The President said the funds are to part-finance the N20.2 trillion budget deficit.
The new request, according to the Senate President, replaces the $20.52 billion loan request presented last week.
The request has been referred to the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts for further legislative action.
