Activities heralding the first year in office of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or BAT began a few days to the D-day (May 29, 2024) with his cabinet members popping up at the National Press Centre, Abuja, to render accounts of their stewardship.
Led by the nation’s Chief Spokesman, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who has redefined information management and made it as easy as taking food from hand to mouth, the ministers reeled out their scorecards in most cases to the applause of critical journalists in attendance.
Indeed, time flies! The first quarter of the first term President Tinubu has sneaked in on us, presenting a scenario of the proverbial five blindmen and the elephant: The one that felt the ear described the massive animal as banana leaf; the one that touched the tail passed it as a viper;yet, the one that encountered the trunk insisted it was an anaconda; the assessment of the one thattouched the legwas that it was an Iroko tree, while the one thatrubbed the body swore it was an Olumo Rock.
Many Nigerians sees the BAT administration from the perspectives of these blindmen. Regardless of the assessment(s) of these men, it is an incontestable fact the elephant remains the most gigantean mammal on land. The same goes for BAT.Despite the viewpoints of his traducers, the Tinubu administration stands as the light at the end of the tunnel – not that of a moving train, though – but one that offers fresh hope for the citizens hitherto perching on the wings of despair. Small wonder,and because they believed in his vision and mission for a prosperous Nigeria, he was able to fly to the Seat of Power usinghis 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda as the magic carpet.
President Tinubu emerged on the scene when the ship of the nation was being buffeted by all manner of challenges that were well known to everyone. In his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on May 29, 2023, he made a pronouncement that was received with mixed feelings across the nation. He sounded the death knell of the plague known as fuel subsidy.
“Fuel subsidy is gone!” That was the final nail on the behemoth.
But BAT did not remove the subsidy. The fraud was already on a life support under the Buhari administration which made no further provision for its sustenance after its exit. Successive administrations had no political will to rescue the nation from the ruthless grip of the subsidy cabal. But BAT summoned up the courage to act as the undertaker and had the monster buried after yanking off the life support machine.
Many had argued that BAT should have extended the fraud pending when the nation’s oil refineries would have been fixed. But why postponing the evil day? Even the refineries have turned out to be a quadra-headed, irredeemable monster, also on life support.
To cushion the harsh groundswell of the subsidy removal, President Tinubu shelled out billions of naira to the states. But the generosity backfired. Most the governors saw the reprieve as manner from heaven. They headed for the Bureau de change outlets and cleaned up available hard currencies. That massive sweep heralded the scarcity of foreign exchange and thus left the (fragile) economy unhinged one year on! President Tinubu then went on to unify the FOREX rate market to reflect the actual value of the naira. That move also killed off the foreign exchange subsidy which was also abused.
Looking back now, it obvious that the money saved from subsidy removal has impacted on the social and economic well-being of the citizens. What matters now is for them to hold their leaders accountable.
There is a correlation between Nigeria since 1999 and the Augean Stables. In Greek mythology, King Augeas had stables that housed 3,000 oxen that had been cleaned for three decades. Hercules, the mythical strong man, was ordered by the king to flush out the filth. Hercules performed the arduous task by diverting the course of two rivers to run through the stables to sweep the mess away.
In a similar vein, Tinubu came face to face with all manner of rots in the system piled up for close to three decades. The modern-day Hercules may not possess the strength to divert the course of River Niger and River Benue to clean up the mess he met on ground but he has the political will to turn things around as evidenced by the policies and programme encapsulated in his 8-Point Renewed Hope Agenda. It is a truism that there can be no gain without pain. He who wants to eat an omelet must be prepared to break an egg.
Today, the gains from subsidy removal are being redirected to fund critical sectors like education, health and infrastructure.
Perhaps, one of the daunting challenges successive administrations have been contending with since the emergence of Boko Haram barely a decade into democratic governance is the pervasive insecurity. Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) states that security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
Adequate security is a sine qua non for socio-economic development of any nation that is serious. In fact, any government that cannot guarantee this basic cover has no business out there. The BAT regime is fully aware of this hencepriority is accorded national security leading to massive investments in modernising and equipping the nation’s security forces.
In a nation where bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and allied criminals are having a field day, this administration has been able to rescue over 4, 600 hostages with more than 9,300 hostiles neutrilised and more than 7, 000terrorists and bandits arrested. The establishment of the N50bn Pulako Initiative and the annual recruitment of 30, 000 new police personnel is an indication of the administration’s commitment to a safer Nigeria.
Once security of the citizens and their properties are guaranteed, the layer of security is availability of food at affordable prices. A hungry, says an axiom, is an angry man. And a hungry man can cause problem that can trigger off insecurity. The BAT government is fully aware of this danger hence it declared a state of emergency and launch the National Agricultural Development Fund with N100bn. It also launched Initiatives like the Dry Season Farming Initiative and the Green Imperative Programme designed to promote year-round farming and provide farmers with access to modern equipment and low-interest loans, ensuring a stable food supply.
In the energy sector, the administration has put its nose to the grindstone, focusing on developing renewable energy sources and enhancing the efficiency of the oil and gas sector. The policy directives of the government have improved the investment climate, increased crude oil and NLNG production, and initiated significant projects like rehabilitating the Port Harcourt refinery and constructing the ambitious Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kano Gas Pipeline.
Significant investments in infrastructure are also in the pipeline, including operationalising the Port Harcourt-Aba rail line and constructing the 700km Lagos-Calabar Super Highway. Not to speak of the 1,000 Badagry-Sokoto Road Corridor. There is the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund which aims to raise N20trn to deliver critical projects and modernise ports and aviation facilities, consequently creating an enabling environment for businesses. Also worthy of mention is the 3,500 Renewed Hope Housing Estates to be spread across 13 states for a start.
The BAT administration is expanding primary health centres and upgrading tertiary hospitals, ensuring better access to healthcare in realisation of the axiom that health is wealth. An unhealthy population is a liability to any government any day.
In the same vein, the much-anticipated Student Loans Act 2024 and the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELF) are a demonstration ofthe administration’s commitment to broadening access to education. Also worthy of note is the emergence of Social Welfare Schemes, including cash transfers and microcredit programmes, designed to uplift vulnerable households and support small businesses.
Nigeria’s greatest asset is its young human capital. It is in realisation of this fact that the administration launched initiatives like the 3m Technical Talent Initiative and the iDICE programme to empower young Nigerians with digital skills. The National Job Centre and the National Talent Programme are aimed to create employment opportunities and support and/or encourage the youths to own their own enterprises rather than looking up to the government for employment.
Another innovation that should not go unnoticed is the introduction of the MOBILIZER App for citizen engagement and the launch of the Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App to assess public officials’ performance. This innovation, without a doubt, will engender effective service delivery in governance.
Some remarkable take-aways from the BAT’s scorecards:
· Took bold and strategic measures necessary to address the deep-rooted structural deficiencies and systemic challenges that plagued the economy.
· Ensured food sufficiency and tackled rising food prices.
· Launched the National Agricultural Development Fund with N100 billion to address agricultural financing challenges and provided additional 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains, including sorghum, millet, maize from the National Strategic Grain Reserves and 60,000 metric tonnes of rice through millers to vulnerable Nigerians through the 36 state governors and the FCT, in a bid to stabilise food supply.
· Enhanced security in the Niger Delta Region, leading to a sustained increase in crude oil production, which rose from 1.22 million barrels per day in Q2 2023 to 1.6 million barrels per day in Q1 2024, with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) production leaping from 57% in 2023 to 70% presently.
· Strengthened anti-corruption institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) by appointing credible and dynamic leaderships to these agencies and provided them with increased funding, better training, and advanced technological toolsto combat the invidious crime.
· Made a substantial budget allocation of N31.239 billion for the 2024 fiscal year to support various sporting activities, infrastructure development, and operational costs; offset over N12bn in outstanding debts for various national football teams; motivated the Super Eagles to clinch silver at the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire; inspired the Super Falcons to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, thus ending a 16-year Olympic drought; propelled Nigeria to place second at the African Games in Accra, Ghana… and with Victor Osimhen named African Footballer of the Year, the first Nigerian to receive the honour in 24 years.
These accomplishments highlight Nigeria’s competitive spirit and commitment to excellence in sports.
The achievements recorded by the BAT administration in its first one year has surpassed all expectations. He had pledged to hit the ground running. Many did not believe him, flipping up their noses in derision. Looking back now, he has left no one in doubt that he hit ground sprinting. His cabinet members have had no choice but also to hit the ground running and run along as evidenced by the scorecards they reeled out in recent days prior to the first anniversary. The government has strived to be focused and guided by its 8-point agenda which is all encompassing. It is a total departure from what we used to see in the past where agenda do not engender any positive impact on the electorate… but existed as mere slogans.
It is said that when the dawn approaches, it gets darker. Hopefully, the hardship Nigerians are currently facing will herald a new dawn and mark a return to the halcyon days which, I believe, the Tinubu administration envisioned prior to coming to power.
All said, any effort to encapsulate the accomplishments the Tinubu government in one page would be tantamount to attempting to empty the Atlantic Ocean with a tea spoon.
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