By Tunde Abatan
The ruling All People’s Congress, APC appears too confident that it will retain power during next months presidential election.
An indication to this self confidence is reflected both in the unconcerned attitude of President Muhammadu Buhari who have to be persuaded to campaign for his party’s candidate,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who from all indications has been left alone to market himself.
Frankly Speaking Sanwo-Olu: The executioner and actualizer at work
Apart from Buhari non- commitment is the dangerous and unthinkable inhumane policy of the government atbthe twilight of it’s departure.
naira note
Inhumane in the sense that how come the unthinking Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN,Godwin Emefiele who has chosen to defy the Senate by insisting on January 31 deadline for closing the gate against old currency has appeared to be more audacious.
The third instance of APCs self confidence is the on -going fuel scarcity in the country over the government subtle plans to withdraw fuel subsidy.
You ask yourself,why a government and party desirous of retaining power at the end of an election cycle should introduce two policies that affects the common man to which it has presided over in the last eight years just few months to the election?
What magic did the federal government adopt in stopping the December cycle of fuel scarcity since 2015 but strangely could not do same few months to a general election.
Could it be inferred that there are fifth columnists within the presidency determined to ensure it failed to remain in power.
This is where President Buharis earlier reluctance to campaign for his party’s candidate had a correlation with the two unpopular policies which directly affect the citizens who are expected to line up and reelect it to power.
Isn’t it a sign of powerful forces within the Presidency who are bent on misadvising the President on state policies for hidden motives?
Could President Buhari had done same in 2019 when he sought reelection for a second term?
Does his present attitude to set up a fourteen man committee to end fuel scarcity not a ploy to distract attention and allow the situation to deteriorate.
Meanwhile,it is apparent that the citizens expected to return his party to power suffer from his care free attitude.
Does it also mean that the forces in the Presidency are planning failure for the party’s candidate especially since he is from the southern party of the country.?
Could the various unpopular policies aimed at retaining power in the North to ensure the regions continuity in government.?
Could it mean that the policy advisers have the surreptitious support and backing of President Buhari?
Besides, it is apparent that the fuel scarcity which has pushed up pumping price to average of N300 per liter and it’s attendant multiplier effect on inflation are felt more by the poor.
If the above scenario is not plausible then isn’t it a shame that five days to the deadline given by the CBN for citizens to exchange their old notes,commercial banks are still dispensing old notes from the ATM machines.
Yours truly even attempted twice today to collect money from inside the banking hall of one of the banks! Alas! the counter cashier threw up their hands that there is no new notes inside the banking hall.
Where could I get I asked? No new notes anywhere here she replied.
What of the ATM machines on the cointers?
Yet the answer is negative.
To justify the cashier’s claims,outside the banking hall,ATM machines were dispensing old notes while most of the machines failed to dispense.
Even right there in my presence,customers who came to cash money were given old notes.
If citizens cannot get new notes from banks ,where else do they turn to.
It is apparent the CBN is out to start playing the role of commercial banks having failed to supply new notes after several promises by made by Emefiele,the embattled Governor who is presently on ‘leave of absense’ from the job he was employed to do.
It is unthinkable that for the first time in Nigeria,the CBN has defied both the Senate and by inference ordinary Nigerians.
It is also unthinkable that President Muhammadu Buhari has assumed the job of legislators both by his refusal to make the CBN governor see reason and acceding to the request of NASS.
By extension his preference to listen only to himself since the CBN governor has made it clear he takes directive only from the President.
Then you ask what is actually wrong with our policy makers?
Are they still living in our midst or are in outer space?
If President Buhari is cut off from the citizenry,are the party officials and politicians and office seekers hoping from one place to the other to seek people’s mandate, blind to sufferings in homes,offices,fuel stations,banking halls such that such sufferings will induce them to vote the party back to power?
Or does it mean that the party and or government have a magic wand to convince them the people have no choice but to return it to power.?
The pity here goes to Presidential candidate of APC,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,governors who are seeking reelection,national and state houses of assembly members .
Pity because today circumstances beyond their control both in government and beyond the Nigerian space have combined to compound their troubles, makes campaigning difficult and thus limit their chances.
They need a magic to get a prevailing environment to put smiles on long drawn faces of families and citizens who have had to endure multiple hardships to survive.
They need more than Hope to jettison the economic crunch and pains of existence aided by a party which promised life more abundant eight years ago but which I’ll advised policies have rendered useless strides they made in other sectors we hich added no value to their existence.
