By Isah Aliyu Chiroma
“After all, the caveat should be to serve and not to curve from the treasury!”.
Hassan Gimba
Great expectations are always attached to a new beginning and are highly valued. They are always based on a vision for the future. A new dawn is breaking, and it appears to be vibrant, exciting, and beckoning hope. A new dawn, a time of rekindled hope, is being written in the anguished hearts of the people.
It is customary to recall the history of the people heading this new administration and their services to the communities over the years. The election had offered us opportunities to bring them to office, which prove to be that, a wise and ideal choice has been made. We wish you well and pray for you from the bottom of our hearts as citizens, and we ask that God almighty lead you in your new roles. Because a guidance of a leader, is the guidance of his society.
The inauguration of a new administration, which took place peacefully in the nation’s capital and other states on May 29, marked the start of this new dawn. The election has provided an opportunity to keep the promises that were made throughout the campaign, as we can clearly recall. Execution is crucial in our actions and the measures we always take, as we would expect. You promised to pay attention to some sectors of the economy that are crucial to the development of the country in your manifesto, which played a major role in the current administration to win the 2023 election. Security, the economy, high-quality education, and agriculture are some of these sectors.
The daring action made by the President, Bola Ahmad Tinubu, to secure the elimination of subsidy in his inaugural speech has received a lot of attention and had created mixed feelings. The money invested into the subsidy, as you said, “shall be re-channeled into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care, and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions”. These are critical sectors to address, most especially education, which needs a huge investment. This is one of your administration’s initial moves that will spark the birth of a country with a long history of growth.
We must be really concerned about the new processes, policies, and decision-making if we want to change the structures that the previous government left behind. The citizens need to be aware of those decisions and policies because whatever choice made will affect their lives in the future. But we should also keep in mind that there is always a cost associated with implementing change. Some of the choices will be challenging for us to understand or may even seem to put our future at risk, but in the long term, we will be the ones who benefit from them. The government responsibility will be to develop a communication medium, between the government and the people, through which the people will understand those decisions and the citizens voice should be heard.
We must examine the situation holistically because relatively few individuals are utilizing subsidies, which have become an unfinished business over the years. Almost every presidential candidate makes the promise to end subsidies while running for office. We must comprehend a very important fact: The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) reported that the nation spends more than N400 billion each month on fuel subsidies. This amounts to 7.24 trillion dollars annually. Looking at our authorized budget for 2023, only the 3.36 trillion PMS subsidy for six months was approved; this subsidy expires in June. So why did it suddenly increase, creating an endless line?
Whatever the case, subsidy must be eliminated at the long run. The removal of this subsidy will have some effects, some of which we are already witnessing. However, this particular choice will be more advantageous to the populace than any other. But it should be clear that the government must have make provisions under this ruling to ensure that things don’t get harder for the populace. A lower citizen, whose daily activities depend on it in some way, will benefit from the stabilization of their life as a result of this.
Of course, this is a pivotal period for the nation. We are in a period of transition, which must be accompanied by some difficulty along the way, but eventually we will start to experience a move towards future greatness. The government should keep in mind that the people elected them and trusted them, and they should constantly keep the people in mind when making decisions.
On that basis, we implore our elected officials to serve rather than to cure. Making sensible decisions at this time will improve the situation. This is a challenging circumstance. We want to be clear that the future of the citizens is in their hands, likewise the decision they will be making, since the citizens are completely aware and make themselves involved. However, they must realize that the new society only requires leaders who are willing to serve, a leader who possesses the necessary skills to rule and offer vital solutions to our problems as collective individuals.
Some may view it as a difficult time in which the government is unprepared for the work. But we must realize that it takes time for a shift like this to result in a functioning nation. It requires a sequence of sensible decisions and sometimes unfavorable actions on both our and their parts. Where are we going is the key concern in this situation. Future greatness will be the solution as a result of this, a transformation of our nation into a developed nation where everything is operating as it should.
I will conclude by quoting Niyi Osundare, who said that “there are times in a nation’s history when its abused past springs up like a monster and clings to its negligent dream like an inscrutable leech.” It would be a moment towards the path of greatness, where our leaders will perform to the high expectations of the citizens.
Chiroma tweets @ChiromaAliyu1 and can be reach via aliyuisahchiroma29@gmail.com
