•Tinubu
Chieftains and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) visibly took a deep breath of relief when the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court that President Bola Tinubu was validly elected in the February 25 election.
Buoyed by the judicial pronouncement, President Tinubu happily told the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who visited him, that the distractions caused by the legal challenges had been put to rest, reports Sunday Sun.
He told the visiting German leader that he could henceforth focus on delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration, as well as move to achieve his primary governance goals.
As the president begins actual governance without any further hindrance, across the country, ordinary Nigerians have listed their peculiar needs they would want him to tackle.
Chief on the list of what ordinary Nigerians want the president to address is the crass profligacy exhibited by the officials of government who preside over the disbursement and utilization of public funds.
Below, from state to state, ordinary Nigerians pointed at where they feel the pains of the economic and social adversity more.
LAGOS
Like other citizens across the nation, residents of Lagos, the commercial and financial capital of the country, the removal of subsidy on petrol, as well as the tumbling of the naira against the United States dollar, has pushed up the cost of living, leaving many of them frustrated and angry. Though Nigerians show an incredible ability to adjust to adversities, a school proprietor, Orji O Orji, advised the government on the way to go.
He said: “The first step is to cut down on government expenditure which is wasting lean resources on frivolities instead of the vital things that will improve the life of the people.
“A bag of rice which was sold for N35,000 early this year now costs N60,000. I feel there are simple effective steps that can be taken by the government to mitigate the situation.
“The government should stop piling on more foreign loans. It should look inwards and take steps that will boost local production of food, goods and services. It should pursue a serious initiative to develop the solid minerals sector and other non-oil exports.”
Dr Grace Achums, a publisher, believes that Nigerians would only take the government when its officials and their family members give up their ostentatious lifestyle, like the intention to acquire a yacht for the president.
Achums strongly believes that the government should make a massive injection of funds to bring the health sector out of coma, where it is currently languishing as doctors trained in Nigerian universities run away to foreign lands in search of greener pastures.
Very recently, the Strategy and Marketing Manager of Jesse Keayn Limited, Joseph Johnson, like most other Nigerians, reacted with shock and disbelief to media reports that members of the House of Representatives were given imported Japanese SUVs worth over N160 million each as official vehicles.
Johnson, whose firm is mobilizing support for upgrade of the sports complex of a Unity school in Lagos, asked angrily: “How could they be so insensitive, callous and uncaring about the degree of poverty, unemployment and production downturn pervading the land? How could they be so unconscionable to accept those vehicles when Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Limited could have supplied similarly useful, durable SUVs that are more affordable and economically sensible? Are they better than Anambra State governor, Charles Soludo and several personalities who use Innoson SUVs.
“President Tinubu said that ordinary Nigerians should make sacrifices, but the legislators and their ilk in the Executive Arm are living large and flaunting their excesses in the faces of the people. This is wrong. It is one of the things the president should summon the political will to address urgently.
“But he has to show a worthy example by demonstrating leadership by calling for a complete review of the expenditure items in the supplementary budget, to channel funds’ priorities in an affordable manner.
“The details that are emerging from the N2.7 trillion supplementary budget approved by the National Assembly give no indication that the top officials care about the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.”
For Dominic, who works in Surulere, Lagos, the Tinubu administration should implement workable policies that will rapidly improve productivity in the domestic economy so as to reduce the hardship in the country. Very importantly, the armed forces and all the security agencies should collaborate more with the vigilantes to deal with the insecurity in the land.
BENUE
Top of the list of the people and residents of Benue State is that the president should address insecurity, check the dollar rise and ensure that the economy is rejigged to accommodate the needs of the common man.
A driver with the state government, Mr William Juku told our correspondent: “The first thing the president must do is to end this herders’ menace. “The herders have taken over farmlands in most parts of the country, Benue State in particular. Security is the first thing he should address and that is what is worsening hunger in the country.
“When farmers plant yam, cassava, maize and other crops, and the crops reach the time for harvest, these people will bring their cattle to eat up everything. They will still use their cutlasses to cut the remaining crops and throw them away. If you have barns of yam, they will eat the ones they can and burn down the others. If nothing is done, famine will come.
“So, whatever he can do to make food available to Nigerians at an affordable rate, he should do it.”
Juku also lamented increased criminal activities in the country, including armed robbery, kidnapping, and banditry, among others, saying that the menace has increased hardship across the country.
“Both the rich and the poor can hardly travel without being kidnapped. Others can’t go to the farm without fear and the majority of us cannot sleep with our two eyes closed. The president must get to work and salvage this situation,” he said.
A farmer, Mrs Agatha Gbande, while agreeing with him said: “The president should send more army and police officers to our Benue communities to enable us to go to our farms. Benue people are farmers, that is the thing we know how to do best, but recently, because of Fulani herdsmen, hunger and malnutrition have suddenly crept into our state because we can’t access our farms. He should do something about it. That is the only thing we ask.”
Also speaking, a civil servant, Mr James Soso, said: “Now that the court cases are over, I would like the president to look at the issue of dollar rise. We understand that as the dollar is rising, the cost of living is also rising.”
He urged the president to set up an economic team that will see to it that production is significantly increased in a way we will reduce importation of what we produce here. This will substantially reduce the pressure on the naira.
Mr Samuel Kur, a retiree, said the president should fix the economy, fix the federal roads in Benue and ensure that IDPs go back home soon.
Mr Peter Ande, a bricklayer in Makurdi, simply asked: “This palliative we are hearing of every day, when will it reach the poor in Benue State?
“The president should not just give the states palliatives, he should also follow up with monitoring to ensure that the people receive it indeed.
“We also need to start seeing those promises he made to us during the elections. He said especially that he will put smiles on our faces. We are yet to smile. Let the promises manifest physically. That is what we want.”
BORNO
For citizens in Borno, President Tinubu should tackle the current food crisis and inflation in the country to save the people from dying.
“The suffering is much, it’s becoming very difficult to survive. We are already experiencing death cases as a result of frustration, hunger and ill health caused by economic hardship. Tinubu should do whatever is possible to get more food for Nigerians, solve the high cost of everything,” Usman Yusuf, a retiree and resident of Maiduguri, said.
Abubakar Adam, a trader, wants the president to address the naira-to-dollar exchange rate crisis. He said the increasing gap between the Nigerian currency and the US dollar is astronomically pushing up the prices of products, including petrol and other essentials in the country.
“We can’t continue this way. We are already suffocating. Tinubu should act quickly now that the court has declared him the winner. We have been patient enough and he should do something urgent,” Adam pleaded.
Alhaji Tijjani Bukar, who now resides in Maiduguri having been displaced from his home in the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency years ago, demanded a more aggressive and robust implementation of President Tinubu’s agenda on tackling security challenges in the country.
He said that it was time the president announced his plan for the Northeast and how he intends to address terrorism, banditry and other issues of insecurity in the country.
“If you notice, the president hasn’t unfolded any agenda on security. He has been battling this fuel subsidy problem since May. Now, he should tell Nigerians his plan concerning security and even the Northeast now that the election cases are over,” Bukar said.
KEBBI
Like their counterparts in other states, Kebbi State residents want rapid improvement in the security status of the country.
They also want the government to fix the refineries and the dilapidated federal roads.
A resident, Mr Baba Adamu said: “I want our president to look into the security apparatus in our dear state and Nigeria at large. He should give the Service Chiefs a line to face the situation or they go out if they can’t solve the security challenges we are facing.
“Secondly, the president should make our oil refineries work even if one of them could start working this year. The youths of this country also need jobs. Mr. President should create jobs, and employment opportunities for the youths of this country
“In addition, the INEC needs total restructuring. If our future elections would be better and be accepted by all, Mr. President should restructure the independent electoral commission for a better future election.”
Another resident, who is a civil servant, Mallam Usman Bala, said the president should open all of Nigeria’s borders to allow the free flow of goods and services, especially rice and other grains to force down the high cost of these items.
Bala said: “Mr. President should prove to us that he loves the masses. The high cost of food is too much. From garri to yam, rice, semo and groundnut oil, their prices are too high. Again, our federal roads in Kebbi State are death traps. President Tinubu should rescue us. Our people and motorists are dying every day on these roads. His tenure should not be like the man who became president and wasted the tenure without improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“Education must be free or subsidized too. But, if our people could get maximum security in the various villages and towns, we can struggle to survive through farming. Therefore, Mr. President should provide security for us in Kebbi State.”
KADUNA
Speaking on wants from President Tinubu, Kaduna-based community leader, Elder John Fwah said: “There’s no gainsaying the fact that President Tinubu inherited a large scale of problems on assumption of office about five months ago. These problems are not new nor do Nigerian citizens cherish anything that would hamper the flow of their physical and spiritual well-being.
“What should be the priority and a major concern for the president is security as any Nigerian who has passed through “hell fire” during the immediate past administration would agree.
“Security has turned into a monster to the extent that Nigerians sleep with their two eyes open. Security is the most important aspect of the administration as it promised during the pre-election campaign.
“Security has hampered every aspect of the life of Nigerians. Because of insecurity, the socio-economic well-being of the country is such that there’s no reason to ever contemplate any tangible project.
“Nigerians are worried about the whole issue of life and property to which the president swore to uphold and protect. Nigerians are, therefore, calling on the president and his team to as a matter of urgency and importance make security a priority. This, however, does not mean that other issues like education, healthcare, economic infrastructure, should not have the ear of the president.”
In the same vein, a group, Arewa Think Tank, through its leader, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, said that President Tinubu should imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and carry everybody along irrespective of political differences.
Yakubu said that it is now time for the president to focus on good governance for the people and fulfill all the election campaign promises he made.
“President Tinubu should as a matter of urgency cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal which has subjected the majority of Nigerians to severe socio-economic hardship.
“Now is the time for all Nigerians, particularly the president to roll up his sleeves and provide good governance by matching his words with actions for the betterment of the citizenry.
“I am urging President Tinubu to ensure that he sets up a committee to probe the recent reports of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) that over US$15 billion and another N200 billion for repairs of refineries are missing and unaccounted for between 2020 and 2021.
“This allegation that US$15 billion of oil revenues and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries are missing and unaccounted for is a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
“I am also calling on President Tinubu to name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing and unaccounted public funds and to ensure their effective prosecution and the full recovery of any proceeds from the crime,” he said.
EDO
Inter-state commuters who have had to pass through Benin, the Edo State capital, to get to Delta State and the Southeast states or terminate their journey in Benin, will easily recall the traumatic experience of getting stuck in standstill traffic for three to four hours.
It is hellish. Imagine a pregnant woman being in such a situation. If you can visualize what it is like to be caught in such a situation, you will readily appreciate why Solomon Okoduwa, an activist, told our correspondent: “We ask President Tinubu to give urgent attention to all the Nigerian roads across the federation. Nigerian roads today are all written off. The situation of the roads is that bad. Getting stuck at the Benin bypass is not even an experience you could wish for your enemy.
“We want to see how we can go to the market and buy something at a lower cost. That is what we want to see. We don’t want to hear the statistics of the economy rising, but the indices have to be seen and felt in our pockets and on our dining tables. You go to the market, you buy a basket of tomatoes and you use it for one month. That is what the Nigerian man wants to see. Things are happening and you are hearing them on the television and reading on the pages of the newspapers and you are not seeing the direct effect on your person.
“Mr Tinubu has to find a way to reverse this rising inflation that is currently ravaging Nigeria today. As we speak now, a lot of people can’t drive their cars, they can’t pay their children’s school fees because of the harsh economy caused by this removal of the fuel subsidy. He has to do something to reduce it in the next few days. Let’s see the buses that will be plying our various roads, let’s see the rail stations as we see in Europe”.
On his part, Ekeleyede Rick Odion, said: “What I want him to do is to strengthen the economy and tackle the issues of electricity. When all these things are done, everything will be fine”.
Also speaking, Jonathan Enegide, a lawyer, said: “I expect the economy to be turned around, I expect a rethink on the issue of lopsided appointments. It is a replication of what happened in the past eight years under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I expect that certain aspects of the constitution regarding the quality of people, tribes and nation, talking about the Federal Character will be adhered to so that everybody will be carried along.”
ENUGU
In the Coal City of Enugu, ‘bring down the pump prices of petroleum products, we are dying of hardship’ is the one sentence that captures the desires of people in the state.
A student of Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwolo, Precious Ali, urged President Tinubu to take a critical look at the sufferings of the masses of Nigeria and come up with immediate solutions.
She said: “President Tinubu should as a matter of urgency do all that is possible to see that fuel pump price and indeed pump price of all petroleum products come down to the reach of the ordinary citizens of the country. This is because it is the hike in fuel price that has skyrocketed the prices of all other goods, particularly food items. Like us now who are students, how do you want us to cope with a litre of gas at N1,100, a cup of rice for N200, and so on. We are really suffering.
“The president should forget about the student’s loan scheme, and introduce free education in the tertiary institutions because the loan is still meant to be repaid and not everyone would be able to access the facility.
“Also, I want him to urgently consider the release of Nnamdi Kanu because his detention is causing more harm than good, especially in the Southeast. The issue of security should be given priority so as to attract foreign investors that will create more jobs. He should also allow for true federalism where states will not depend on federal allocations, but look inwards to develop themselves.”
Also speaking, another student, Oshim Benedeth, lamented the high level of insecurity in the country and urged President Tinubu to go beyond paying lip service to the issue of securing Nigeria.
“Again, the president should put in place a policy that would guarantee job opportunities for the teeming youths of the country,” he said.
A motor mechanic, Ikechukwu Ezeh, said: “All we want Tinubu to do is to bring down the price of fuel. It is the cause of all the hardship we are facing now. You can see my workshop, it is empty. People have packed their vehicles, they can’t fuel them. If you go to the market everything is very expensive due to the high cost of transporting the goods. So, let him make petroleum products affordable.”
For Amarachi Offojama: “You are talking of three and half years, I am talking of today, if nothing is done about the high cost of fuel, I don’t know how this Christmas will be. Since he removed the fuel subsidy, we have seen hell. Let him bring down drastically, the pump price of petroleum products. Because they affect virtually everything.”
