Nigeria is in turmoil. Its economy is on crutches. Commercial activities are paralysed. There is no money, no thanks to empty Automatic Teller Machines (ATM). There is no fuel at the numerous filling stations for inexplicable reasons.
Everything is at standstill. People are only clinging to hope, the elixir of life. The government’s explanations are illogical and untenable. It is akin to a war situation.
Even, a cloud of uncertainty hovers over the general elections. The critical contest that should herald the periodic constitutional transfer of power is being threatened. Thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are enveloped in disaster, panic, agony and confusion.
This is the awful picture of the most populous country in Africa. The fragile, beleaguered and trembling pseudo-federal entity has ceased to be a model of economic development and political growth. Citizens are anxious. The international community is confounded by the turn of events.
Yesterday, a stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, bemoaned the national crisis.
He dissected the twin evils of fuel scarcity and currency change, attributing the chaos to the activities of a few cabals who wields enormous influence in Aso Rock, the seat of power. He said there are certain elements plotting the downfall of the party at the poll.
A frank and blunt El-Rufail traced the hullabaloo to the APC presidential primary, which produced the best candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Four months after, certain powerful forces are still locked in malice and hate, and throwing obstacles. The Kaduna governor said these anti-Tinubu forces in Aso Villa are not APC members in the real sense, but those clinging to the Commander-in-Chief.
El-Rufai said: “I believe there are elements in the Villa that want us to lose the election because they didn’t get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primaries.
“They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the president’s desire to do what he thinks is right.”
The indisputable fact is that if these “elements” succeed in their plot, they apparently have nothing to lose. They cannot also be held responsible. The APC will be the ultimate loser.
In the past, Buhari’s wife, Aisha, was in the same frame of mind. Raising an eyebrow, she pointed out that certain people around her husband were clogs in the wheel of progress.
But, Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Layiwola Muhammed, tried to puncture El-Rufai’s claim. In his rebuttal, the minister said President Muhammadu Buhari was unaware of the entrenched forces in the topmost corridor of power working against the standard bearer.
Mohammed said: “If there is anybody working against a candidate, we don’t know officially.”
The interpretation is that there may unofficial acknowledgement of people working against the candidate, but whose activities have not been tackled either officially or unofficially by the presidency.
The chief occupant of the presidential villa occupies dual positions in this electioneering. He is president and has the duty to provide a level playing ground for all parties and candidates.
But, he is also a product of his ruling party, and cannot be indifferent to succession, or the kind of successor that should take after him. For political and moral reasons, he should be leading the campaigns for Tinubu and Shettima on the platform of APC. So far, he has aptly identified with the campaigns in some locations.
While Buhari may not favour any candidate, he is expected as leader of APC to support the candidate of the party. Remarkably, the president, as a party man, has reiterated that Tinubu is his candidate.
But, more importantly, party members want him to intervene and halt the persistent petrol scarcity and the debacle unleashed by the Central Bank. Nigerians in general want an end to the nightmares.
Tinubu, an experienced politician, patriot and statesman, had voiced his opinion on what has now snowballed into a national emergency.
In the last month, cries of despondency have filled the air. Long queues at filling stations. Many are in the queue for hours in search of elusive fuel. They pay as high as N500 per litre in towns and cities.
What is striking is that those who carry jerry cans get fuel which they resell than vehicles in the long queue.
Also, long queues at ATMs have become features of banks’ premises in the metropolis. There is a strange ceiling on what a customer can withdraw. In many banks, a customer can only withdraw N2,000. Yet, the currency finds its way to POS agents who sell to people at social parties.
There is no end in sight to the mess. There is no assurance that the terrible situation will improve. There is a breakdown of trust, following the expansion of the gulf between the government and the governed.
The timing of the currency redesign that has flopped and the orchestrated fuel scarcity, according to observers, is wrong. It underscores a plot to create an unfavourable atmosphere for the general election.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) holds customers in the jugular. In a breath, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, following protests by stakeholders, including National Assembly members, reluctantly extended the deadline for the currency swap till February 10.
In another dimension, he said although the old Naira notes will not be legal tenders as of February 10, Nigerians can still redeem old notes in their custody if they approach CBN between February 10 and 17.
This condition is worrisome. Many Nigerians have never done any business directly with the apex bank before. CBN only has one branch in each of the 36 states and FCT.
President Buhari is the petroleum minister. The Federal Government has not lived up to expectations as a solution centre. It is ironic that the sixth largest producer of oil in the world is starved of an adequate supply of petrol for domestic consumption.
But, the collateral damage that should be averted is a public outcry, which attempts to link the candidates of the ruling party to the malady supposedly created by the government the party has birthed.
As Nigerians vent their anger, opposition parties are exploiting the scenario and converting it into a campaign advantage.
At the APC rally in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, Tinubu, cried foul, saying that fifth columnists and saboteurs were on the prowl. His views resonated with Nigerians.
In his opinion, unscrupulous elements were exploiting the fuel scarcity and currency redesign that had gone awry to embarrass the president and demarket APC.
Echoing this logical line of thought yesterday, El-Rufai said the CBN policy was not the policy of APC and the APC government, but the policy of those who want to bring the country down.
Tinubu said: “They are using fuel scarcity to distract Nigerians. I assure you, it will be a thing of the past. They are hoarding fuel and new naira notes to frustrate Nigerians. They don’t want the election…They think they can bamboozle us or confuse us with fuel scarcity. We shall bring the fuel price down. They didn’t want this election, but they have failed.”
When Tinubu alerted the government and citizens to the dangers, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) twisted it to cause friction between him and the President.
But, other institutions of state being hampered by the crises have also cried out. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that without fuel, the fate of the proposed elections hangs in the balance.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who expressed worry about the perennial scarcity, said the electoral agency shared public concern about the fuel situation and its impact on transportation on election day. He emphasised that the commission’s arrangements may be negatively affected by the non-availability of fuel.
To restore order into a state of pandemonium, speed is required as delay could be dangerous.
The buck stops at the president’s table. The country will like him to leave a good legacy.
