For some past sordid years, we have been missing the point. Messing up, beating about the bush. It has been motion without motion. We graphically reflect this in all aspects of our national life.

What would you call this? Using a whopping 40 per cent of our mind-bugling N27.5trillion budget to service debt? It calls for genuine concerns. This is just paying interest on the debt being owed. Not repaying the loan itself.

We are pretenders of no small mean. Our N87.91 trillion ($14.35 billion) debt is very much intact. It stands solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. Our leaders opt to scratch it on its mere surface. They behave as if we have no serious issue at hand.

They feign not to be perturbed or worried. They still go cap in hand. Move around the world in their usual opulence. Knocking on the doors of moneylenders. With utter ignominy, they beg for more loans. They want to be enmeshed and embossed deeper in debt. The more the merrier.

These rulers of weird specie won’t stop borrowing. It is their deliberate intention. And they vow no rest. They refuse to give up either. Until they borrow $7.8billion and Euro100 million. Only to fund the deficit of the heavily padded budget.

Its further details would amaze and amuse you. It would throw you off balance. Imagine, service wide votes will consume N4trillion. It is the money kept for unforeseen expenditure.

Details of its utilisation undisclosed.  Anyhow, be sure that at the end of the year, the N4trillion will be gone, spent. What an uncanny penchant for zero accountability.

The budget could only vote a paltry N1billion for President’s sitting allowance. That’s what we will pay President Bola Tinubu for sitting down this year. No matter how many times he chooses to sit or stand.

Even if he refuses not to sit down. He must be paid all the same. He has another N98.5billioncaptured as “Presidency personal costs.” Whatever sense that makes.

The Vice President has N40billion in his kitty. For the “renovation and construction” of his residential quarters. They are in Lagos and Abuja. Surprised? As if the VP has been living under bridge all this while. Even at that. He’s going to stay in one house at a time. Not all at the same time! Nor at all times!

President’s quarters will be renovated for N8billion. Same amount was budgeted for the same purpose last year! And perhaps next year, it remains the same.

A report alleged: “Allocations for President and VP residences, ‘enovation, construction and digitalisation’ are far more than that of Federal Ministries of Steel Development and that of Mines and Solid Minerals combined.” That’s their weird way of growing our economy to $1trillion in the next six years.

The National Assembly (NASS) mooted a novel idea to build a N12.1billion library. With N3billion to buy books for the library.

In the offing is N6billionn new parking space for the federal legislators. Remember, they elected to buy new cars. They considered that better option. Yes, than fixing bad roads littering the country. Imagine! How many primary health centres this will build in villages?

The budget beamed its searchlight on the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. To run that single office this year, it has N21billion. Last year, it was barely N519million. Compare, contrast and conclude.

But, something good showed up in the horizon. We may begin to sing a new song. A reawakening is booting, so to say. Let’s call it a re-set. What does it matter? Does the name justify the means? It does. And any toga justifies.

Label it whatever suits you. You are on course. We all have the same goal, purpose and intention. That’s what really matters. Nothing more. It’s vibrating, reverberating, across the land. We’re opening a chapter. Completely different from the old.

Listen to Bode George, retired Navy Commodore. He’s chieftain, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke the mind of Prof. Attahiru Jega. He once superintended our Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

George’s account: “Jega (a Fulani), said for the first time, a Fulani man saying what we see in this country during the Buhari administration, our colleagues in the North are not seeing it that way.

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“But we must restructure this country. The constitution we are running is completely military. How do you now sustain just one man in Abuja to be controlling all the corners of Nigeria? It’s rather impossible.

“Every month, every state heads to Abuja to go and chop all the money there and then come back home. Devolve power to the states. Let the people feel that this governor that we have if you don’t perform, you are at our call and beck.”

We agree with every word that comes out of Jega’s mouth. Nothing to add, none to subtract. He is perfectly on the right track. On this, we’re on the same page, same template.

This was not lost on President Bola Tinubu. He was spurred. He couldn’t hold it back. He voluntarily launched himself into action. It was apt and concise. No mincing words. No ambiguity. We could detect genuine seriousness this time.

It is his new normal. By fiat and without warning. He slashed cost of governance by 60 per cent. That’s daring! His spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, filled in the gabs on Tuesday. Exemplars:

“The new limits will affect travels by the President, Vice President, First Lady and other top government officials.” For foreign trips, this is the new order: “Tinubu’s delegation will now be capped at 20 people, down from the previous 50-man delegation.”

“When Mr. President or the Vice President travels to any state, the massive bills that accrue due to allowances and estacodes for security details coming from Abuja will be massively cut.”

Not only that: “Security outfits within states, whether it be Police, DSS, or branches of the military, will frontline his protective detail when he travels to those states.” This also affects the Vice President and wife of the President.

Ministers on foreign trip:  “Four members of their staff, appointees and the likes will be allowed to travel with a minister on official trip. For heads of agency, that will be limited to two members of staff allowed to travel on an official trip.”

Going forward, not more than 20 individuals will be allowed to travel with President outside the country: “That number will be cut down to five” for his wife. Same for the Vice President and his wife.

The President restricted to 25 members of staff to accompany him within the country. His wife has 10 “on official trips within the country.” The Vice President 15, his wife 10.

This is particularly thrilling and cheering. Suddenly, the President changed gear: “The notion of government wastage, the notion of recurrent expenditure being in excess, the notion that government officials will be allowed to conduct their affairs in a way that is different from what we are asking of Nigerian citizens with respect to prudence and cost of management, those days are over.

“The prudence of government officials must reflect the prudence and efficiency of the Nigerian citizens.” He capped it up with a stern warning. Very profound:

“If there is anybody who feels that the directive of the President is not binding on them, who feels that the President will not uphold this directive in implementation and seeks to test it, they will do so at their own peril.”

These may look like “little, little” things. But they surely matter. We have to start from somewhere. No matter how minute. Or even insignificant the effort. It can germinate like the biblical mustard seed.

The implementation falls on Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume. He has Herculean task to contend with. He needs more than ordinary courage, wisdom and honesty to monitor the new normal. But it’s doable. It’s not out of this world. For saner climes, this is given. Let’s join them.

If this is the beginning of a re-set, so be it. It’s a revolution of the mind. No one should be left “un-re-set” in this mind-reset project.

True, ex-president Muhammadu Buhari tried his hands on this. Though, not holistic as Tinubu’s. All the same, it went down the drain.

Our fervent prayer: May the heavens give the President the will and wherewithal to sincerely walk his talk.

That can’t be a wishful thinking.