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By Pere Abiyesuku
It may not be generally accepted, but this is not the best time to be the president of a country like Nigeria. Anybody who does must be extremely courageous. And I think President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is.
With his administration barely one year in office, Nigerians were long divided on its achievements. The performance rating was run up the flagpole a little bit earlier than usual. Unlike previous administrations, it was not allowed any period of grace and was sent to the court of public opinion too early. With an inherited economy in the throes of recession and an insecure state the Tinubu administration was exposed to vicarious criticisms. Virulent opposition latched onto the gap and attacked the government in hope of causing it some image problem.
But the administration was undeterred and has continued to work so hard in the last one year to stem the drift and return the country on the path of growth. It has introduced far-reaching principles of action to guide the economic recovery. These principles, many of which are already on stream, may not be evident yet, but are there nonetheless to boost the economic recovery and de-escalate insecurity in the country. Though the administration is just one year in office, which time is not enough for critical assessment, but it has made substantial progress by taking a lot of bold actions.
The implementation of the Steven Orasanye Report hitherto kept under lock is a bold step in cutting down waste in government. Until now, responsibilities, many of them otiose, were duplicated in the course of running government. Ministries, Departments and Agencies with overlapping responsibilities were allowed to exist at the expense of the state. What the administration did was to streamline and make them more effective and cost-efficient. In line with the cost-reduction policy of the administration, foreign travel by government officials was cut down by 60 percent. This was widely acclaimed even by the opposition. The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election Mr. Peter Obi commended the government for the effort. “It was one positive step towards the reduction of cost of governance and a way of halting wastage”. It is important to state that the cost-reduction policy affected not just other government officials, but the President’s entourage, those of the Vice President’s Kashim Shettima, the First Lady Remi Tinubu’s and the ministers.’
The money saved from this and elsewhere in government businesses is being moved to shore up funding of capital projects. Aware that his administration may not achieve much without an economic team whose priority is to advise on fiscal and monetary reforms, energy development, job creation and capital projects funding, the administration formed a Presidential Economic Coordination Council chaired by the President himself with twelve cabinet members and the Central Bank Governor. Other members of the team are Doyin Salami and prominent business men like Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu and Funke Opeke. This is in addition to another Economic Management Team Taskforce headed by the Finance Minister Wale Edun. The Taskforce is mandated to develop and execute a six month emergency economic plan within two weeks. It will complement the existing structures and has as members Cabinet Ministers, the National Security Adviser, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, State Governors and leading economist Bismarck Rewane and Suleiman Ndanusa.
With the removal of petroleum subsidy, the Tinubu government has decided to stabilize petroleum refining in the country. It has commenced the Turn-Around-Maintenance (TAM) of the four existing refineries in the country and encouraged establishment of private ones. The maintenance of the four namely Port-Harcourt Refining Company (old and new) Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company is ongoing. This will not only allow for availability of petroleum products, but its affordability as well. And in line with the energy reforms of his administration, President Tinubu equally directed mandatory procurement of Compressed Natural Gas CNG-compliant vehicles by government ministries, departments and agencies, and rejected memos brought by members of the Federal Executive Council, seeking to purchase fuel-dependent vehicles. He insisted that the “nation will not progress forward if we continue to dance on the same spot”. Note the CNG will ensure drive utility, energy security and cut in high fuel cost as well as augur for a cleaner energy because CNG-enabled vehicles produce lower emissions and are cost effective.
It is a mark of courageous leadership on the part of the Tinubu administration to direct interest to the nation’s abundant gas deposits, until now neglected. The administration is not only ready to harness it as alternative energy source, but will use it to boost the economy and create jobs. This does not in any way detract from the effort the administration is making to keep the country together.
The effort of the administration on security is also commendable. With all the six geopolitical zones of the country contending with peculiar security challenges, the administration has since doubled down on its effort. The Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, unknown gunmen in the Southeast, farmer-herders clashes in the North-central, oil bunkering and militancy in the South-south, banditry in the Northwest, and abduction and armed robbery in the Southwest have been reduced in intensity. The frequency of hostage-taking, seizure of government facilities and sundry other security breaches have been tackled effectively. Insecurity is no longer as rife as it was previously. Hostages are freed from captivity with criminal elements substantially decimated. This became possible with government renewed support to the security forces. A new aircraft to upgrade the national defense capability was procured just as a whopping sum of N18 billion as Group Life Assurance benefits was approved for the families of fallen heroes. The effort may not prove sufficient for the parlous state yet, but it is encouraging that the administration is working hard to revamp the economy and contain the rabid violence in the country. It is believed that before long, the economy will improve and lives of Nigerians woozy with hunger will be renewed with vigor.
• Abiyesuku writes from Port Harcourt
