By Rotimi Fasan
THE pocket of protests organised across a couple of places by civil society organisations have since come and gone.  The protests, of modest outcome, were to show the disenchantment of Nigerians against rising costs of goods and services and the generally poor economic policies of the Mohammadu Buhari administration.

Slated to coincide with the arrival of the president from his so-called medical vacation in the United Kingdom, the protests had to go ahead on the 6th of February after 2Baba, the man who initially called Nigerians out to the streets, withdrew his support. The singer pulled out following confusing statements from the police who promised, in one breath, to ensure the safety of the protesters, and in another breath said it could not guarantee their safety.

Ag Pres Osinbajo

This fooling around by the police was clearly meant to intimidate the protesters and they succeeded in browbeating 2Baba who, reminding one of former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the protest was not worth the life of any Nigerian.

In conceding defeat to Buhari after the 2015 election, Jonathan who was apparently under pressure to reject the result of the election, had said his rejecting the result could lead to chaos and bloodshed. He didn’t see himself taking responsibility for this. So, 2Baba who was lending his star power to an act of civil action for the first time didn’t want to be saddled with the responsibility for any major trouble. He was already being subjected to all sorts of personal attacks that bear no connection to the protest. Not being a Fela Anikulapo Kuti and, perhaps not eager to travel down the uncharted path of activism, he chose to play it cool.

But the protests went ahead all the same. It achieved only modest and symbolic significance. If not for anything else, at least the government has been served notice of what Nigerians think of it. It might be the fire next time. But the man at the centre of the little storm, the one whose floundering, slow-coach administration, is the reason Nigerians are issuing warnings of discontent was still in hibernation having chosen to extend his trip indefinitely. It was Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who was on hand to feel the heat of the people’s anger. In that moment of information blackout when Nigerians didn’t know (they still don’t know a thing beyond staged photo opportunities and reports of phone conversations with the president) what was the actual state of health of the president. Even though the security agencies appeared to have manned the streets in their full numbers, there was no major incidence.

Osinbajo, however, received a delegation of Labour that called on him days after. They had gone to let him know what Nigerians are saying about the government they had, only twenty months before, ushered into office with high hopes.

Those hopes are now up in flames with many who contributed the few hundreds of Naira in their bank accounts to the Buhari campaign now regretting their action. They had looked forward to a change in their lives. Change there has been but not of the kind they had envisaged. Yes, there have been changes quite all right but they are not the kind of changes to be prayed for. Many who complained they could not save after making due expenses from their salaries, many who said their salaries were not regular  before the coming of Buhari are now out of job to say nothing of getting a salary to enable them buy food and still have a little change left to save. Those still able to go to the market to buy things with their hard earned money now know what it means to have money that has lost its value to the extent it can hardly bring home food to last for a day.

Without any coherent economic policy of its own, the Buhari administration has placed a ban on virtually every importable items, household goods and food, without providing any alternatives. Thus, when Nigerians thought ‘enough is enough’, they decided to register their anger on the street. But Buhari was nowhere to be found. Even if he was around, it is doubtful if he would have responded to any expression of anger at his administration. He listens and dances only to his own beat. Osinbajo was therefore the one left behind to bear the brunt of the people’s anger. And he told them, in response to the remarks of the protesters and the NLC leaders that called on him, the Vice President told angry Nigerians that they (meaning the government of which he is a part) have heard the people- loud and clear.

It’s good to see that the Vice President has listening ears, that he was not offering excuses in response to the complaints of Nigerians even though he didn’t exactly say what his government would do about the unbearable state of our comatose economy. It’s instructive to also note that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Sarkin Kano and lately critic of this government, chose to visit Osinbajo on the occasion of Buhari’s absence. Osinbajo surely appears able and ready to listen.

He even responded to the request by Nigerians that his government acts on the issue of the acting Chief Justice of the Federation, Onoghen. Yes, it’s good to hear Osinbajo say they have heard Nigerians. Perhaps, what he should have said is that he has heard Nigerians. But what may be more significant to know is whether his principal, President Mohammadu Buhari, is disposed to conceding to Nigerians the right of dissent before we can begin to expect him to hear what Nigerians have to complain about.

A government can only be as good and effective as the person at the head of its affairs. It may be uncharitable to say that the state of our economy parallels the health status of our president but considering his rejection of any suggestion that he is ill, it may be a proposition too far-fetched to compare our ailing economy to his health.

Even when he appears incapacitated, extending his ten days medical leave to an indefinite date (perhaps until he gets better, whenever that might be), Buhari’s minders and ‘megaphones’ tell us he is well and of his usual strong constitution.

But so far he reminds us of an old man that is deaf in one ear in the manner he has studiously ignored the cries of Nigerians. The only time the presidency associated the president with ill health was when Nigerians were told he needed specialist care for his ears. That is a medial condition. But given its propensity to play deaf should it ever be said that the Buhari government like the president also needs the attention of an ear specialist? Na wah o!