By SUNNY IKHIOYA

Everyone, it appears, is acknowledging an economic turnaround in the country, especially with the assumed influence of government’s tough economic policies. So, it is expected that government and its media machinery will be coming out clean with the true situation of things, henceforth. 

Someone once talked about a ‘two-face’ government; that is what the people perceive their reality to be, and what the government says it is. It has been very difficult marrying these two positions together since the coming of President Bola Tinubu in May 2023. 

Because of its strong media and propaganda machinery, the Bola Tinubu government appears not to care about the feelings of critics and citizens out there. A lot of efforts are being put to sell to the citizens what the government is doing to alleviate the dire situation that we have found ourselves; but what is the quantum of effects that is reaching the grassroots? This is the question that we should be asking ourselves. A government that fails to heed to citizens plight is only inviting disaster. That is why we desire a one-faced government, the one that will be publishing what the people truly see. 

The President has just jetted out of the country for the umpteenth time, and the official spokespersons are saying that it is a working leave. If it is a working leave, people are asking how many times does he have to do that given the huge workload he has to contend with. Some are also speculating that he is going for medical checkups. The question is: why can’t they be honest and straightforward with the status of his health? It is also argued in some quarters that it is his private business, and the status of his health is not the business of everyone. 

But that is where they are getting it wrong. When you choose to run for the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and have been elected into the position, you become a public property; your health status must not be shrouded in mystery. This is also taking into consideration the cost of such medical maintenance. Furthermore, with the experience of the late Muhammadu Buhari, one would have thought that this nation has learnt deep lessons from the waste arising from foreign medical tourism and put in place a medical infrastructure that can accommodate all of the medical challenges that our senior public officials can come up with. It appears as if they are still as we were.  

People are also asking what it would cost to bring the best in the medical profession to Nigeria to attend to whatever ailments that are afflicting our president. At least the security angle would have been assured. The Chatham House in the United Kingdom is a much reverred institution, especially with our leaders and politicians. It is a mecca of sort, where politicians, especially our presidential candidates, go to validate their candidacy. It is still part of our colonial hangover for us to seek validations from our colonial masters to win the presidential election. In fact, first-hand information is usually first released at Chatham House to the consternation of Nigerian journalists. As the election periods draw near, people will begin to observe these movements. 

This is what the A1 overview says about the Chatham House: “Chatham House is a British think tank, officially known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, based in London. Founded in 1920, its mission is to help build a ‘sustainably secure, prosperous and just world’ through independent analysis, open debate, and offering solutions to global challenges. The institution is also known for the Chatham House Rule, which allows participants in discussions to use information but not to reveal the identity or affiliation of the speakers or other participants.” 

So the opinions of the Chatham House carry a lot of weight. That is why the result of research on trust carried out on Nigerian institutions should be a bother to all of us. As quoted by a national daily:  “Nigerians have reportedly lost confidence in their most important institutions, with the police, the presidency and the Federal Government ranking among the least trusted, according to a new national survey conducted by Chatham House in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics.” And this buttresses my position of the people- government dichotomy that President Tinubu has to work on. 

It is a surprise that with the array of distinguished media personalities in his team, the gulf appears to be growing wider. The people have no trust in the government; that is the bottom line, and the body language of the government seems to be: ‘I don’t care’. We must also note that “research papers have explored the crisis of trust caused by corruption in Nigerian institutions, highlighting the importance of bringing together reformers and changing underlying social norms to drive anti-corruption efforts.” 

Right from the beginning, the ability of Tinubu to perform to expectations has never been in doubt. The question is: to whose benefit? So, the President is saying: “Today, I can stand here before you to brag — Nigeria is not borrowing. We have met our revenue target for the year, and we met it in August. Let Trump do his worst, we are stable”. He attributed this progress to improved non-oil revenue performance, asserting that Nigeria now has no reason to fear international economic developments, citing robust mechanisms already in place to keep the nation on course.

“If non-oil revenue is going well, then we have no fear of whatever Trump is doing on the other side,” Tinubu stated. It is noted that sufficient acknowledgement has not been given to the Dangote Refinery for the apparent stability that the economy has enjoyed for a while now, despite the antics of the regulatory authorities. What we are demanding for is that the government says it as it is and listen to the voice of the people. Recently, the Indonesian parliament attempted to increase salaries of the leaders, the people protested, and parliament backed down. 

The same thing is happening in Nigeria, and the leadership is unconcerned. We have called for serious rationalisation of expenses on the part of government, but no one seems to care because the vuvuzelas of government will always drown the noise makers. It is the wisdom of leadership to listen to people’s cry timely. We must see the government as ‘one-face’.

  *Ikhioya wrote from http://www.southsouthecho.com