By Casmir Igbokwe

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA:In those days when things were good, Christmas hampers would have flooded many shops and supermarkets in Nigeria. Today, you can count the number of supermarkets that sell such things. Is it not when one eats that one would think of buying hampers? The hardship in Nigeria today is indescribable. To cushion the effect, presumably, the Federal Government announced a 50 per cent reduction in public transport fares via luxury buses and zero fare by rail across the country. The reduction is for the Yuletide and it will last from December 21, 2023 to January 4, 2024.

Ordinarily, this is a noble idea that deserves commendation. Solid Minerals Minister, Dele Alake, said the gesture was a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s love for Nigerians. The transport companies that have partnered with the government to achieve this objective are God is Good Motors, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata, Chisco Transport and Area Motor. The routes include, among others, Lagos to Kano, Lagos to Onitsha, Lagos to Owerri, Lagos to Abuja and Lagos to Jos, Enugu, Uyo, and Port Harcourt. Air travel was excluded because only the rich fly.

Somehow, I suspect that this largesse from Mr President is a Greek gift. In the first place, just a few poor Nigerians will benefit from this palliative. Over 100 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor. They don’t even have 10 per cent of the transport cost, not to talk of 50 per cent. This means they won’t even travel. Most of those who wish to travel may have travelled. Some others have approached relatives who have cars to join them in their vehicles. At least, this will not cost them anything.

Besides, transport fare has always been high even with the so-called reduction. Usually, the fare doubles during the festive season, especially for travellers to the Eastern part of the country who usually troop to the East en masse this period. Before now, the fare from Lagos to Onitsha is between N20, 000 and N25, 000. It could be higher depending on the transport company and the type of vehicle one boards. Now, the fare is double. The question is, how many people can even afford half of this money?

See also  World Bank’s 15-Year Death Sentence On Nigeria, By Farooq Kperogi

Former Anambra State Governor and the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, spoke my mind when he questioned the integrity of the scheme. Though he lauded the policy as a step in the right direction, he cautioned that it should not be used as a spin to curry favour from the public. He noted that most of the participating transport companies were not aware of the FG’s intervention. The contacts he sent to consult widely with transporters in major parks across the country confirmed this assertion.

We are good at leaving substance to pursue shadows. The President and his team should stop deceiving themselves. They know what to do to ameliorate the plight of the poor. All these cosmetic palliatives will not take us anywhere.

Upon his inauguration as President on May 29, 2023, Tinubu announced with glee that fuel subsidy was gone. This immediately triggered high cost of goods and services. The high rate of inflation has been unprecedented. Before this government came to power, I used to fill the fuel tank of my car with less than N10, 000. Today, it takes about N50, 000 to fill it.

What this government did in the name of fuel subsidy palliatives after some angry backlash from Nigerians was to announce cash transfer to select vulnerable families. The criteria for the selection were not very clear. Obviously, the palliatives became a mockery in the midst of the profligacy that surrounds almost every action of this government.

While the poor masses go to bed hungry and even die in some circumstances, the functionaries of this government revel in ostentatious living. The ministers went home with luxury vehicles soon after they were sworn in. The National Assembly members took delivery of expensive Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) the other day to the chagrin of many Nigerians.

See also  When Tinubu Whistles, Omatseye Barks

Just recently, Nigeria came third among other countries in terms of the number of delegates who attended the Climate Change conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Over N3billion was said to have been spent to sponsor the delegates.

The needs of many Nigerians go beyond 50 per cent reduction in transport fares for a few days. Nigerians need sustainable policies, not flash in the pan kind of policies. They need a holistic reduction in the cost of living. The cost of a bag of 50kg of rice is about N50, 000 or more. A few months ago, it was less than N30, 000. Before this All Progressives Congress (APC) government came to power in 2015, it was less than N10, 000. Meanwhile, we are still debating upgrading the minimum wage from N30, 000 to N35, 000.

Government should empower the youths by engaging them in meaningful employment. Even this seems a tall dream. Some of the companies that should employ our youths have closed down their operations in Nigeria. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has gone. Procter and Gamble (P&G) is no more. Michelin, Dunlop, and many other multinationals had left before now. Yet, we are being told that the President was junketing around the globe in search of elusive foreign investors.

Tinubu should sit down at home and re-strategize. His Renewed Hope Agenda has turned into Renewed Hopelessness! Our school system, especially our tertiary institutions, has been living in past glory. Those citadels of learning have become citadels of rot. Why can’t this administration pump the necessary funds into education to save our schools?

Why can’t it fund our health care system to bring it up to standard? Doctors are leaving in droves to seek greener pastures abroad. Patients are dying unnecessarily because of lack of medical care. We have continued to move on as if all is well.

The best Christmas gift Tinubu should give Nigerians is to cut the cost of governance and plough the proceeds back into improving the lives of the people. Today, our debt profile is over N87 trillion. And the government is bent on borrowing more. We should learn to borrow less.

See also  The Neglected Chikun Constituency: A Call To Voice Out For Equitable Development In The 2024 Budget Before It's Too Late

Also, Nigerians need tight security. In most parts of the North, farmers no longer go to farms because of insecurity. Those farmers need to be reassured that their security is guaranteed for them to go back to the farms. Why can’t the government adequately fund and motivate our security agencies to do their work? Why can’t it deal with those engaging in sharp practices in the procurement of arms and ammunition for our armed forces?

Churches and prayer ministries are booming because people have resigned to fate and have only put their hopes and trust in God. As pastors pray for financial breakthrough, you will hear the congregants chant, “I believe it, I claim it, I receive it! Amen! Amen! Amen!”

Embassies are besieged daily by people who wish to escape the existential problems at home. Some manage to escape, but find themselves in hotter soup outside because they have no skill or genuine papers to remain relevant in foreign lands. Some die on the way because they see Europe from Sahara Desert and they think it is easy to cross over. Let this government show seriousness for once.

As you celebrate your Christmas, remember that there are those who have no food to eat. Forget government for now and share whatever you have to neighbours and the needy. That little cup of rice can go a long way. That N1, 000 to a widow can put smiles on her face. That N500 to a beggar can get him water and a small loaf of bread. Let’s share love to fellow Nigerians this season, transport fare or no transport fare.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, December 25, 2023

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here