2023 Are We Ready To Choose Right Or Blinded By Emotions By Ibiremi Ibikunle
On Saturday, February 25, eligible Nigerians will match out en masse to choose the leader who would run the affairs of the country in the next four years.
As the big day draws nigher, naira scarcity and fuel scarcity have steadfastly reworked and rewired the emotions of the citizens. Although fuel scarcity has been an elder statesman in the category of challenges facing the country like the eclipse, naira scarcity has taken over.
The initial argument was the removal of the fuel subsidy, which average Nigerians feared will lead to a higher cost of living, owing to the fact that the ‘liquid god’ indirectly controls the affairs of the economy. Nevertheless, most economic commentators believe that subsidy removal will bring development to the country.
In January, the federal government announced that the gradual removal of the petrol subsidy will commence in April 2023.
However, at the peak of fuel scarcity in the country in January, the federal government quietly approved N180-N185 per litre as the new official pump price range. Who are we to complain, when some filling stations shut down due to the unavailability of the ‘liquid god’, some of the few stations that sold during this phase of petroleum hullabaloo sold at N350, while the black market booms.
Well, the bigger boss came in, “NAIRA/CASH SCARCITY” (Odogwu the first), who would have believed the ‘liquid god’ would ever be humbled by notes?
In October 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced redesigned 200, 500, and 1000 naira notes and gave a deadline of 31st January for the use of the old notes. It, however, extended this deadline by 10 days – 10 February. Nigerians were forced to turn in their old naira notes to their various banks, ‘mind you not for a swap’.
Before the deadline elapsed, the policy was welcomed by a lot of criticism, as some governors went as far as ‘dragging’ the federal government to the Supreme Court. Trust the Nigeria judicial system, the apex court adjourned the case after restraining the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from banning the use of old 200, 500, and 1,000 notes as legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice.
A.V. Dicey in the principle of the Rule of Law noted that no one is above the law. One of the grounds on which Democratic Nigeria strives today. Well, President Muhammadu Buhari proved this wrong in his national broadcast on Thursday, February 16 when he announced the extension of the validity of old N200 notes till April 10, reiterating that the old N1,000 and N500 are no longer legal tender in the country.
CONFUSION!
Although the apex bank argued that this was to curb vote buying and reduce inflation, average Nigerians are left with no cash to run their daily activities and even to eat.
Away from the ‘liquid god’ and ‘Odogwu’, the multi-ethnicity and multi-religiousity of the country have unarguably continued to be determining factors of our choice of leader.
Many Batifieds fear another tribe taking over the country, not to mention that Asiwaju as they say “has paid his dues”, so this is the time to compensate him.
For the Atikulated, let us privatise everything, maybe Nigeria will be better, not to mention that he is a philanthropic Waziri from the most populated region of the country.
And for the Obidients, we are tired of old faces, we are tired of these sufferings, we don’t want a Muslim-Muslim leader, some went as far as saying, “the lesser evil.”
The question is are we ready to choose right or are we blinded by emotions?
I hope our answer is the former. Emotions aside, all presidential candidates have a precedent that is worth rooting for, I mean a man can’t be all bad.
VOTE RIGHT!
Ibiremi Ibikunle
