Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and his widely quoted 1946 poem featured on the United States Holocaust Memorial, it reads: “First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Tinubu’s anguish reminds one of Martin Niemöller’s reviling of self. Like Martin Niemöller Tinubu did not speak out when it mattered most; when his perishing countrymen looked out for men. Even the First Lady of Nigeria at one point shouted, “Where are men in Nigeria”? Tinubu kept mum. And maybe he saw the First Lady as an irritant. He was not there for Nigerians when they needed him the most. Why will Nigerians rescue his dying presidential bid?
With 25 days to D-day, it is only dawning on Tinubu that the underwhelming performance of the Buhari government will be his greatest undoing. Yes, some patriotic Nigerians warned Tinubu but his minders wouldn’t listen. They said no, Tinubu’s achievements as Lagos governor nearly 2 decades ago would play the magic. But it has not. Not enough at all to make any difference Nigeria-wide and assuage the tragic suffering of Nigerians.
Now late in the day, Tinubu has turned back to where he ought to have started. Six months of shadow chasing and shadowboxing went down the drain. Tinubu talked about emilokan (it’s my turn) and promised to continue from where Buhari stopped. Such an existential threat! What he promised is akin to burying Nigerians who Buhari’s govt has literally killed alive.
Furthering these killer grips on Nigerians’ national economic, social, and political life means these indicators will get worse and result in more deaths. The dollar will then exchange for over 1000 Naira and fuel will hit perhaps N800.
Tinubu seems to have realized that his promise to start from where Buhari stops has alienated the rest of Nigerians who still have little sympathy for his vaporizing presidential ambition. He has now turned to his party and called it a failure. “They can’t think. …”
That’s precisely the language of opposition and not that of a ruling party. However, Tinubu as a citizen has the right to criticize his party. But at what point did Tinubu realize that his party cannot think? Now that his chance in the 2023 presidential race is irretrievably vanishing, he is waking up.
The real question is: what did Tinubu do or say when the nation was seized by the jugular by the incompetent APC government? It is evident that he and Sanwo- Olu played roles in the EndSars brutality in which there was the massacre at Lekki Toll Gate, a business concern in which it is believed he has an interest. What led EndSars? Did Tinubu condemn the brutality with which the EndSars was crushed? How many such deaths and massacres did Tinubu condemn? Is it the Owo Catholic Church massacre or which one else meant anything to a man who wants to rule Nigeria as a lifelong ambition?
In the arena of poor governance, Tinubu also kept mom till the nation’s debt profile rose to N77trn and debt servicing now hits over 80% of the nation’s revenue.
Tinubu has never said anything about insecurity in the country or blamed his party for not thinking well about it. Bandits brought into the country to force Goodluck Jonathan from power (many thanks to Hon. Baraje for the great revelation) have grown into a full terrorist group according to the latest status confirmed by the Nigerian courts. Killer herdsmen have taken over most Nigerian forests and killed, raped, and maimed. Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed the daughter of 97-year-old Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the national leader of the Pan Yoruba Socio-cultural organization, Afenifere. Fasoranti’s daughter was one of the high-profile Nigerians they killed in the South West alone.
They have killed even more in the South East. Before Obadiah Mailafia died, he told us that over 100 communities in the middle belt have been sacked by herdsmen and displaced communities replaced by them. Tinubu never saw anything wrong. To say nothing about the spiraling unemployment and inflation this now stands at an unprecedented 22%.
The APC came in with a whopping 222 campaign promises, which included restructuring, state police, and even fiscal federalism. But let us leave the APC party out of this for a moment and look at Nigeria’s misery index which has grown worst on all counts since Nigeria gained independence with unemployment now at 33.3%.
Here are incontrovertible comparisons between Nigeria Tinubu wrestled from Jonathan and handed over to Buhari: Dollar exchanged for N190 in 2015, but now exchanges for N740 or more; Fuel went for N87 in 2015, now it’s N300; Kerosene sold for N150 in 2015, and now N1,000; Diesel went for N155, now selling for N900; Cooking gas sold in 2015 for N180, but now N850; Rice was N8,000 in 2015, now N45,000; Bread was N300 in 2015, now N1,000; Chicken went for N2,500, now N10,000; flight was N13,000 in 2015, now N80,000; Insecurity was in North East zone, now all over the country; Debt profile was $9.7bn, $98.6b… N77trn.
When these glooms loomed, and unleashed, where was Tinubu? But today, barely three weeks to the 2023 presidential election he says, ‘They Don’t Know How To Think’ for Buhari’s Govt moving Exchange Rate From N200 To N800. Fact is: the failure of Buhari was well predicted but the lust for power blinded the likes of Tinubu.
For this February 2023 General elections, Nigerians should offer the prayer of Josiah Gilbert Holland –
God give us men
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting for Justice sleeps.
Not men who will keep silent while the nation perishes for fear of injuring some pride and stepping on toes. Nigerians desperately need men and women who can provide total leadership and possess the courage to restructure the polity and move the country to nationhood and pride of Africa and envy of the world.
· Dr Law Mefor, a forensic/social psychologist, is a fellow of The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought and can be reached via 09130335723 or [email protected]. He tweets @DrLawMefor.
