The new presidential jet
The new A300 presidential jet acquired by President Bola Tinubu at a cost of $100 million is a sad reminder of a lack of empathy on the side of the political class for the electorate.
While the safety of the president is paramount and non negotiable; it is of utmost importance that in looking at this we must contextualize the purchase of the jet in relation to the wider social issues distressing the nation such as hunger, insecurity, inflation, unemployment among other pressing issues bedeviling the polity.
The issue at hand is that in deconstructing the current administration’s behavioral pattern there’s a recurring leitmotif of the persistent schadenfreude and I don’t –care-attitude to the suffering and hunger of Nigerians on the part of the executive and legislative arms of government ; suffering induced by asphyxiating, suicidal economic policies In the last twenty five years as a nation, aside the ascent into power of Muhammadu Buhari, no leader has elicited much optimism and excited the electorate as Tinubu’s ascension.
We expected President Tinubu to solve the hunger crisis with the speed at which the new A300 Presidential jet was acquired.
The reason for this cannot be
divorced from his credentials as a progressive who could easily identify with the aspirations of the people.
While it is true that as at the time of his rise to power the social, political and economic engine of the country had run aground, that itself was the reason for much of the optimism that a fixer had been fortunately elected who had the perspicacity and hands-on experience to begin to take Nigeria from the brink and cliff hanger.
Unfortunately, this hope was not long in dissolving as the progressive approach expected to tackle the myriad of challenges quickly gave way to neoliberal Bretton Woods prescriptive approach which had never worked in the global South, since in the main, it was not design to help but to run aground the economies of nations, including Nigeria that made up the global South.
The subsidy removal was not mediated by ameliorating well thought out palliatives, and the Naira assaulted by the new monetary policies began its inevitable journey to Golgotha. This has created unprecedented inflation making basic commodities out of the reach of the common people.
It’s the view of National Waves that the administration’s admonition to Nigerians to belt-tight and bear temporary pains as it seeks solutions to economic meltdown has not found sacrificial model in the attitudes and behaviour of the political class which continues to luxuriate in opulence, conspicuous consumption and pleasure as well as privileged elite decadence, while the people wallow in penury, hunger and unbearable suffering which eventually led to protests recently.
The members of the National Assembly who are the representatives of the people have alienated themselves from the people; earn scandalous salaries and allowances while the people can barely feed. In a brazen disregard for the porous state of the economy and welfare of those they represent some months ago a brand new SUV costing N160 million each was acquired, not to talk of N20 billion to renovate the residence of the vice president. Nigerians joined the recent protests because of hunger. It is disheartening that the problem of hunger has persisted. It is the considered opinion of National Waves that hunger is the surest way to anarchy because a hungry man is an angry man.
Although National Waves frowns at violent protest that will culminate into a state of anarchy, this much was recognized by Francis Bacon, the British renaissance philosopher who once said ‘’ the rebellion of the stomach is the worst kind of rebellion,’’, which many believe no army or police can quench.
The federal government should device ways of sending the military to offer protection to farmers against bandits, kidnappers and Boko Haram insurgents across the country. Farming aids like fertilizers and credit facilities should be made available for identified farmers
