Harder time for Nigerians under Buhari?
March 13 2013 By Abiodun Giwa
President Muhammed Buhari of Nigeria is reported to have said that Nigerians students abroad, who are unable to pay fees because of foreign exchange regulations to return home. The report further said that the president said he has his children attending schools abroad, because he can afford it.
Just before the latest conflict between President Buhari and Nigerian commentators over Nigerian students abroad, President Buhari was earlier reported that he cannot or the government cannot pay N5000 ($25.00) a month to graduates, who are victims of high employment rate in the country, but that he will will prefer to provide infrastructure to enable all Nigerians.
But just as the argument over Buhari's demand for indigent Nigerians abroad, who cannot pay school fees abroad to return home gather steam, the country's information minister, Lai Muhammed, said that Buhari is no longer in control of the country's economy, saying that extraneous factors like falling price of oil among others have taken the initiative away from the president. The information manager said that it is the reason the president is traveling abroad all the time - to help get oil price stabilized and attract investment to the country.
Some of Buhari's ardent supporters have started to speak in tongue - (a formula of speaking by people under the influence of the Holy Spirit during Church services and understandable only to specialists, who interpret to the congregation). These interpreters seems to be begging the president that since the president has his own children schooling overseas, because he could afford it, he should not jeopardize indigent Nigerian students education abroad, because their they or their parents cannot afford it.
There have also been criticisms from within the ruling party against the government. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the ruling party's strongman, Bola Tinubu had said that this is the change Nigerians voted for. Also, the Iyaloja of Nigerian market men and women, Folashade Ojo, also the daughter of Tinubu, led a protest against the government, saying that the government had failed to consider market men and women in its plans.
Some of the commentators have reminded Buhari about what he said that he represents both the rich and the poor; they said that Buhari should not now be seen as encouraging a policy that shows he does not care about the poor. On the other hand, many Nigerians are complaining that the president spends too much time abroad than he does in the country, and they ask that since he is hardly in the country, how can he know about the situation that Nigerians at home are going through. Government supporters are quick to say that there are ministers,and that if any situation develops requiring the president's attention, the president can be informed by the ministers - notwithstanding where the president may be.
Currently, the power supply situation in the country has gone below expectation and Nigerians have cried out. The government has apologized, saying the reduction of power supply has been caused by activities of vandals, and the first time that the government is not blaming his predecessor or past government functionaries' corruption. But Nigerians have responded to the government apology as insane attitude. They wonder why Nigerians should be buying fuel at exorbitant to power generators for electricity, when the president himself is the minister of petroleum.
Nigerians are definitely angry that they don't have electricity and that they cannot get fuel to power their generators. They say that they don't want apology, but actions. But as the apology words from the government flew out from the minister of information's office, the president was also preparing to jet out, and almost unavailable to hear Nigerians' rejection of government's apology. Manifestly, the current hardship in Nigeria is also affecting poor Nigerian students abroad. Professor Wole Soyinka has called on the government to call emergency economic summit. The government said it will, but nothing beyond the words.
Before now, the government had mastered blaming its predecessor for every shortcoming. Now, the government has turned to apology and blaming vandals. For Nigerians, the times are hard and the future still uncertain as it has always been, whether or not for the past government functionaries corruption or the current government's inaction.
Just before the latest conflict between President Buhari and Nigerian commentators over Nigerian students abroad, President Buhari was earlier reported that he cannot or the government cannot pay N5000 ($25.00) a month to graduates, who are victims of high employment rate in the country, but that he will will prefer to provide infrastructure to enable all Nigerians.
But just as the argument over Buhari's demand for indigent Nigerians abroad, who cannot pay school fees abroad to return home gather steam, the country's information minister, Lai Muhammed, said that Buhari is no longer in control of the country's economy, saying that extraneous factors like falling price of oil among others have taken the initiative away from the president. The information manager said that it is the reason the president is traveling abroad all the time - to help get oil price stabilized and attract investment to the country.
Some of Buhari's ardent supporters have started to speak in tongue - (a formula of speaking by people under the influence of the Holy Spirit during Church services and understandable only to specialists, who interpret to the congregation). These interpreters seems to be begging the president that since the president has his own children schooling overseas, because he could afford it, he should not jeopardize indigent Nigerian students education abroad, because their they or their parents cannot afford it.
There have also been criticisms from within the ruling party against the government. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the ruling party's strongman, Bola Tinubu had said that this is the change Nigerians voted for. Also, the Iyaloja of Nigerian market men and women, Folashade Ojo, also the daughter of Tinubu, led a protest against the government, saying that the government had failed to consider market men and women in its plans.
Some of the commentators have reminded Buhari about what he said that he represents both the rich and the poor; they said that Buhari should not now be seen as encouraging a policy that shows he does not care about the poor. On the other hand, many Nigerians are complaining that the president spends too much time abroad than he does in the country, and they ask that since he is hardly in the country, how can he know about the situation that Nigerians at home are going through. Government supporters are quick to say that there are ministers,and that if any situation develops requiring the president's attention, the president can be informed by the ministers - notwithstanding where the president may be.
Currently, the power supply situation in the country has gone below expectation and Nigerians have cried out. The government has apologized, saying the reduction of power supply has been caused by activities of vandals, and the first time that the government is not blaming his predecessor or past government functionaries' corruption. But Nigerians have responded to the government apology as insane attitude. They wonder why Nigerians should be buying fuel at exorbitant to power generators for electricity, when the president himself is the minister of petroleum.
Nigerians are definitely angry that they don't have electricity and that they cannot get fuel to power their generators. They say that they don't want apology, but actions. But as the apology words from the government flew out from the minister of information's office, the president was also preparing to jet out, and almost unavailable to hear Nigerians' rejection of government's apology. Manifestly, the current hardship in Nigeria is also affecting poor Nigerian students abroad. Professor Wole Soyinka has called on the government to call emergency economic summit. The government said it will, but nothing beyond the words.
Before now, the government had mastered blaming its predecessor for every shortcoming. Now, the government has turned to apology and blaming vandals. For Nigerians, the times are hard and the future still uncertain as it has always been, whether or not for the past government functionaries corruption or the current government's inaction.
