33 Million Hungry: Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” Serves Empty Plates — By Oladigbolu Taofeek

The Punch on Friday carried on its front page an alarming report of “…malnutrition to affect 5.4m children, 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women.” According to the report by Candre Harmonise on food and nutrition insecurity analysis, over 33.1m Nigerians will be engulfed by a hunger crisis in the coming year.

The hunger issue has been historical with Africa’s economic hub. And has been getting worse with each government. What will the current government do to curtail this self-inflated food insecurity? Nothing substantial, maybe another deployment of rice or a call for national prayer against famine. To Ahmad and Oluremi Tinubu, rice, and prayer are the master keys to all Nigeria’s problems.

For decades now, Nigerians have stayed put in water that gets warmer with passing administrations. With the illusion that the state of the country is not so much warmer than it was an administration ago. The populace is lulled into lower expectations. The government makes lower efforts. And the economy drifts into a deteriorating state.

The Tinubu policy reform heats the water. And the hot water becomes unbearable for average Nigerians. The reform does not make the economy stay in a normal bad state but keeps it getting worse.

We only need a strategy when there is a problem, and the identified problem must be well defined, argued Richard Rumeit in his book The Crux. The Emeritus Professor at the University of California stated that without a well-defined and stated problem, a strategy is just a mere wish. And may do more harm than the intended good. Economic reforms, like a strategy, require a good understanding of the economy and its challenges, the limitations of the current policies, and the need for reform.

Contrariwise, Tinubu rolled the neo-capitalist policy reform into motion without due diligence. With the “vibes” of “we are here to better Nigeria.” In his inaugural speech, Tinubu declared Petro subsidy-free. And hell breaks loose. Nigeria becomes a deadland where hunger and suffering become common. The consequences of subsidy removal and complementary policies are evident without statistics. Hunger and hardship in the country speak louder and clearer than any analysis.

It is obvious that Tinubu and his conmen had no strategy but aspirations; their reform was just a mere “Renewed Hope.” The presidency hoped that with the subsidy removal, the long-sick economy would bounce on its feet and be up and running. They hoped and we hoped. But abiku so ológun deke. And the common Nigerians bear the brunt of the renewed hope while Tinubu and Shetima cruise in the new presidential jets around the world. Lawmakers enact policy for their betterment while leaving Nigerians to perish.

The well-being of a state heavily depends on the state of its economy. The performances of an administration are proportional to its economic model. In theory, countries practice either capitalist, socialist, or communist economic systems. But reality says otherwise. No country practices extreme left capitalism or extreme right communism. It’s a mix of these economic systems in varying degrees and heavily depends on economic forces and agents of the country. Implementation of a foreign economic policy is not just damaging, but also dangerous. Like all borrowed models, the “solution” often turns out to be worse than the problem, with a real and lasting impact on the people.

The hunger and hardship in the country have resulted from the imported policy. Lack of a comprehensive study of the country’s challenges. Poor alignment of the policy with the economic challenges of the country. And lack of comprehensive strategy that integrates the policy into positive short and long-term economic outcomes. The challenge has been applying an imported framework to local undefined problems.

Nigeria has suffered enough. With 33.1m Nigerians likely to face acute hunger, the Tinubu administration must retrace its steps. The government needs to understand the country’s challenges and develop strategies that put Nigeria on a prosperous path.

Oladigbolu Taofeek, a journalist, writes from Ibadan

 

 

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