Even though the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is a troubleshooter who vowed to tackle the country’s political and socio-economic challenges, pressure has been mounting on him as he navigates his presidency through its most difficult period yet.
Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State and member of the All Progressives Congress, was elected as President after a hard-fought presidential election held on February 25, 2023, and he, upon his inauguration on May 29 of the same year, announced the discontinuation of the contentious payment of subsidy on petroleum products.
That singular action, however, set off a harsh ripple effect which has been woven into the natural fabric of the Nigerian society as it is known today, and put Tinubu on a coalition course with individuals, groups and opposition political figures who drummed up calls for his resignation, even though they themselves said they would do away with subsidy if elected.
And so in the twinkling of an eye, the economy, which was already in dire straits, became an early casualty after Tinubu effected subsidy removal.
Many political and economic analysts have, however, insisted that the downturn in the economy which followed subsidy removal is largely due to the “misgovernment” of Tinubu’s predecessor and immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Consequently, Nigerians began to pay through the nose for basic necessities of life and this was as unprecedented price increases took centre stage in the country.
The inflation has since continued to climb and has not abated. And to substantiate what Nigerians already know, the National Bureau of Statistics, last week, put numbers to the inflationary trend in the country.
According to the NBS, prices of tomatoes, Irish potatoes, beans, garri, yam, and other staples, witnessed significant price increases in June, with the price of tomato, for instance, soaring to more than 300 percent.
The Bureau also stated that headline inflation for June increased to 34.19 percent relative to the May 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.95 percent.
The President has pleaded for more time to enable him to control inflation and bring a smile to the faces of Nigerians but some Nigerian youths and human rights activists have decided to take their grievances against the government to the streets.
So, come August 1, there will be a “hardship protest” throughout the country to demand better governance. And the Presidency, well aware of the danger this portends, is working round the clock to calm frayed nerves and avert violent protests that can bring back memories of the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
So far, the youths have vowed not to back down from their plan to protest. In fact, some of them have reminded the President that he once lent his voice to and participated in protest marches when his party, the APC, was in the opposition.
Analysts are of the view that the President could be worried that his reputation as a democrat might be “stained” if he decided to come down heavily on protesters.
They added that the President fears that unlike the peaceful protest he took part in during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan and the military junta of the late Sani Abacha, the August 1 protest could turn violent because of the level of anger in the country.
Obviously, the planned nationwide protest is not the only “problem” giving Tinubu sleepless nights. Insecurity, too, has also been a thorn in his flesh.
“I understand that all these events are likely giving the President sleepless nights and headaches, but the truth is that poor Nigerians are not only having sleepless nights, but sleepless days as well”
The President’s blueprint for defeating the dreaded Boko Haram sect has not fully yielded fruits. Only last month, the bloodthirsty group used three brainwashed female suicide bombers to detonate multiple explosives in Borno State.
Tinubu called the series of deadly blasts “desperate acts of terror” but even that has not swayed the insurgents to have a change of heart.
Apart from the members of the Boko Haram sect who have been promoting their brand of terrorism in Northern Nigeria – a region where illiteracy and underdevelopment is the bitter reality – kidnappings, an unbridled secessionist movement and other violent crimes have been plaguing Southern Nigeria.
The security frailties permeating Nigeria have compelled concerned Nigerians to submit that the onus is already on the President to overhaul the nation’s security architecture.
On the political front, Tinubu has an ear to the ground for what his political opponents are planning to do so as to unseat him as President and sources say he is handling all “political gang up” against him with kid gloves.
Two of his biggest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, have already met and are likely perfecting a coalition that will give the APC a run for their money in the general elections in 2027.
Atiku and Obi have also thrown their weights behind the planned August 1 nationwide protest and it is highly unlikely that both men will slow down their criticisms of the President.
A political analyst and chartered accountant, Ifeoma Ogbonna, said that Tinubu signed up to be President and should come up with the solutions to all the problems bedeviling the country.
Ogbonna also said that it will not be easy to dissuade Nigerians from participating in the planned protest because, according to her, a hungry man is an angry man.
“The challenges before Tinubu are proving that uneasy, indeed, lies the head that wears a crown. The situation in the country is tense and a wrong turn by the major actors can spell doom for everyone.
“The most demanding situation in the country today is the talk of a nationwide hardship protest. It is a serious matter and we must not pretend like we have forgotten all about the pains of the #EndSARS protests.
“The President must prove that he is on top of the situation. How he intends to do it, I don’t know. Tinubu signed up to be President, so let him have the honour to craft solutions to the hunger in the land.
“It will not be easy to persuade angry Nigerians to shelve the protest. After all, a hungry man is an angry man.
“One thing I observed is that the President and his supporters keep asking for time to put things right. But the problem I have with them is that they have not told us precisely how much time we should wait.
“Hopefully, we will not descend into the abyss in Nigeria or tempt the President more than he can handle. I urge every law-abiding Nigerian to stay at home if the protest will hold.”
Another political analyst, Alex Okwara, who said he would join the protest, noted that “unfortunately, nothing moves our leaders except strike actions and mass protests.”
Okwara said that unless he saw something “tangible” the President would offer, he would encourage every Nigerian to join in the protests.
“I understand that protests like this usually end badly in this country. But I cannot because of that decide to be at home with my family. And then again, nothing moves our leaders like strike actions and protests.
“I will be out on August 1 and unless I see something tangible Tinubu will offer Nigerians, I will encourage everyone to join the march. We cannot continue like this.”
When told that the President had requested for some time to right the wrongs and set the country to economic recovery, Okwara said, “I understand that all these events are likely giving the President sleepless nights and headaches, but the truth is that poor Nigerians are not only having sleepless nights, but sleepless days as well.”
Asked what he wants the President to do, Okwara said, “I know it will not be possible for him to take us to cloud nine in the remaining period of his first term but at least let him take us to the pre-Buhari economy. We can start from there.
“And for now, let him forget politics and those who want to beat him in 2027 and concentrate fully on delivering the country from hunger and hardship.
“Our purchasing power is dwindling and we want the President to revamp it for us.”
