“May your road be rough! I am not cursing you;...”.
The above line from a poem written by the late Tai Solarin has become ideal for such a time as this.
With the 2015 Christmas being the worst Nigerians have experienced in the recent past and an unrealistic 2016 budget, it is pertinent for every 'realistic' person to prepare for the worst this year.
I am certain, your pastors, bishops, imams, prophets, spiritualists will not agree with me and may have told you this year will be the best you have ever witnessed; they may be right, after-all during a period of famine Isaac sowed and reaped bountifully. Elijah had divine supplies in a time of drought, but you see those two persons were one in each generation of millions of people, how the others survived/died is a story for another day.
With a 2016 budget predicated on an oil benchmark that was even lower as at the day of the budget presentation, one waits to see how the Buhari led government intends to raise funds to service the outrageous budget(even the minister of budget and national planning does not know how that will happen). As if the situation is not bad enough a breakdown of the budget shows that President Buhari either doesn't understand the times we are in or is deliberately out to further impoverish Nigerians in 2016. Why will the presidency in good conscience budget 1.7 billion for JUST food, in a year we are supposed to cut cost of governance? How we moved from 35 naira milo to this point, is what I am yet to understand. If the 2015 food budget for aso rock, could adequately cater for TWO administrations, why the increase at this time?
The continuous free fall of the naira will have a multiplier effect on everybody. Even the prices of hitherto cheap clothing at the 'bend down' boutique and evening markets will skyrocket. How about Nigerians abroad who by now may have been driven out of their schools,homes due to their inability to access foreign currencies from THEIR accounts to pay bills(i am also aware that it has become impossible to open domiciliary accounts anymore) - an action by the Buhari government which has shown that it is not only out to deal with Nigerians resident in Nigeria but will also stop at nothing to also ensure those abroad feel the heat! The president in his media chat made it clear, he doesn't even know when their sufferings will end.
For a country whose major source of revenue has nosedived, one would expect the president to make serious moves towards diversifying the economy but alas we see the budget of lying lai's ministry of information surpassing that of the ministry of mines and solid minerals(which is of greater good to all the states of the federation - since non is lacking in solid minerals), the direction the government will take with regards to propaganda, outright lies and deceit is obvious. I am consoled by the fact that, eventually as the hunger and misrule progresses, no amount of propaganda nor lies will make it go away.
With a projected oil price slump to $20, one would have expected the president to sell off some of his luxury jets(as promised) to fund certain important aspects of the economy(but from the 2016 budget proposal, he intends to travel all around the world more frequently and may likely be needing new jets) like the education sector, on the contrary the budget for this important sector has even be reduced compared to that of 2015. How the government intends to meet the agitation of SSANU, ASUU and other unions who are already mobilising for a strike actions due to the government's inability to fulfil previous agreements the 2016 allocation WILL also not meet is what I wait to see.
If in its first seven months in office(that a reasonable government should be seen to be a rallying point) ours has shown flagrant disregard for the rule of law. Courts orders are disobeyed, bails granted to persons, which the federal government controlled security agencies have refused to let go, killing of unarmed citizens who have dared to protest against injustice, killing of those who were sleeping in their houses and even the killing of those who celebrated the 'temporary' triumph of the rule of law via the courts. If all these could happen in just seven months. 2016 will usher in a more brazen attempt to stifle opposition voices and 'cut to size' those who will attempt to challenge the chosen one from Daura's authority. The president has made it clear(in his media chat) that the law is secondary to his emotions, who ever he thinks is guilty will remain guilty no matter what the law says.
As for the subsidy issue, it was obvious from the media chat that President Buhari doesn't understand what subsidy is and therefore cannot get a grasp of how it works - wait for its special edition of drama this year, with the trade unions ready for a showdown.
In all the hardship Nigerians will face, we will have to cope with a president who does not give a damn, is detached from the pulse of the nation, one who finds it difficult to address issues pertaining to his country (while in the country) and whenever he decides to, speaks in his dialect - the new official language in Abuja, the rest of us who do not understand the dialect can go and jump from second Niger bridge which by the way has become so irrelevant that it has not been budgeted for this year. We will also be faced with a team of conscienceless presidential volunteers who will perpetually insult our sensibilities on social/traditional media on how we should be thankful to the present administration for owing federal workers december salaries and ensuring many could not enjoy the festivities with their families, for the 50kobo reduction in PMS price. These ones will tell us the war on terrorism had been won since May 29 2015 and that the gunshots,suicide bombings in the north-east are only rehearsals for a movie scene. They will fool many who will allow themselves to be fooled, but history has always shown that the triumph of evil over good is temporal.
“May your way be rough; I'm not cursing you” but praying you sail through a difficult year and triumph at the end. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon.
