Who will tell Mr President some hard truths?

Events from the past week have raised pertinent questions in my mind as to how President Muhammadu Buhari gets informed about what’s going on in the polity.

Does he really get briefed about what goes on in various quarters and pretend not to be aware or is he genuinely unaware of matters that may
actually cast aspersion on his administration?

I wonder. Does Mr. President really care what Nigerians think? Does he still care for things like integrity and trust? Or basically, is he just too burdened with getting the country out of its current economic downturn to listen to beer-parlour “gist”? Well, I can relate. Perhaps not.

I just expect that every morning or at some particular point in your day, you will receive briefings from those assigned to do so. Aptly put, as the President and “Oga at the top” you should know or at most be abreast with happenings in the country you lead. That’s part of being the President, yes?

Funny thing is you have employed a retinue of staff to watch your back on all fronts. Since Nigeria has joined the rest of the world to be internet savvy, a lot of things are posted out there. Some are even tagged to your page hoping you see them. There are those whose job it is to monitor news and some sit as attack dogs waiting for anything negative on you online. Isn’t it rather funny that they do not report back? I don’t ask that you pay attention to every vituperation by Nigerians, I just expect that when something threatens to spoil the hard work you put in, you shouldn’t even sleep on it.

All this grammar I am spinning out today is out of exasperation at recent happenings and your lack of action or seeming lack of action towards them. Ok, so I am aware that you have also refused to act on a lot of matters lately, which will actually explain why after over a year now we are still begging for the constitution of boards of parastatals of government agencies among other things.

I think I am ranting too much without hitting or telling you the crux of the matter. It is deliberate. You see, the Super Falcons issue and that of your Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, and now a principal staff, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, is smearing our image as a country and questioning the  credibility of your anti-graft war and you seem to turn a blind eye.

Ok, in fairness, I hear you are still investigating.
Is it right to believe that you had no idea what was going on with the Super Falcons until they decided to take to the streets and head to Aso Rock and the National Assembly on a day you were to present the 2017 spending plan to the lawmakers? Is it right to conclude that you gave Mr. Dalung a pat on the back and let him continue like business as usual?

These girls clinched their eight women’s African Cup of Nations title, defeating a fierce rival Cameroon that hosted the tournament.
Ironically, the losing finalists were celebrated in their country while the record holders still scrounged the streets seeking to get what is rightfully theirs. Their allowances and entitlements.
Excuse us for being in a recession but I think it is high time the CHANGE you promised blows through the sports sector. For as long as I can remember, Nigerian teams have always had issues mostly relating to pay. Coaches and players are owed allowances. Something needs to be done to save the country the constant embarrassment from this sector or don’t you agree? For now we know Dalung is helpless and can’t help you there. In my view he should been removed like yesterday.

Watching the embarrassing show at the entrance of the Villa, your Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari who had just returned from his medical vacation stopped and addressed the girls, telling them they will be paid in two days. After you presented the budget and returned to the Villa, Kyari told us you had directed that the girls be paid that day.

Did you have to wait that long to sort this out or you didn’t really know the girls were still owed? I have no idea. Ok let me drop this.
On the other hand, while Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udoma were busy acting a drama on who to blame for Nigeria’s current economic woes, the country’s inflation rate was jumping to a record 18.5 percent.

Udoma, who was responding to a question on the rate of poverty in the country, kept trying to assert that the Buhari administration was not to blame for Nigeria’s problem, then he said: “We did not save”, El-Rufai intercepted and said no “not we, say they did not save”. We (reporters) obviously not wanting to continue listening to the blame game joined in the chorus one time, saying “the governors refused to save” in a bid to pass the message that these set of governors better be wise and save.

Governors still charter private jets in these hard times yet they expect Nigerians to believe that there is recession. At the National Economic Council meeting the governors were advised to cut down on excessive convoys, and even the way they dress. Interesting right?

The 2017 Budget was submitted last week, does that make us smile? I know that thought, “How does that affect me? Relax. I know things are hard
and yes we are all struggling but it’s just that I am hoping that this time around nothing goes wrong although I can say it will be an interesting ride given that the MTEF is yet to be approved.”

 

Elizabeth Archibong