Opinion
Buharism: The Definition Of Cluelessness
As you read this, the news has already filtered in that herdsmen had killed another 27 Nigerian citizens in Plateau State. But do not worry, the Nigerian government is dealing with the terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). I am sorry if I seem to be trivialising the deaths in Plateau State, but the situation is just ridiculous to say the least.
These murderous herdsmen continue to maraud and pillage and the feeble response of President Buhari is to urge the police and security agencies to stop ‘this madness’.
Rhetoric. All we get is rhetorics. How many herdsmen have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted as a result of the President’s many directives to the police and the security agencies? The answer is between zero and few.
Nigeria is the world’s only nation where herdsmen who kill citizens are left alone while secessionists who do not kill are labelled terrorists! If herdsmen are not terrorists then what are they? Are they a charitable group donating free bullets to Nigerians by shooting it into their bodies?
Herdsmen are killing Nigerians in Plateau state while the Nigerian soldiers who should protect them are carrying out unwanted medical outreaches down South! Why can’t President Buhari divert the soldiers he sent to the South, where no one is killing or dying, to Plateau to deal with killer herdsmen? But what am I even saying? If the President’s wife complains that the State House Clinic cannot help her or her family, how can you believe President Muhammadu Buhari can help you or your family in Plateau state or anywhere else in Nigeria? And instead of facing these issues, the President keeps narrowcasting his blame game to a rapidly shrinking audience.
Just days ago, the Presidency released a statement blaming the People’s Democratic Party for the restructuring agitations in the country. Perhaps the President’s memory is fading and he has forgotten that it was precisely him and his party that campaigned on the issue of restructuring.
But of course, President Buhari never disappoints. He always knows who to blame for the problem and never knows who will solve the problem. Where real leaders have a solution for every problem, Buhari has someone to blame for every problem. Not everyone with a title is a leader! And the saddest thing is that like all insecure leaders, President Muhammadu Buhari is now using instruments of state power to intimidate rivals who want to compete for space within the leadership plinth with him.
Atiku Abubakar showed interest. NPA cancels his contract. Tinubu eyes the Presidential seat. SEC announces audit of Oando. Fayose declares interest in 2019 and within 2 hours the EFCC arrested his finance people to cripple him. Ibe Kachikwu threatened President Buhari’s reelection by exposing the deep corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and within days his house was literally on fire. Will 2019 be an election or war?
Sadly, all those who thought Muhammadu Buhari was the messiah now know the difference between a messiah and a messier.. Buhari was and is no Messiah. He only came to make Nigeria Messier! In the five years that he GOVERNED Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan spent N16 trillion. The economy grew. Naira was stable. We had the greatest expansion of infrastructure since the Gowon years and inflation was at single digit.
In the two years that President Muhammadu Buhari has RULED Nigeria, he has spent 15 trillion. We have had recession. Naira collapsed. Inflation has gone back to double digits and the only infrastructure that he has started and completed is the Daura helipad. Yet Buhari called Jonathan clueless but Jonathan has not called Buhari clueless. See life? Why should Dr Goodluck Jonathan even bother calling President Buhari clueless? When even the President’s Wife complains of the State House Clinic under his own nose. Can cluelessness be more domestic than that? And then while we were grappling with this monumental show of incompetence as exposed by his wife, along comes the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, who revealed that the President told him to focus the attention of the bank on Northern Nigeria.
This is what Mr Kim said “You know, in my very first meeting with President Buhari he said specifically that he would like us to shift our focus to the northern region of Nigeria and we’ve done that. Now, it has been very difficult. The work there has been very difficult”. And when the rest of the country was justifiably upset with this nepotistic behaviour, the Presidency, rather than pacify the nation, released a very belligerent statement insulting those who dared to question what the President said.
But if the Presidency says the President of the World Bank misinterpreted President Muhammadu Buhari’s request urging the bank to focus on Northern Nigeria, then how come 14 out of 17 leadership positions in the military are held by Northerners? How come 36 out of 55 recent top NNPC appointment went to Northerners? How come the Kano-Daura rail was approved while the rail links in Southeast were not funded? How come IPOB are declared terrorists and the army sent after them but Herdsmen are not and grazing reserves planned for them?
According to an investigation carried about The PUNCH Newspaper in their edition of Sunday the 15th of October 2017, no World Bank project has been “specifically designed for” the South South, South East or Middle Belt since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed power. According to Punch, only the core North and the Southwest have had specific projects under the Buhari administration. It seems the World Bank abided by President Buhari’s 97 per cent versus 5 per cent directive for them to ‘focus on the North’. The funniest thing is that these World Bank projects that are ‘focused on the North’ are loans that will be paid back by all of us! And this cluelessness pervades the whole administration. Babatunde Raji Fashola once said a serious government will fix power sector in 6 months. He has been a minister for 2 years, can we conclude that he’s unserious?
All Progressives Congress once said that N216 to $1 under Jonathan was unacceptable. Today I ask if N370 to $1 is acceptable? President Muhammadu Buhari went to Chatham House to condemn public officials who go abroad for healthcare. Today he is Africa’s biggest health tourist to London.
Nasir El-Rufai mocked Jesus our Lord on Twitter and insulted Goodluck Jonathan while praying. Today he is notorious for jailing his critics! So next time the APC promises you anything, take it with a bucket of salt! The truth, which I have always known, is that Muhammadu Buhari is as clueless as they come. If you doubt me, go to the State House Clinic and ask for ordinary panadol!
Omokiri writes in from Abuja.
Reno Omokiri
From all indications, Nigeria possesses enough human and material resources to become a true economic powerhouse in Africa. According to the National Population Commission (NPC, 2023), the country’s population has grown steadily within the last decade, presently standing at about 220 million people—mostly young, vibrant, and innovative. Nigeria also remains the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with enormous reserves of gas, fertile agricultural land, and human capital.
Yet, despite this enormous potential, the country continues to grapple with underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2023) show that about 129 million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line. Most families can no longer afford basic necessities, even as the government continues to project a rosy economic picture.
The Subsidy Question
The removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been one of the most controversial policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the president, subsidy removal was designed to reduce fiscal burden, unify the foreign exchange rate, attract investment, curb inflation, and discourage excessive government borrowing.
While these objectives are theoretically sound, the reality for ordinary Nigerians has been severe hardship. Fuel prices more than tripled, transportation costs surged, and food inflation—already high—rose above 30% (NBS, 2023). The World Bank (2023) estimates that an additional 7.1 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty after subsidy removal.
A Critical Economic View
As an economist, I argue that the problem was not subsidy removal itself—which was inevitable—but the timing, sequencing, and structural gaps in Nigeria’s implementation.
- Structural Miscalculation
Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries remain nonfunctional. By removing subsidies without local refining capacity, the government exposed the economy to import-price pass-through effects—where global oil price shocks translate directly into domestic inflation. This was not just a timing issue but a fundamental policy miscalculation.
- Neglect of Social Safety Nets
Countries like Indonesia (2005) and Ghana (2005) removed subsidies successfully only after introducing cash transfers, transport vouchers, and food subsidies for the poor (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria, however, implemented removal abruptly, shifting the fiscal burden directly onto households without protection.
- Failure to Secure Food and Energy Alternatives
Fuel subsidy removal amplified existing weaknesses in agriculture and energy. Instead of sequencing reforms, government left Nigerians without refinery capacity, renewable energy alternatives, or mechanized agricultural productivity—all of which could have cushioned the shock.
Political and Public Concerns
Prominent leaders have echoed these concerns. Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, described the subsidy removal as “good but wrongly timed.” Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party also faulted the government’s hasty approach. Human rights activists like Obodoekwe Stive stressed that refineries should have been made functional first, to reduce the suffering of citizens.
This is not just political rhetoric—it reflects a widespread economic reality. When inflation climbs above 30%, when purchasing power collapses, and when households cannot meet basic needs, the promise of reform becomes overshadowed by social pain.
Broader Implications
The consequences of this policy are multidimensional:
- Inflationary Pressures – Food inflation above 30% has made nutrition unaffordable for many households.
- Rising Poverty – 7.1 million Nigerians have been newly pushed into poverty (World Bank, 2023).
- Middle-Class Erosion – Rising transport, rent, and healthcare costs are squeezing household incomes.
- Debt Concerns – Despite promises, government borrowing has continued, raising sustainability questions.
- Public Distrust – When government promises savings but citizens feel only pain, trust in leadership erodes.
In effect, subsidy removal without structural readiness has widened inequality and eroded social stability.
Missed Opportunities
Nigeria’s leaders had the chance to approach subsidy removal differently:
- Refinery Rehabilitation – Ensuring local refining to reduce exposure to global oil price shocks.
- Renewable Energy Investment – Diversifying energy through solar, hydro, and wind to reduce reliance on imported petroleum.
- Agricultural Productivity – Mechanization, irrigation, and smallholder financing could have boosted food supply and stabilized prices.
- Social Safety Nets – Conditional cash transfers, food vouchers, and transport subsidies could have protected the most vulnerable.
Instead, reform came abruptly, leaving citizens to absorb all the pain while waiting for theoretical long-term benefits.
Conclusion: Reform With a Human Face
Fuel subsidy removal was inevitable, but Nigeria’s approach has worsened hardship for millions. True reform must go beyond fiscal savings to protect citizens.
Economic policy is not judged only by its efficiency but by its humanity. A well-sequenced reform could have balanced fiscal responsibility with equity, ensuring that ordinary Nigerians were not crushed under the weight of sudden change.
Nigeria has the resources, population, and resilience to lead Africa’s economy. But leadership requires foresight. It requires policies that are inclusive, humane, and strategically sequenced.
Reform without equity is displacement of poverty, not development. If Nigeria truly seeks progress, its policies must wear a human face.
References
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2023). Poverty and Inequality Report. Abuja.
- National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Population Estimates. Abuja.
- World Bank. (2023). Nigeria Development Update. Washington, DC.
- World Bank. (2005). Fuel Subsidy Reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and Ghana. Washington, DC.
- OPEC. (2023). Annual Statistical Bulletin. Vienna.
By: Amarachi Amaugo