“Every government is run by liars; and nothing they say should be believed” – I F Stone, US journalist, 1907-1989.
Stone was one of about a dozen columnists I read religiously when I was in the USA. He cured me of the virulent disease of columnists sending their CVs to governments in search of jobs. Nobody can work for any government long enough without joining in foisting falsehood on the citizens. The worst appointees are Ministers, Ambassadors and Special Advisers Media. Spokesmen, I learnt decades ago, are not usually engaged for their intelligence; but their loyalty to the boss.
Many of us might not remember Lai Mohammed disputing the CNN report that several people were killed during the #ENDSARS protest in Lagos. Now, Lagos State government has scores of unclaimed corpses, from that incident, to be dispatched into unmarked graves. Don’t expect Lai to apologise; it is standard operating procedure. He published numerous unsubstantiated accusations against President Jonathan as the National Publicity Secretary of the APC before becoming Minister. So, his choice was deliberate. For virtually all government officials, lying is done without remorse. They are paid for it.
EXPERIENCE IN 2016
“If you can’t beat them; join them.” That was the advice usually given by opportunists. In 2016, I almost got into a trap. One of Buhari’s Ministers had announced a great development programme which was exactly one of those I always advocated. Shortly after, I went to visit a well-respected senior citizen; and the conversation drifted to the Minister. I lavished so much praise on him that my host cried out loud: “Dele, this is surprising, you are always so critical of public servants. So, my friend must be on the right track.” Unable to hide my feelings, I admitted that the man had actually impressed me and I would like to help him as much as possible. A call was made; a meeting arranged and we met in Abuja. Everything went well at the first meeting. He asked me to return in two weeks for us to finalise the working arrangement.
I arrived at the appointed time. He was not in the office; but, instructions had been left for me to see the Deputy Head of Legal. There, I was confronted with a file containing a contract – eight figures and more than enough to buy a tear-rubber Benz – to sign and wait for Oga to arrive. I could not believe my eyes. Is this how people spend government money? I excused myself to go to the toilet; ran down the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me; got into the first taxi crawling along; raced to the hotel and we literally flew to the airport.
He later called the person who introduced us to ask if the amount was too low. Too low? I ran because I was being asked to join in robbing Nigeria. It was impossible for me to imagine anything I could possibly do for him and Nigeria to deserve that compensation. We have not met again since then; and he messed up completely. Now, I know how easy it is to fall into the trap; to join in peddling barefaced lies. From walking on the street to lying in the gutter takes only one step. Sometimes that step consists of being given a top level appointment in a government like Buhari’s own and being part of the atrocities perpetrated during his tenure.
RUNNING FURIOUSLY ON ONE SPOT IN 2023
“Only a fool will dispute over forms of government” – Alexander Pope, 1688-1744.
I read the RENEWED HOPE document three times during the elections; underlined, analysed, made comparisons with the APC Manifesto in 2014 and came to one conclusion: If the APC team wins the presidential election, Nigerians will have on their hands Buhariism, including its economic policies, delivered in new and elegant words. Nothing more. I waited for the first budget by the new President to be proved wrong. With the outlines of the 2024 Budget already known, it is clear we are experiencing continuity of bad policies leading us nowhere.
To begin with, it is clear that this FG, like its predecessor, has few, if any, professional economists on its cabinet. There is certainly no Financial or Data Analyst in the cabinet of 48 heads – not much better than one. Otherwise, with Gross Domestic Product, GDP, projected at 3.6 per cent; population growth estimated at 3.2 per cent and inflation at over 26 per cent, it staggers the imagination that a Minister, obviously economic illiterate, could be promising to lift any number of Nigerians, not to talk of 100 million, out of poverty. Yet that is a promise being repeated by a Minister now on behalf of government.
From experience, as recent as Buhari’s government, we already know that two things will happen next. First, more people will dive below the poverty line and government will fail to deliver on that promise; as it did on palliatives. Second, an elaborate system of propagation of lies will be established to deceive the world that those millions of Nigerians we are seeing in rags, ill-fed, badly housed and without health services have been lifted out of poverty. That was how Buhari did it; and that is the template being followed.
NAIRA: WHO WILL GET SHOCKED?
‘Tinubu’ll shock currency speculators – Presidency’
The President is chasing shadows. Stabilising exchange rate is not a major function of Presidents; the CBN is charged with that responsibility. On Tinubu’s behalf, official comedians have been promising N600 or N500/US$. My advice to Tinubu is this: Stay out of it. Three reasons account for this.
One, there is a clear distinction between currency traders and so-called speculators. Traders are professionals; they don’t panic when exchange rates swing up or down. Speculators do that. Speculators are now selling because government is bluffing. When the impact of the payments by CBN is no longer felt, traders know the rates will go up again.
Two, N500/US$ is not in the interest of the FG and state governments – who now collect higher allocations monthly on account of the high rates. Reduce the rates; and the states will suffer greatly as expenses mount all around.
Third, more dollars will have to be brought in consistently over several months to bring the rates down so low. Unfortunately, this will not be possible with low crude production and export and the external debt burden – among other factors influencing FX rates.
The FG, which promised palliatives for Nigerians, and failed, has been unable to stop the National Assembly, NASS, from handing N160 million vehicle palliatives to its members. All of them will be imported; and drain away the foreign exchange which is now extremely scarce for others in the economy to obtain.
Tinubu can only shock economists by allowing to be brought in foreign exchange illegally accumulated by fraudsters, Yahoo boys and drug kingpins for massive laundering. There is no known and legitimate source of funds waiting abroad to be sent to Nigeria. He should be careful about those promising to bring funds to be sanitised through our financial system. The free food is always found on mouse-traps. Money from corrupt sources can only corrupt the economy even more than it is already.
PRESIDENTIAL YACHT
“This is the punishment for the liar; he is not believed even when he speaks the truth” – Babylonian Talmud.
If Tinubu really wants to know what people think about his government, all he needs to do is find out how many people believe government’s story on the yacht. It is a reflection of the credibility gap which is getting wider every day.
Right now, few people trust the Nigerian President. That is a pity.
IS NIGERIA BANKRUPT?
“Every country has the government it deserves” – Joseph De Maistre, 1753-1821
National bankruptcy is not a new thing. Several countries have gone through it when the people made the awful mistake of electing and retaining an incompetent and untrustworthy individual as their leader. Buhari was not only unworthy to lead a modern nation; he also compounded our woes by conniving with the CBN to serially violate the regulations on Ways and Means. Together, they have left the economy on the verge of bankruptcy.
Yet, on his way out, the man, either out of monumental ignorance or practised mischief, claimed that he left Nigeria better than he found it.
Nigerians have the government we deserve.
Credit: Dele Sobowale