Tinubu’s one year anniversary: ‘We have cause to celebrate’
By Joseph Eshanokpe
AHEAD of the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration next week, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Celestine Chukwunenye, has given its verdict on its first year journey: there is something to celebrate.
In an interview, Chukwunenye, who is a stalwart of the APC in Ejigbo, Lagos State, said though “a number of policies of the administration may have thrown Nigerians off balance, the reason they are finding it difficult to feed, shelter and even settle their health bills, there is still light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Nigerians should not give up hope. In subsequent years, it would turn out to be better than this.
“The government is trying its best. We hope that in the remaining years of the administration, we will have to thank and look forward to more fruitful years.”
Chukwunenye who recalled the president’s “famous” statement on the day of his inauguration, “Fuel subsidy is gone. It is not provided for in the budget”, however, asked if the subsidy was really no more. “Yes, in the first few weeks of the administration, it was, but now..”.
Controversial as the policy may be, the medical doctor said the floating of the Naira against foreign currencies worsened things as its effects meant higher costs in Naira terms on imported goods, especially landing costs, among others, on petroleum products.
Still, he was optimistic that in subsequent years, “things will adjust themselves and get better”.
He noted that the common saying among Nigerians that whatever goes up does not come down would be proved wrong as we have also seen some prices that went up tumbling… “So, prices can come down. Though many prices are still going up, later they will fall,” he affirmed.
On the push for a standard minimum wage by the Organised Labour, Chukwunenye, though an employer, is on the side of workers. “The government should find the courage to adjust the minimum wage to reflect current prices,” he advised.
For him, when the purchasing power of Nigerians “is increased proportionately” by way of good pay, inflation would be reduced
Still, he explained that the exchange rate could influence other factors in the economic system and spike prices.
He said everything is interwoven: prices of food go up when the exchange moves up because the farmers now pay higher fares to bring their commodities to the market, the fees of their children have risen too and ditto the household appliances they use.
Chukwunenye, however, in his sectoral rating of the policies of the Tinubu administration identified two main snags. First, up till now, he said, no government refinery is working. He said refining crude abroad is a big loss to the government in many ways: it’s costlier and beside the petrol, the chemicals arising from the crude are lost.
He therefore urged the government to look more into what would boost the economy.
Looking into the future, Chukwunenye urged the government in its second year, for example, to consolidate on its policies. The Student Loan Scheme, he said, should be working, our crude oil refining capacity improved tremendously, more roads completed and railways built to boost transportation, insecurity reduced drastically, anti-corruption fight improved, agric credits get to the real farmers, not the portfolio ones.
Also, he said, palliatives should reach the real poor, not those who do not need them.
In the health sector, Chukwunenye, a medical doctor, sought healthcare facilities for the real providers. “The government should really help them. Also, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), a robust programme, should be rejigged for optimum performance. Unfortunately, most governors are trying to replicate it. This is a waste. Rather, they should make NHIS work better in their states,” he added.
