Every year is unique in some ways. Year 2023 is unique in many ways in Nigeria. Before now, many did not understand what it means to jump out of the frying pan into the fire. No doubt, many Nigerians who could not make sense of that proverbial depiction of hardship must have witnessed its literal reality. The question is not about who suffered and who did not, it is about who suffered most. Our melancholic state of affairs shows that there is no end in sight to our suffer-a-thon as a people.
Year 2023 will be remembered for the thoughtless cashless policy of Buhari regime. I know many will not be comfortable with my ascription of thoughtlessness to the cashless policy. Not because they think the policy was well conceived, but because they could not single out a single thoughtful policy in the wasted eight years which ended in 2023. For this category of disappointed Nigerians, singling out cashless policy as thoughtless among many other policies(of shared thoughtlessness) is understatement. I understand their disappointment.
It took the intervention of His Excellency Nasiru El-Rufai—and some of his colleagues—to clip the wings of the untouchably venerated “Idol”, which Buhari then was, to tone down the disastrous effects of the naira repainted useless policy. Though El-Rufai’s intervention was apparently to support the presidential ambition of Tinubu to whom he (El-rufai) suddenly became a fanatical supporter, it greatly brought some ease to the poor. On this, we stand by El-Rufai. However, fortunately or unfortunately, El-Rufai was undeservedly booted out by the regime he sacrificed for. Nevertheless, he is a political heavy weight who can re-launch himself, come 2027, to political prominence at the national level if he so desires.
Billions of naira which could not be accounted for was wasted on the re-painted new notes. As I write, it is rare to get the so-called new notes cashed or dispensed in our banks. The absurdity of that policy justifies the arrest and detention of Buhari’s “slave” who was supposed to govern the Central Bank of Nigeria but misgoverned it. In a lengthy reaction to my article titled “Governor Emefiele: Buhari’s “Slave” Who Climbed the Tree Beyond the Leaves” some months ago, one Chief (name withheld), an Igbo man wrote from Lagos State: “Reading your piece this morning made me happy because you captured the scenario of Emefiele very well. In fact when Ohanaeze people or someone said something like ethnic sentiment to his detention I got mad. Myself suffered beyond measures during the period of the mad and senseless naira repainting. In my presence people slumped and aged people cried just to collect 3/5 thousand naira from certain bank in Apapa. I cannot forgive Emefiele…Please keep the good work, congratulation sir.”
After eight years of ceding the rulership of some parts of Nigeria’s territory to bandits, Buhari became so tired in 2023 that he could not wait to leave for Daura or Niger Republic. Insecurity was unprecedentedly widespread. It used to be a Boko Haram phenomenon which was limited to some states in the north-east. Under Buhari, insecurity became a national plague. What is even more absurd was that before he handed over power on the 29th of May 2023,Buhari complained bitterly for not being appreciated. He was not being appreciated for spreading insecurity to every nook and cranny of Nigeria and also for starving many lecturers to death by withholding their salaries for eight months—sending many of them to their graves due to his hatred for academics and what they do in the academia.
In reaction to my article titled “Whether to Daura or to Niger Republic, Just Go” a lecturer from a university in Ibonyi State wrote: “I enjoyed your piece on Opinion Naija. I am an Igbo Man, married to a Chawai woman in Southern Kaduna. As a matter of fact, my wife’s village has been overran by bandits and several unnecessary communal clashes. The president emboldened by his party men has succeeded in dividing the country by his unnecessarily divisive tendencies. He was the most desired person that turned out to be the most hated while leaving office. He is off capacity as a president. Like you said, he has a poor appreciation for scholarly activities. I now see why he never found it interesting to do any related work after leaving the military. As an academic, I am very hopeful of a better Nigeria. I did not vote or support Bola Tinubu, but for the interest of this country, I can’t stop praying [for his success] cos where would I run to? It’s nice writing you on this disturbing issue.”
Isn’t is absurd to appoint a minister to manage a ministry he knows nothing about? That is the confession of Buhari’s minister of education who, after supervising the destruction of education in Nigeria for eight years as the longest serving minister of the ministry, confessed he is the worst man for the job. His words at a valedictory session: “I did not know anything about education sector when Buhari appointed me.” This confession makes a top absurdity of 2023.Though Adamu Adamu honestly confessed, probably other appointees of Buhari’s regime are like him. If that is true, he spoke for them.
2023 election is unique in many ways. All the three major presidential contenders claimed to have won the election. Prior to the presidential election, a leading Nigerian pastor whom many of his followers revere as a man of God believed the election is a religious war as revealed in a viral conversation between him and Peter Obi. He should be ashamed of himself that religious war did not break out and has not broken out as I write. Some Muslim clerics too believe so; they thought they won the Muslim-Muslim ticket “war” only to be disappointed when they later realized that the Muslim-Muslim ticket does not rule by appointing only Muslims or mostly Muslims in strategic positions as they naively thought. Some even now call it Christian-Christian ticket on the allegation that it favours Christians not Muslims. Very funny.
Commenting on one of my articles on religious political war, someone from the north wrote: “thank you for your wonderful article titled “Please Daddy! Here is a Request Before You Start the Religious War” which I read on Phoenix. I must admit to you that your article did not only make my day but is one of the best articles I have read in the recent times over religious fanaticism and politics. I wish you more strength to your elbow, God’s protection and guidance as well as more wisdom in expounding the truth”
In a rather absurd confession, a senator confessed on how he serially manipulated his wife (a retired president of court of appeal) to manipulate justice in favour of his fellow politicians. We also find it established, this year, that one can win election under a political party without contesting in its primary election with the help of our law courts. For the first time in Nigerian history, our rulers acknowledged that the poor could not breathe under the jackboot of their rulership. In his uncommon way of law-making, the uncommon Senate President put it to other lawmakers if they should allow the poor to breathe. Thank God the “ayes” have it. To underline the hardship the poor are subjected to, His Excellency Kashim Shettima, also this year, confessed that the Nigerian poor are indistinguishable from their animals.
Year 2023 also saw a complete merger of the three arms of government (in principle) to one arm of government (in practice). To the Judiciary? One can only say hmm! Which one is not heartrending? Is it the allegation by Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad—who recently retired from the Supreme Court—that the Court is headed by a dictator or the lamentation of the respected former NBA President Mr. Olisa Abgakoba who averred that a mafia is in charge of our Supreme Court? In Nigeria today, every Tom, Dick, and Harry sees it a duty upon themselves to admonish our justices to be just in their court rulings. While this is ridiculous, yet it is apt. Justice, many Nigerians believe, can be bought the way grains are bought; and negotiated the way prices of goats are negotiated in our village markets.
We ended this year with bomb which “mistakenly” killed worshippers in Tudun Biriin Kaduna State. Many find it too absurd. As if that was not enough, killings again in Plateau State on Christmas Day reportedly claim more than hundred lives. This is not how to end a year. This coming year, I hope President Tinubu will prioritize governance over politics to address insecurity and other plagues that plagued us as a nation. May God guide him on how to heal this battered nation and steer it to prosperity.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
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