The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disappointed many by becoming indifferent, insensitive and unresponsive to plights of millions of Nigerians, who can no longer meet their daily needs.
Iba Adams said on Tuesday, with verifiable facts, that since May 2023 there has been a brutal assault on the sensibility of Nigerians, especially those who thought President Tinubu was the messiah they were waiting for.
Adams, who also condemned the recent fuel price increase by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and described it as an attack on Nigerians and an obvious indication that Tinubu’s administration has derailed from his campaign promises that got him into office.
He disclosed this in an open letter to the president on the State of the Nation, which was made available to newsmen yesterday, saying Nigerians were persuaded that Tinubu would be a better democrat because he is exposed to modern governance, more than his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari: “A soldier who deepened the poverty levels of Nigerians and increased insecurity from 2015 to 2023.”
The letter titled: ‘President Bola Tinubu, Time Is Going’ reads thus: “Today, events have proved that they were wrong. Mr. President, to say the truth without minding whose ox is gored, you have really disappointed many Nigerians who thought you were the messiah they were waiting for. The facts are there to speak for themselves.”
“This is a brutal assault on the sensibility of Nigerians. I think you and your party should be sensitive to the plights of Nigerians.
“Under your watch as the President, the APC-led administration has consistently shown itself to be anti-people, unconcerned, and deaf to the agonies of millions of Nigerians.
“Today, more than 75 percent of Nigerians have sunk below the poverty line. Businesses are collapsing like a badly-arranged pack of cards, and the centre can no longer hold in many households.
“Mr. President, don’t you think the wicked and draconian increase in fuel price, especially at this time that Nigerians have been pushed to the wall, is a huge recipe for crisis?” he queried.
According to Adams, “The price of a liter of fuel was less than N200 when the president came into office on May 29, 2023, and currently sells for more than N1000, just as he reminded that the Naira to a dollar was less than N740 as of then, but now sells for more than N1,600.
“This is in spite of the fact that the Finance Minister, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Yemi Cardoso, who were your two right-hand men when you were Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, are in charge of the economy. One wonders what exactly are the fiscal, economic, and financial briefings they give you daily to convince you that they know what they are doing in those two offices?” he queried.
On insecurity, Adams equally laments at the situation the country is currently in, noting that many Nigerians had heaved a sigh of relief that insecurity would become history when Buhari left office. But it has become pitiable, as the high rate at which innocent citizens were being abducted and killed across the country is scary.
“Pitiably today, from the North to the South, East to West, there is concern on the rate at which innocent Nigerians are being abducted and some killed; even after ransom was paid, it was as if these bloodthirsty maniacs have just been unleashed on Nigerians from the hottest part of hell.
“As the Commander-in-Chief, the rising spate of insecurity across the country has put to question the kind of briefings you get on a daily basis, especially from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun; the Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja; and other Security Chiefs on their modus operandi to send these killers to where they belong,” he further stated.
He also frowned at the treatment meted out to those Nigerians who participated in the recent #EndBadGovernance protest who were arrested and charged with treason, wondering again who does such in a decent society.
He asked rhetorically: “In the community of nations, who does that? Is that the way governments are overthrown? With placards? Human rights activists are being harassed by security agents daily, while civil society organizations (CSOs) have become soft targets of sycophants who speak sweet words to your ears for selfish reasons.”.
“Many Nigerians know the ‘radical’ roles you played when you were governor, and even after 2007, when you galvanized and mobilized them to challenge the status quo at the national level. Now that you are in government, protest has suddenly become a criminal offence. God is indeed great!!!” he added.
He told the president, “Nigerians can no longer bear this economic hardship any longer. I am writing this letter to you because of the pressure I am going through from millions of Nigerians, who erroneously believe that I don’t want to tell you the truth because the two of us are eminent Yoruba citizens.
“The truth is that the perverted, opaque, unintelligible, wicked, and corrupt handling of the petroleum sector and continuous increase of fuel price under your administration (with the NNPC threatening us the price will still go up) without due regard to the laws of the land and wellbeing of Nigerians is akin to telling Nigerians to go to hell.
“Mr. President, if a few of your advisers are telling you that all is well, I can confidently inform you that they are your enemies. Former President Buhari was here, and Nigerians proved to him that they were bigger than him.
“If you don’t reverse this ugly trend immediately, the situation may trigger further hardship across the country.
“With over 32 percent inflation rate and close to 40 percent unemployment rate, which is expected to rise further with the latest dictatorial increase in fuel price, it is obvious that your administration offers no hope to Nigerians.
“In the past 16 months, your administration has been using propaganda, the power of coercion, and rough tactics to oppress Nigerians. For how long do you honestly think that despotic strategy will last?
“Since last year, you have visited many countries, the latest being China. Do you think your foreign counterparts treat their citizens the way you are treating Nigerians?
“Mr. President, remember your promises to Nigerians during your numerous campaigns to all the nooks and crannies of this great country. In just 16 months into your administration, your campaign promises have suddenly become failed promises.
“Your Excellency, do you remember an Austrian-German who became the Commander-in-Chief in Germany in 1933? Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945.
“Hitler, an elected democrat, quickly transformed a democratic republic into a constitutional dictatorship. The Fuhrer vowed to destroy democracy through the democratic process. And he did with the destruction of Germany in 1945.
“Before the destruction, the Nazi leader disabled, then dismantled the Weimar Republic. The Fuhrer crushed political opposition, destroyed the economy, and ultimately undermined Germany’s democratic structures. When Hitler became history on April 30, 1945, Germany was in total ruins.
“But due to the determination of Germans, today, that country has the biggest economy in Europe.
“I hope I am wrong, but I see a linkage between what happened during the ascendancy of Hitler into power and what is happening in Nigeria today.
“Anyway, Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Mr. President, the time is ticking. Ask this simple question: Are my reforms working? I come in peace,” he said.
