Valentine Obienyem
Every day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s aides and supporters churn out tales painting the Nigerian economy in the brightest colours. Bayo Onanuga, Daniel Bwala, Reno Omokri, Nyesom Wike and Charles Soludo, among others, defend the administration’s policies and celebrate its reforms. Tinubu himself insists that Nigeria has stabilised and is moving forward. Listening to them, one might imagine that Nigeria is experiencing its Golden Era. But is this the Nigeria ordinary citizens know?
Today, Nigerians are hungry. Many can barely afford one square meal a day, while some have been reduced to scavenging for food in dustbins. Begging is becoming increasingly common, even in workplaces, and some people openly admit that they beg because it is better than stealing. Yet, we are told that things are getting better. Better for whom?
Fifteen years ago, leaving Nigeria did not carry the urgency it does today. Now, countless Nigerians are desperate to emigrate, even if it means taking up menial jobs abroad. Doctors, nurses, academics, artisans and young graduates abandon their professions and familiar surroundings in search of better opportunities. Our hospitals are losing experienced medical personnel, leaving patients to contend with overstretched facilities, longer waiting times and limited access to specialist care. What kind of future awaits a country whose people increasingly see escape as their best hope?
Consider our roads. Travellers sometimes spend two days journeying from Lagos to the South-East because of deplorable road conditions. Businesses lose time and money, goods perish, and transport fares rise. Yet, enormous sums are committed to ambitious projects, including the coastal road. Why spend trillions on spectacular projects while existing roads remain in terrible condition? Should government not first address the pressing needs of millions of Nigerians?
Security is equally troubling. Kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other forms of violence continue to threaten communities and travellers. Farmers struggle to access their farms, families live in fear, and journeys that should be routine become dangerous undertakings. Protecting lives and property is a fundamental responsibility of government. No administration should expect to be considered successful while citizens remain uncertain about their safety.
The government points to increased revenue, economic reforms and improvements in selected macroeconomic indicators. But what do these figures mean to a trader whose capital can no longer sustain the same volume of business? What do they mean to a civil servant whose salary is exhausted within days of payment? What do they mean to parents who must choose between school fees, medicines and food? Economic progress is meaningful only when it improves people’s lives.
Nigeria’s problems require sustained attention, sound judgement and effective leadership. Even a healthy and energetic President would find these challenges daunting, let alone one whose health has become a subject of public concern. It would be irresponsible to diagnose Tinubu from a distance, but Nigerians are entitled to assurance that their President can discharge his constitutional responsibilities. The country’s difficulties are too serious for uncertainty about the capacity of its leadership. Character and integrity matter equally: the presidency is an office of public trust, and questions concerning a leader’s qualifications, conduct and fitness for office must be addressed with transparency and accountability.
There is a difference between defending a government and denying reality. Comparing Nigerian fuel prices with those in Europe, without considering differences in income and purchasing power, does little to explain the hardship ordinary citizens endure. The real question is how much of a Nigerian worker’s income remains after paying for transport, food, rent, healthcare and education. Ultimately, a government should be judged by the quality of life of its citizens, not by the enthusiasm of its defenders or the frequency with which its achievements are announced.
If Nigeria is truly experiencing a Golden Era, where is the golden experience of the ordinary Nigerian? Where is the relief for the hungry family, the security for the threatened community, the affordable healthcare for the sick and the hope for the unemployed graduate? What is the point of celebrating economic reforms when their benefits remain distant from the people who bear their costs?
With Tinubu’s emergence as President, through circumstances that remain deeply contentious in the eyes of many Nigerians, the country suffered one of its hardest and most dangerous blows. Nigeria is confronting a crisis of confidence, competence, security and national direction. Its people are hungry, its businesses are struggling, its young people are fleeing, and its institutions are under pressure. Nigeria is on the verge of death, not because it lacks the resources to survive, but because the promise of a decent life is being extinguished for too many of its citizens. Tinubu has become a grave misfortune for Nigeria.
But Nigeria must not surrender to despair. The Obidient Movement, encapsulated in the political vision of Peter Obi, represents the aspiration for the birth of a New Nigeria. It is more than a movement to replace one political leader with another; it is a call to rebuild a country whose institutions, public life and moral foundations have been gravely compromised. Its vision is to build everything anew, transforming our lying, dirty and monstrous national existence into a clean, joyful and truthful life for Nigeria and Nigerians.
This vision demands a country where public office is a trust, competence takes precedence over political patronage, public resources serve the common good, and citizens can live in dignity. It calls for integrity, accountability, prudence and compassion in governance. Peter Obi’s appeal rests on the conviction that Nigeria can be governed differently, with human welfare placed above political vanity and public service above personal enrichment. Although no individual can solve every problem overnight, honest and purposeful leadership can begin the work of restoring public trust and national hope.
The task resembles the cleaning of the Augean stables in Greek mythology. Hercules accomplished this seemingly impossible assignment by diverting rivers through the stables to wash away their accumulated filth. Nigeria, too, has accumulated layers of corruption, dishonesty, waste, impunity and institutional decay. Clearing this mess requires more than cosmetic repairs or the rearrangement of familiar political faces. It demands a fundamental change in the philosophy and practice of governance. This is why Nigeria needs Peter Obi to help clear the Augean stable.
Nigeria cannot continue like this. Its people deserve better than hunger, insecurity, dishonesty and hardship disguised as progress. The Obidient Movement represents the possibility of moving Nigeria from deceit to truth, from filth to cleanliness, and from despair to joy. The time has come to rescue the nation from the accumulated failures of its political leadership and restore the hope that once made Nigerians believe in their country. A New Nigeria is Possible. Nigeria needs Peter Obi to clear the Augean stable and lead the way towards national rebirth.