Historically,politicians,especially presidents and governors,typically celebrate or mark their first one hundred (100) days in office.
lt is a tradition pioneered by ex-President Franklin D Roosevelt of the United States of America, USA in July 1933. The event happened during the Great Depression when in a radio broadcast,Roosevelt gave hope to war weary and hunger stricken Americans by urging them to keep the faith as he was poised to pull them out of the menacing misery.
Information gleaned from the Voice of America,VoA website, sheds more light on the underpinning reasons for President Roosevelt’s decision to mark his first 100 days in office. As the story goes:
“Roosevelt set out to make significant and quick changes in economic and social policy, through both legislative and regulatory actions.
“On taking office,he summoned the U.S. Congress to a three-month special session and,by the end of his first 100 days, had passed 76 new laws,mostly aimed at easing the effects of the Depression.”
Does the nascent presidency of Nigeria under the watch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, although it is barely two (2) months or (60) days old,not echo the presidency of Franklin D.Roosevelt?
That is even if the number of laws passed so far in 60 days in Nigeria would by no means be up to 76 which is the unsurpassed record of laws passed under the watch of President Roosevelt in the first 100 day of his watch in the White House.
I would contend that it does,basically because President Tinubu’s 60 days reign in office based on the consequential decisions made so far with seismic effect on the polity have elicited reactions that can only be associated with an administration that must have been in power for at least a term of four (4) years.
And the assertion above is underscored by the fact that in this short space of time,a remarkable number of laws and executive orders have been churned out under President Tinubu’s watch in a manner that is reminiscent of how President Roosevelt, the war time president of the US that pulled that country (currently the leader of the free world and richest nation on planet globe) out of the infamous Great Depression of 1933.
In any case ,a four (4) year term is actually a total of 1,461 days,hence most goal-getter type of political office holders would often like to hit the ground running.
But more often than not,existential realities prevent them from achieving the speed with which they would have preferred to flesh out their plans to deliver on campaign promises.
In the case of Nigeria,the president or governor contends with the challenge of walking the tight rope of balancing ethnic,religious,gender and age factors.
Those are the ever present issues that could make or mar an administration, simply because it would willy-nilly be evaluated from the prism of the aforementioned biases.
That perhaps explains the delay in releasing the first batch of nominees for ministerial appointments by President Tinubu last Thursday 27 July which is barely 24 hours to the sixty days deadline provided in section 42 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
Although President Tinubu has just consummated only a mere 60 days of his tenure which is a tiny fraction of his four (4) years first term that is a total of 1,461 days,he has unprecedentedly made ‘bombshell’ decisions that have shaken Nigeria to the roots and impacted Nigerians to their bone marrows,albeit temporarily with harsh effects,even as the policies are generally believed to be laden with long term benefits.
And the socioeconomic circumstances prevailing at the time that president Roosevelt ruled the US (world war and the Great Depression) are not really dissimilar to the current situation in our country under President Tinubu’s watch,which can be likened to a war situation.
That assumption is based on the intractable malaise of internal schisms wracking Nigeria in the form of religious Insurgency,herdsmen and farmers conflicts in the northern axis; separatism/ secessionism crisis in the eastern flank and ritual killings of fellow human beings for Monet in the western region,all of which are currently making our country look like a sort of theatre of war.
As we are all well aware,the world in general is in a turmoil. The crisis situation that has gripped the world is owed not only to the global economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic which lasted from 2019 to 2020; but also arising from the ongoing Russia invasion of Ukraine which is exhibiting characteristics of Cold War political tensions,with the old world order being disrupted,particularly with respect to food supply.
Therefore,the entire globe is tottering on the brinks of another world war with the consequences associated with economic recession,perhaps of the dimension of the Great Depression of 1933 looming large.
So,the need to hurry up in steering the ship of state of Nigeria from the tempestuous waters in which it is currently sailing and being tossed around dangerously,is what informs this early stock taking after only 60 days of Tinubunomics,instead of waiting for the traditional 100 days to measure the progress.
From the foregoing narrative,it is clear that President Tinubu’s anxiousness to put our country on even keel aligns with the socioeconomic factors that motivated President Roosevelt in 1933 during the world war and Great Depression,to roll out a large number of acts of laws and executive orders (which has been unmatched till date) that enabled the US pull herself out of the depression much faster than anticipated.
The flurry of policy changes at dizzying speed being unfolded by President Tinubu since 29 May when he took the presidential oath of office,which reminds of how Roosevelt doggedly pursued reforms with remarkable gusto and gumption (67 laws in 100 days) is what is making a sixty (60) days old administration look like a government that has been around for four (4) years due to Tinubu’s bullishness in the introduction of reforms.
As such,it is a no brainer to posit that President Tinubu’s ascension into the presidency of Nigeria on 29 May 2023 which has clocked sixty (60) days mark has been tumultuous.
In fact,the six (6) scores number of days of Tinubunomics has been like a roller coaster for Nigerians who are just emerging from the rulership of the immediate past administration which did little,if anything in terms of policy reforms that could have led to any seismic change in Nigeria’s socioeconomic and political space for the eight(8) years that it held sway in Aso Rock Villa seat of presidential power.
Although former president Mohammadu Buhari(2015-2023) passed the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB which he signed into an act of law as Petroleum Industry Act,PIA in 2022; as Americans like to put it,he literally ‘kicked the can down the road’ by shifting the date for the implementation of the tough part of the law(end of petrol pump price subsidy) by six (6) months which fell squarely into the starting point of his successor-President Tinubu.
To President Buhari’s credit,it is he that had the courage to ‘bell the cat’ of ongoing reforms in the oil/gas sector, as it were. That is because the PIA had been on the drawing board for about thirteen years (13) years after it was first introduced in 2008,during which a multiple of presidents before him,avoided like a plague,the signing off on the bill to make it law, until the time that he did.
But ex President Buhari failed to take the ‘thunder’ for taking the bold step of appending his signature to PIB,simply because he failed to consummate it by not implementing the difficult part of removing petrol pump price subsidy. Instead,he left it to President Tinubu who has literally ‘belled the cat’ and is now enjoying local and global accolades for taking such a far reaching decision by literally taking a leap of faith when he went off his prepared speech to make the declaration: “petrol subsidy is gone”.
In stark contrast with the governance style of his successor,under the watch of President Tinubu since 29 May 2023, there has been a lot of other unprecedented policy decisions which have been unfurled in such quick successions that it may not be out of order to characterize them as having a sort of sea change effect on the socioeconomic and political landscape of our beloved country owing to their pervasive bearing on every strata of society.
The second monumentally high point decision made by President Tinubu in his first 60 days is the unification of the multiple naira exchange rates with the dollar which he inherited from his predecessor.
In his inaugural speech on 29 May, President Tinubu was unequivocal about his determination to improve the business atmosphere via radical changes in monetary policies.
In fact,he was very clear about it:
“I have a message for our investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints about multiple taxation and various anti-investment inhibitions.
We shall ensure that investors and foreign businesses repatriate their hard earned dividends and profits home.”
The changes that Tinubunomics reforms have wrought on the business environment and the populace are both high and low points for the current administration as they are both sour and sweet in the short and long terms.
The third (3rd) high point is the appending of his signature on the bill for the activation of private sector holistic involvement of the private sector in the the production and distribution of electricity known as Electricity Act 2023.
It is a high point for the administration simply because the passage of the Electricity Act 2023 has the potential to catalyze the much sort industrialization of our country leading to massive employment,improvement of the Gross National Product,GNP, and the Gross Domestic Product,GDP of our nation with the potential of rising up to $1 billion dollars from its current low of more or less $444m.
That would happen when the economy owing to steady supply of electricity, attains the often touted ‘open for business twenty four hours a day and seven days a week (24/7)’ mantra.
It would move from the current 6am to 6pm economy, which is presently scandalously so, due to low level electricity supply currently estimated to be as low as 4,000 megawatts,a reason that Nigerian economy has been operating at half its capacity.
And ramping up electricity supply is a promise in the process of being kept by President Tinubu because he had made it abundantly clear in his speech on Inauguration Day that he would be making a quick intervention in the sector. Notably,he stated that:
“…electricity would become more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike. Power generation should nearly double and transmission and distribution networks improved. We will encourage states to develop local sources as well.”
The Freedom of Data Act 2023 which has also been inked by President Tinubu in his first 60 days is equally a high point.
That policy has the capacity to unleash the latent potentials of our youths who are very much anxious to harness their prowess in digital technology that would open up new vistas of untapped business opportunities. Below is how President Tinubu had put it in his acceptance speech on the day he was sworn into office:
“My administration must create opportunities for our youth. We shall honour our campaign commitment of one million new jobs in the digital economy.”
Already,the globally acclaimed information technology giant,Google Incorporated,has set eyes on Nigeria by sending its global Vice President,VP,Mr Richard Gingras on a visit during which he was well received by President Tinubu in Abuja.
The Google VP informed Mr President that his firm aims to explore the opportunities that the Nigerian market offers and planned to create one(1) million jobs.
That is also a high point because the promise made on the day he got sworn into office is on the verge of manifesting.
Another high point is the indigent students in tertiary institutions loan act that has also been signed into law by president Tinubu in the last 60 days.
When activated,the loan facility would help prevent the loss of a significant number of indigent people that are potentially highly skilled,but lack the financial capacity to sustain their academic pursuit. As such,more often than not,their education get truncated.
It is settled position of the National Association of Students,NANS that a loan opportunity for students is a high point in president Tinubu’s 60 days in office,when it is set in motion after one of the ministers currently being processed by the Senate has been assigned the education portfolio.
However,the student loan law is still a work-in-progress as it requires fine-tuning in order to achieve a harmony of purpose between the policy and the practical needs of indigent students.
Clearly,the rush to increase school fees by some higher institutions is a low point because charging higher fees without waiting for the loan program to kick in,constitutes an unnecessary inconvenience and jeopardy for students and their parents who are expected to foot the higher bills at a time that the cost of living has soared.
In light of the above,it is hoped that in due course ,with the appointment of ministers,the mechanics of the policy after consulting with the relevant stakeholders would be laid out for the greater good of the targeted beneficiaries.
As to be expected,the cascading harsh effects of the deluge of policy actions so far taken by president Tinubu,especially with respect to nearly half a century old regime of subsidies on petrol and the naira had dragged the nation into socioeconomic dire straights as a vast majority of our country men/women are currently hurting on short term basis,although the reforms have the potentials to produce long term gains for the good of all.
So,a palpable level of angst is being expressed by the burgeoning number of Nigerians that have been gripped by the misery stemming from the short term pains triggered by the transformative but inconvenient policies from which they are struggling strenuously to extricate themselves.
Owing to the rough times that a critical mass of the populace have fallen into ,anxiety and frustration have taken the better part of them.
Hence the highly distressed Nigerians are urging Mr President to hurry up in putting his cabinet and policies together: ‘so that the poor can breathe’ which is a phraseology used by senators while presenting a motion for the ‘red chamber’ to attend to the urgent needs of the vulnerable masses groaning under the weight of the highly impactful Tinubu reforms.
But the manner in which senate president, Godswill Akpabio (perhaps unintentionally) jocularly repeated: ‘so that ‘the poor can breathe’ with a chuckle while he was calling for a voice vote during a plenary session,robbed-off negatively on some sensitive members of society.
So much so that they came away with the impression that the lawmakers of the upper chambers were mocking the poor.
It is that unsavory impression that has precipitated a public backlash.
And the negative fallout has not only besmeared the senate,but it also been extended to the administration of President Tinubu and that is a low point.
Fortuitously,the positive content of the motion which was the suspension of the implementation of the new high tariff on electricity in tandem with the passage of electricity Act 2023 that took electricity generation and distribution off the exclusive purview of the federal government,was successfully moved and passed by the law makers.
As it turned out ,the people centric gesture neutralized the otherwise seeming toxic comments by the senators on the floor of the hallowed chamber while debating the need to give human face to the reforms as symbolized by the anecdote: ‘so that the poor can breathe’
As with most things,since nothing in life is perfect,there are low as there are highs points that have made the 60 days of Tinubunomics a mixed bag of emotions.
To the impatient and skeptical ,it has been 60 days of disaster,and to those already bitten by the bug of Tinubumania,they are looking forward to a glorious future with President Tinubu calling the shots in Aso Rock Villa for the greater good of all.
Prior to the presumed gaffe from the
Senate chamber,another Tinubunomics proposal that touched the raw nerves of Nigerians was the proposal to make direct payment of N8,000 naira to twelve million (12) million poorest of the poor amongst us.
It may be recalled that the sum of N500 billion to be drawn from the N819 billion that was provided for in 2023 budget as palliatives for the masses owing to the harsh effects of removal of subsidy on petrol.
And in a bid to offer succor to the suffering masses,President Tinubu had proposed to the law makers that N500 billion should be withdrawn from the N819 billion which was appropriated in the 2023 national budget.
The sharing formula of the funds for the provision of palliatives to cushion the negative effects was scoffed at by the critical mass of Nigerians who were apportioned a paltry sum of N8,000 X 12 million households with agriculture sector that is the largest employer of Nigerians being assigned a mere N19,8 billion,while National Assembly,NASS members numbering only 469 are allotted a whooping N70 billion naira for the replacement of office furniture, and the judiciary apportioned the sum of N35 billion,the second highest to NASS.
It is a low point as a critical mass of Nigerians were vehement in their venomous and vociferous resentment expressed via outbursts in the traditional and social media via skits and memes.
And President Tinubu has responded by reviewing the palliatives fund’s sharing formula,signifying a responsive approach to governance being exhibited by the incumbent administration.
In other words,as a pragmatic leader,there was instantaneous response to the public opinion that was stacked against the sharing formula as President Tinubu promptly rescinded the direct cash transfer of N8,000 policy which had been announced while he was in Guinea Conakry on assignment as the new leader of Economic Community Of West African States,ECOWAS.
The act of not hesitating to reverse himself and aligning with the wave of public opinion is an exemplary leadership trait of President Tinubu which should be applauded by all Nigerians.
Robert Green,the author of the iconic leadership tome the 48 Laws Of Power has a unique perspective in leadership:
“You must always work with the times, anticipate twists & turns, and never miss the boat.”.
Presumably,that is the leadership approach being applied by President Tinubu,hence he has been quick in responding to the multifaceted stimulus dotting the arduous journey to socioeconomic and political liberation of Nigeria from the dungeon of poverty,and derailed progress as well as arrested development.
But typical of politicians,some of his critics have portrayed the self adjusting approach to governing as opposed to being inflexible as evidence of flip-flop in leadership.In fact,Tinubu traducers go as far as citing the appointment of Mr Nuhu Ribadu,first as Special Adviser on Security and later National Security Adviser,NSA as an act of maladministration.A claim that is clearly pedantic and malicious because inflexibility is actually a well known negative approach to management.
There is another instance during which President Tinubu got swayed by an interest group. This time it was the Manufacturers Association Of Nigeria,MAN.
The leaders of the manufacturers group had paid a curtesy call on President Tinubu during which they had appealed to him to repeal some anti business taxes which his successor had sighed into law as he was exiting Aso Rock Villa in May.
The suspended taxes are embedded in the 2023 Finance Act which imposed taxes on corporate,import, export and vehicles ,as well as telecommunication services that in some case were as high as 5%,and resulting in double taxation in some instances.
It is another high point for president Tinubu that during his first sixty (60) days of introducing and implementing Tinubunomics,the taxes were suspended and to boot,a partner and tax leader at the West African operations of Price WaterHouseCoopers ,PWC Mr Taiwo Oyedele was appointed to lead a council of experts saddled with the responsibility of driving Nigeria’s fiscal policy and tax reforms in alignment with global best practice.
Another very remarkable and outstanding high point during which President Tinubu refrained from crossing the red line is the suspension of the implementation of a proposed increase in electricity tariff.
That could have literally asphyxiated electricity consumers that are already at their wits end.
It would be remise of me not to underline the significant low point in the 60 days of President Tinubu’s watch over Nigeria which is the show of shame in the manner that our country’s secret police,the Directorate State Security Services,DSS mismanaged its detention of the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN governor,Mr Godwin Emefiele.
Allowing the situation to degenerate into first-cuffs between its operatives and The Correctional (Prison) Services personnel ,was not only appalling and embarrassing to Nigerians,but our international partners must have been horrified by the act of lawlessness displayed by DSS operatives who were not just fragrantly disobeying the court orders,but also desecrating it by engaging in a brawl in the premises of the temple of justice.
Thankfully,a path to redemption has been opened via a promise by the leadership of the secret service to investigate and sanction the culprits. And in fulfillment of the promise,a Special Investigator, Mr Jim Obazee has been appointed to investigate the CBN. Hopefully, the multiple rulings from the courts of the land to release the suspended CBN governor,Godwin Emefiele would now be respected and he would be allowed to breathe.
If that happens ,that may turn out to be a high point for President Tinubu’s 60 days of impactive leadership,especially if the agent provocateurs of the flagrant disregard of the rulings of the courts of the land on the matter are sanctioned and the world sees that punitive actions have been meted out to the officers that denigrated the temple of justice.
And by way of rising to the occasion,it is relieving that Tinubunomics brand ambassadors are likening the current stormy stage of Tinubunomics evolution to the type of headwinds that an aircraft faces when it is taking off.
As justification for the suboptimal situation of not providing solutions with alacrity to the myriad of storms that our country is facing,Tinubunomics purveyors contend that the crisis are temporary and aver that the gains are expected to start flowing into the system as long term gains,as soon as the supporting structures are put in place.
As such,they reckon that the long suffering Nigerians would soon be heaving a sigh of relief in the manner that an aircraft starts cruising after soaring above the stormy clouds and gaining the required altitude that would enable the flight become less turbulent and more enjoyable.
That is the promise of president Tinubu’s administration to the masses,particularly to the Nigerian Medical and Dental Association that had embarked on an industrial action and the Nigerian Labor Congress,NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC that have also put government on notice that they would be calling out their members for strike action from the 2nd day of August.
That petrol subsidy has been ended by President Tinubu’s administration in the past 60 days without a strike action by workers or street protests merits being deemed as a feat in a class of its own in public administration anywhere in the world.
In fact,apart from past Nigerian leaders who dreaded the consequences of removing petrol subsidy hence they failed to end it ,multilateral financial institutions such as the World bank and the International Monetary Fund,lMF are also in awe that President Tinubu has without much ado pulled off ending petrol subsidy,unifying the multiple naira exchange rates and opening up investment in electricity generation and distribution for private sector participation, in less than two (2) months of being on the saddle of leadership of Nigeria.
Prior to President Tinubu’s bold step of slaying the monster of petrol subsidy,is the abiding fear that had always been advanced by multiple presidents and heads of state in Nigeria that the consequences of carrying out such extraordinary reforms would be so monumental,that there would be social unrest in the form of disruptive workers strike and catastrophic street protests of gigantic proportions.
That President Tinubu pulled the hat-trick without public unrest or other collateral damages which he has managed dexterously,makes it another high point for the present administration.
Other high points for the administration are the passage of the Electricity Act 2023 that has the potential to ramp up the much sort industrialization of our country that may lead to massive employment, improve the Gross National Product,GNP, the Gross Domestic Product,GDP of our country which can rise to a $1 billion dollars from its current low of roughly $444m.
In plain language,that would be when the economy attains the often touted 24/7 after it moves from the current 6AM to 6PM which is a mere 12 hours due to the scandalously low level electricity supply level which energy experts estimate to be a paltry 4,000 megawatts for over two hundred (200) million people.
The same bullishness applies to the Freedom of Data Act 2023 which has also been inked by President Tinubu.That law has the capacity to unleash the latent potentials of our youths who are very much anxious to harness their prowess in digital technology as it would
open up new vistas of untapped business opportunities for them.
Understandably,it can not be denied that misery,albeit temporary,has been foisted on the long suffering Nigerian masses owing to the discontinuation of petrol subsidy regime and the unification of the multiple naira exchange rates with foreign currencies that have induced hyper inflation with debilitating effects on all Nigerians.
So ,put succinctly,Tinubunomics reforms,in the interim are indeed taking a heavy toll on the hoi polloi in the past 60 days.
But Nigerians can take solace in the fact that the end of petrol subsidy policy has brought about the stoppage of a four (4) decades old practice that has impeded our country’s ability to make socioeconomic progress.
For instance, in just a just a period of eighteen (18) months ,roughly ten (N10) trillion naira has literally been thrown down the drain pipe that goes by the name: petrol subsidy. That is evidenced by the fact that the aforementioned humongous sum of funds was appropriated and applied in subsidizing petrol pump price in the national budget of 2022 and June 2023.
Imagine that about ten (10) trillion naira hitherto wasted on subsidy can be saved and applied in other areas of human and economic development such as education loan in operation in the United States of America,USA and India amongst other countries and which is responsible for the wealth of highly skilled workforce in those countries: and the provision of infrastructure such as roads,air and sea ports,as well as health care facilities of which our country is in deep deficit.
Given the level of initial hardships detailed above and which are being endured in the past sixty (60) days Of Tinubunomics, one thing Nigerians are earnestly urging Mr President to hurry up and do is to deliver the much anticipated palliatives to enable the long suffering masses heave a sigh of relief.
On the realization that the decision to make direct cash payments to the poorest of the poor is wrong headed on account of lack of integrity of the data to be used to carry out the function; the Federal Government of Nigeria FGN has harkened to the voice of the critical mass of Nigerians.
As the saying goes: the voice of the people is the voice of God -vox populi,vox dei. That may be why the FGN has by elected to spin -off that responsibility of returning smiles back on the faces of the masses, to the state governments which are closer to the grass roots.
Effectively,the FGN would be bankrolling the palliatives,while the disbursement of the funds would be carried out at the subnational level basically because it is expected that the data at that level would be more robust than the one produced at the national level.
And a handful of states have been living up to the expectations of the residents of their respective states in bi-partisan manner by rolling out palliatives such as Compressed Natural Gas,CNG buses to facilitate mass transit for hard pressed commuters. States like Ogun,Rivers and Borno, Bayelsa fall into the category of the subregional governments rolling out palliative.
Also,already,states like Edo and Kwara had pioneered reduction of work days for civil servants from five (5) to three (3) working days in their bid to provide succor to the masses currently being choked by high cost of living.
Some state governments have even added the sum of N10 to the salaries of civil servants. And amongst the private sector players,Zenith bank plc has reportedly increased its worker’s salaries by 100%. United Bank for Africa,UBA is also said to have increased its employees emoluments.
Perhaps, there would be a contagion effect as other players in the private sector,as show of endorsement emulate the banking giants in boosting employee emoluments to tide their workers through the hard times.
Given that President Tinubu has responded positively to the request of organized private sector by suspending some taxes which they deem as suffocating ,one would not be surprised if they reciprocate in kind by extending succor to their workers via salaries increase.
Having beaten the sixty (60) days deadline provided in the statues book for a president to name his cabinet after being inaugurated into office by sending the names of twenty eight (28) nominees on Thursday 27 July to the Red Chambers of the National Assembly,NASS for screening and approval, and with a promise to send 13 more names at a later date; President Tinubu is making progress.
Although it is at a much slower than expected pace by the very anxious Nigerians who can not wait to exhale.
With the mobilization of the resources that would be deployed in cushioning the negative fallouts of the reforms to the masses being afoot,President Tinubu can be said to be on track in putting his administration on sound footing.
That is because upon completion of the much anticipated screening of the ministerial nominees,hopefully very soon, they would have to quickly pull up their sleeves and put their hands on deck in harmony with the quest of President Tinubu in giving Tinubunomics policy reforms a human face.
While all of the above are high points for President Tinubu’s nascent administration, the avoidable low point is the seeming lack of interest or appetite for promoting a cultural change from that of a sense of entitlement by some Nigerians to subsidies for petrol and the naira,hence the resistance in some quarters.
There has to be intentional efforts by Tinubunomics brand evangelists to exhort Nigerians to make the sacrifices required to reset the country in the manner that army generals psyche up their troops before setting out to fight a battle or go into a war and in the manner that coaches motivate football teams and boxers before they get into the field of play and boxing rings.
The apparent lack of effort in using media tools to get Nigerians to resolve to endure the temporary hardships being experienced via a promise of a better future via concerted efforts to persuade them that the new policies would be implemented diligently with the outcome being a rebirth of our nation with prosperity for all,is a low point which must be reversed.
In other words,the power of communication via the mass media is not being explored to convince the masses to share the vision of president Tinubu.
To get Nigerians to migrate from 3G to 4G and the current 5G technology,telecoms service providers in Nigeria such as MTN , GLO , Airtel, 9Mobile etc always embark on massive publicity on radio, television and across social media platforms to persuade the potential telecoms subscribers to choose their brand.
The same situation applies to financial services institutions such as money deposit banks that invest huge sums in advertisement of their surfeit of products and services across all media platforms to persuade potential financial services consumers to patronize their bank brands of products and services.
If the two (2) types of service providers in the telecommunications and financial services sectors referenced above have leveraged advertisement to recruit customers in large number as reflected by GSM mobile telephony firms attracting subscribers in their millions and banks having huge numbers of customers, Tinubunomics advocates should not delay in deploying communications tools in the reorientation of Nigerians from subsidies mindset to the realities and benefits of no subsidies regime.
With the commitment by state governments to join forces with the federal government to roll out palliatives which is currently ongoing and the federal government nominating candidates for ministerial appointments,the anxiety of waiting for the real implementation of the new reforms would soon be over.
That is especially if members of the red chambers process the nominees with the speed that it deserves ( they are currently doing) to enable the ministers speedily engage in the arduous task of helping President Tinubu and the rest of his team in pulling our country back from the brinks.
Magnus Onyibe,an entrepreneur, public policy analyst ,author,democracy advocate,development strategist,alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,Tufts University, Massachusetts,USA and a former commissioner in Delta state government, sent this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.
To continue with this conversation and more ,please visit www.magnum.ng