Tinubu’s emergence saved Nigeria from crashing – APC vice chair

National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, South-East Zone, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, shares his thoughts with DANIEL AYANTOYE on the performance of the All Progressives Congress-led government and the planned merger of opposition parties, among other issues

The APC made several promises during its campaigns, one of which was to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians. However, things appear not to be going as expected under the current government. What do you make of this?

 The Nigerian people should not behave like the Israelites, who expected magic to happen shortly after they left Egypt. When it took a while to get to the Promised Land, they began to criticise and query Moses, asking him why he brought them out of Egypt. It is important to know that there is a journey ahead of us as a nation. There are a lot of things to be done, and to change the trajectory of this journey, people have to be patient. As they say, Rome is not built in a day, and we must be aware of this, and consistently support the leadership and this administration to succeed.

I believe strongly that this administration is on the right path. We are on the right trajectory, and Nigerians will celebrate in the future that they elected us into power; they will celebrate that they brought Bola Tinubu to power, but we need to be patient and allow the policy handlers to implement the policies that will make life more meaningful for everyone in no time.

But Nigerians have been patient for several years now, and this has become a singsong for all previous administrations, yet things are becoming more difficult daily. What do you make of this?

 I appreciate the fact that people are going through very difficult times. The rain is falling on every roof. It is falling on the roof of the politicians and the roof of the common man. The situation has been tough on the masses, but we all know that the darkest hour is the closest to dawn, and Nigeria is moving towards the light. The issue that the government has to tackle head-on is the fuel subsidy. You and I know that Nigeria cannot survive the continuous funding of subsidy.

Everyone, including experts, agreed to these terms because we were aware of what was involved. You know the economic dynamics. The issue of forex at the parallel market is another aspect that the government is facing because this is an aspect that the wealthy enjoy at the expense of the poor. The country was heading towards a crash if Tinubu hadn’t resumed office and taken harsh decisions. There would have been no country to call our own if Tinubu hadn’t emerged, but when people look at it from a distance, they don’t know what is going on.

What do you mean by we wouldn’t have a country to call our own?

As I said, we all know the dynamics of the economy. The removal of the subsidy was done at the right time to save our economy. To continue to pay such a huge amount for subsidy was not something that was sustainable, and we all agreed. That Tinubu came on board and suspended the continuous funding of the subsidy was done in the interest of the future of this country; I believe this and many people testified to this. You can’t be spending such a huge amount on subsidy when other sectors are there that need the funds for development and without development in a country. Where does the country stand?

When people look at the situation from a distance, they don’t know what is going on, and it is the job of the media to paint the right picture of what is going on. Several people sponsor negative statistics, and of course, it is a global phenomenon, and we are all used to it. To tell you the truth, President Bola Tinubu is doing what none of the other candidates would have been able to do, and these are things we must be aware of and get it right. The major problem we are suffering from is the lack of patriotism.

 Why do you say so?

 Yes, it is a lack of patriotism. For instance, you are aware that we didn’t know the actual consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria before, but when the subsidy was removed, within the first two and three months, we were able to see the actual consumption, and it dropped, but after a short while, it went up again. Why was it so? We had been subsidising the fuel consumption of neighbouring African countries, which we suddenly became aware of because people smuggled petroleum products to neighbouring countries while the subsidy was paid for by the Nigerian government. When the subsidy was removed, we had clear pictures, but the secret I will tell you is that there is still a gap in the pricing.

Petrol is still cheaper in Nigeria than in these neighbouring countries because before, it was a thing that people were smuggling one or two trailer loads of petroleum products through the border, but after the removal of the subsidy, we have the big players now smuggling 200 trailer loads at a time. After loading 200 trailer loads and giving bribes worth millions of naira, they are allowed to pass through. But in a bid to realise what they had spent on bribes, they added to the cost of the products in those countries, thereby increasing their pump price.

This is a fact. You can quote me because it is the truth. It is just that people are unpatriotic; they do not care about the effect on the government or the generality of people. The government can take the right steps, but sabotage is the problem due to unpatriotism. So, if Nigerians can’t desist from a lack of patriotism and take control of their lives and destiny, it will be difficult for any government to make a change. In a nutshell, the administration is doing its very best, but what you will now ask me is, why don’t they mount the border more?

This is a democratic dispensation; this administration cannot create a secret police to check on all these issues. Lack of patriotism is our major problem. We do not believe that what we are doing affects the lives of everyone, but we are quick to blame the government. All the policies that this administration has innovated and implemented are the best. Without those policies, Nigeria’s economy would have crumbled in months, and I can tell you that the other candidates would not have had the guts to do so.

If you are now asking why people were suffering the time that he (Tinubu) took over the office and the fact that he announced it on his inauguration day, there is no better time to announce it than that day that he did because it was part of our campaign promise. And if you look at what has happened between then and now, funds have been released for palliative and others to alienate the sufferings of the people. I believe that Nigerians will be happier soon. Rest assured that you elected the best president in Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

But the immediate past administration, which was also your party, did not fulfill most of the promises made in 2015 until it was handed over in 2023. Don’t you think Nigerians may face a similar situation this time around?

I don’t think so. I don’t also blame the Nigerian people for being skeptical about the political class and leadership, but I don’t think this administration is geared to fail on any of its promises. Even from the way the administration kicked off, it was clear that we were ready for work. So from all indications, you should rest assured that the Tinubu-led administration will deliver on its promises. The administration has every reason to succeed, and as I said earlier, Nigerians will eventually be happy that they voted Tinubu into power because he has what it takes to take this country to that promised land. The people just have to be patient.

There are concerns that the funds released may end up in private pockets, as it has been recently reported about the alleged corruption involving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu. Are you not concerned about this?

I am concerned; it was part of what I said that such things are a lack of patriotism. The administration is also concerned, and every Nigerian is concerned. A lot of people are not thinking like humans; it’s all about themselves. On the issue with the minister you talked about, I would prefer to wait until the investigation is concluded. However, I don’t think any issue of corruption can be swept under the rug by this administration because the President will frown on anything that will hinder the success of this government. After all, you can see that some people have already been suspended while the investigation is still ongoing. So, the administration is determined to fight everything that may affect its success.