‘Things will increasingly worsen because the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Naira currency swap is a good idea conceived by a confused set of people. The CBN officials have not shown that they understand the basic principles of project management or change management in their handling of the fallout from the currency swap policy. Even, the Supreme Court has added its own decibel to the cacophony of naira crisis’
I WAS bemused the other day seeing a baby almost turning one of the phrases that define the shame of Nigeria as a nation into a lullaby. Nigerians’ penchant for turning everything into a joke never ceases to amaze me. Why will a mother teach a baby gibberish that causes right-thinking elders in the political space pain? There are some things in Nigeria’s evolution that are better hidden, if not denied, from our children. Some jokes can be taken too far to become absurd.
Although it sounds like a rhyming couplet, the phrase, “Bala Blu Bulaba” should be seen as a sickening joke from the hollow chambers of dementia. When you consider the meaning of dementia, you will understand the gravity of the phrase, “Bala Blu Bulaba” as a symptom of a malady. Dementia is a condition characterized by progressive or persistent loss of intellectual functioning, especially with impairment of memory and abstract thinking. Patients with this condition, which is a result of an organic disease of the brain, present early symptoms which include memory loss, and an inability to follow a conversation or find the right word to use.
Despite the persistent denial of the acolytes and spin doctors around Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT), the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Nigeria’s Presidential elections scheduled for February 25, 2023, his constant blunders (speaking confusedly or thoughtlessly) prove otherwise. It is therefore not appropriate to make a baby mimic the gaffes made by an elder who may be presenting early symptoms of a mental health challenge.
Memory loss, poor judgment, and confusion are three unmistakable symptoms of dementia. Painfully, most members of Nigeria’s ruling class manifest these symptoms daily.
It is apparent that Nigerians who are acting surprised or angry about the increasing multifaceted sufferings of the masses have been living in delusion. It is very clear that we have been subjected to punishment under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressive Congress government in the last eight years. We have not experienced anything better than the punishment God vowed to mete at the “Multitude of No” in ancient times.
Nobody needs to be brilliant to know that the assumed mental health challenge of BAT is not limited to him. It is a national affliction that has been spreading in Nigeria since May 29, 2015. During his swearing-in ceremony as Nigeria’s executive President, President Buhari gave an early sign that his government will spread the symptoms of dementia. “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”. This was the height of confusion but in our excitement about his anti-corruption posturing, we all, in our bewilderment, hailed him as the new Sheriff in town.
We were further bewitched by Femi Adesina, the prolific writer, and Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who hurriedly concluded in an article published on September 4, 2015, that, “Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new Sheriff has truly come to town.”
There is no doubt about this assertion. Things have not been the same in the past 93 months in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. Convoluted confusion has characterised the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency. In the first term of Buhari, nobody outside Aso Rock Villa was sure if he was dead or alive. Until Friday, December 23, 2022, the critics of Buhari gave us reasons why we should believe that we were being ruled by his clone named ‘Jubril of Sudan’. It was once a joke in the political circle in Abuja that Buhari once expressed surprise that Audu Ogbe was not present in a Council meeting. He was reported to have totally forgotten that he sacked Audu Ogbe as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development the previous week.
Many policy summersaults and executive misadventures by the government over the past seven years are sufficient proof that confusion has been an integral part of the Buhari government. APC succeeded in labelling former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as clueless. It is no longer debatable that President Muhammadu Buhari is a confused mass of protoplasm (CMP). Unfortunately, APC has presented Nigerians with a Presidential Candidate whose mental state does not appear to be better than that of Buhari going by the articulation of his thoughts.
The current agitations and commotion in the minds and lives of most Nigerians, spilling to the streets of Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Daura, Kano, and others are the unpleasant consequences of a confused leadership. There is confusion in our energy sector. Nobody knows what is happening concerning the supply and price of fuel. As the new naira notes scarcity worsens most young bankers are terrified about going to work. Last Friday, February 10, 2023, a bullion van sped into a banking premise in Apapa, Lagos. The hapless customers who had been queuing in the sun for more than six hours sighed in relief. The staff of the bank were also excited that they would be free from the verbal attacks from their restive customers. The bullion van sped off as soon as it offloaded the new naira notes it brought. When the new naira notes delivered by the bullion van were counted, the hope of everyone was dashed. There was a demand for more than two million Naira notes on the premises. Sadly, the bullion van only miserly delivered one hundred (100) thousand naira notes.
Things will increasingly worsen because the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Naira currency swap is a good idea conceived by a confused set of people. The CBN officials have not shown that they understand the basic principles of project management or change management in their handling of the fallout from the currency swap policy. Even, the Supreme Court has added its own decibel to the cacophony of the naira crisis.
Nothing good should be expected from a confused leadership bent on perpetuating ineptitude. We thank BAT for giving us heads-up through his infamous speech on “Bala Blu Bulaba” that we were entering into a pathetic season of commotion.
•Dr Wale Adeduro is a Productivity Consultant
