₦airaland Forum

The easiest job for any President - truth be told - is to do absolutely nothing. Yes, to fold hands, maintain status quo, and coast through the corridors of power on autopilot. In fact, if you're desperate for a second term, that’s the golden ticket: change nothing, rock no boat, ruffle no feathers.

Now, what does “status quo” mean in the Nigerian context?

1. Keep borrowing to fund fuel subsidy, and when the creditors start giving you side-eyes, activate the infamous “Ways and Means” - just print more money. And if that still doesn’t cut it, sell off national assets like family heirlooms at a distress sale. As long as the people can say “fuel was cheap during your time,” who cares about the fiscal recklessness? Whatever the cost, give the illusion of comfort.

2. Prop up the naira with subsidies till it's a house of cards. Let foreign investors gnash their teeth trying to repatriate profits. Let the reserves bleed dry. As long as the street can shout “₦400 to a dollar!” in your name - even if it’s just on paper - you’ll be hailed as an economic magician. Whatever the cost, give the illusion of strength.

3. Don’t touch the tax regime. That’s sacred ground - lest you offend governors who think fiscal reforms are a personal insult. You need them singing your praises come election season. So, smile, nod, and keep the deadwood tax system alive, whatever the cost.

4. Forget any audacious infrastructure dreams. Lagos-Calabar Highway? Too bold. Too dusty. Too disruptive. People will ask why it's not their region first. Or scream, “What has that got to do with the price of rice?” Stick to the old playbook: ground-breaking ceremonies with Fuji stars, golden shovels, and the famous 2-coach foundation block. Smile for the cameras, do nothing afterward, and resurrect it as campaign promise when the next election comes knocking. Whatever the cost, protect the optics.

5. Student loans? For heaven’s sake, no! Why stir the hornet’s nest? Innovation breeds misunderstanding. Keep tuition fees low, even if it means unpaid lecturers, poorly funded schools, and indefinite ASUU strikes. Let students spend 7 years on a 4-year course - as long as the fees are cheap, they’ll adjust. It’s the Nigerian way, after all.

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BUT WHAT DID BAT DO?

The exact opposite.

Being a seasoned politician, we thought he’d toe the line - secure the throne first, govern later. But lo and behold, the man flipped the script. He placed vision over ambition, governance over politics, legacy over elections.

He dared to do what many only discussed behind closed doors. Where others danced around tough decisions, he dived headfirst. And for the first time in a long time, we saw political will in action - not just campaign grammar.

Nigeria's problem has never been about the absence of ideas. We have ideas in excess - our real deficit is courage. The guts to act. The will to lead. And in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we have a man who not only knows how to win elections but also the rare courage to govern in spite of them.

Op, stop confusing recklessness with reform. Removing fuel subsidies without building a safety net isn’t bravery; it’s negligence. Floating the naira without stabilizing policies isn’t economic genius; it’s malpractice.

What we’re witnessing isn’t “legacy over elections”; it’s crisis over competence a bold dive into chaos dressed up as reform. And no, that’s not political will. That’s political willful ignorance.

Ofunaofu:
Op, stop confusing recklessness with reform. Removing fuel subsidies without building a safety net isn’t bravery; it’s negligence. Floating the naira without stabilizing policies isn’t economic genius; it’s malpractice.

What we’re witnessing isn’t “legacy over elections”; it’s crisis over competence a bold dive into chaos dressed up as reform. And no, that’s not political will. That’s political willful ignorance.

You guys still haven't given us the alternatives given the reality that Tinubu met the country.

Let me give you some of the realities Tinubu met on ground as at May 29 2023, then you give me a better alternative.

For fuel subsidy.
1. When Buhari signed the PIA in August 2021, the implementation (one of which fuel subsidy was to be removed) was to be done in 6 months time which was February 2022.

In February 2022, Buhari then extended the implementation by 18 months which was June 2023.
So the 2023 budget covered fuel subsidy up until June 2023.
So tell me how Tinubu that entered May ending would have continued paying it.
Would he have spent money out of budget which is illegal?
Would he have proposed a N3.4tn (that was how much paying fuel subsidy from June to December would have cost) supplementary budget to the NASS in June just for fuel subsidy payment?

Now let's assume he was able to get the NASS to approve the supplementary budget, where would have have gotten the funding from? Would he have borrowed? The Jan-June subsidy was borrowed, even the 2022 subsidy was borrowed. So would Tinubu also borrow this one too?

Also let's assume he was able to fund the fuel subsidy.. How would he also have funded this safety net you guys keep talking about? Would have borrowed to fund fuel subsidy and also borrowed for the safety net?
If he did borrow, for how long will the money last before another round?

Also, the fact that he ended fuel subsidy on day one took everyone unaware. The opposition, NLC, NANS and any anyone else wouldn't have possibly protested on the first day of a President. Their conscience wouldn't have allowed it.

There's no amount of explanation or safety net Tinubu would have put, the truth is that no one wants to pay more for fuel. And the opposition would have used that to force the President not to end fuel subsidy.

2. Naira floatation.
Nigeria was already in a forex crisis when Tinubu came onboard. There was a $7bn trapped funds with foreign airline's reaching over $800m.
Our net reserves was an all time low (about $3bn). So where would we have gotten forex to fund imports?

The economy was virtually at a verge of collapsing and only a drastic measure would have saved it.

So my brother, please give an alternative to the points I mentioned.

Dead on arrival.

The OP's Whatsapp group has obviously given instructions that members should keep pushing an argument that is dead and buried. The directive from troll HQ is for 'group members' to constantly initiate arguments online about BAT's 'courage' in removing fuel subsidy, work people up with a few insults, taunt people about the inevitability of BAT's second term...rinse and repeat.

Buhari's media crew did similar stuff. Where are they today?

Try again. Two years gone and the only thing they have to hold on to as an achievement is "bold reforms". Even though the data shows that they have borrowed more in 2 years than the whole 8 years of Buhari where everything was subsidised. So, what's the whole point if Nigerians are now more poorer with nothing to show?

AMINDA:
Try again. Two years gone and the only thing they have to hold on to as an achievement is "bold reforms". Even though the data shows that they have borrowed more in 2 years than the whole 8 years of Buhari where everything was subsidised. So, what's the whole point if Nigerians are now more poorer with nothing to show?

Tinubu's government has borrowed less than $3bn since inception. Stop the lies.

Perfectbeing:
Tinubu's government has borrowed less than $3bn since inception. Stop the lies.

I know you're embarrassed but why argue over something that is easily verifiable. This was as far back as October 2024 and the Worldbank is not the only financial institution Tinubu is borrowing from. What's worse is that there's absolutely nothing on ground to show for these loans. Just admit that Tinubu is overrated.

AMINDA:
I know you're embarrassed but why argue over something that is easily verifiable. This was as far back as October 2024 and the Worldbank is not the only financial institution Tinubu is borrowing from. What's worse is that there's absolutely nothing on ground to show for these loans. Just admit that Tinubu is overrated.

Cl0wn.

The DMO is the official records of public debts in Nigeria and below is what they have to say.

FG debt as at December 2023 was $37.9bn (external)+ $59.2bn (domestic) =$97.1bn.

FG debt as at December 2024 was $41bn (external) +$45. 9bn = $86.9bn. As you can see, there's a reduction and not an increment.

If we compare only the external debt of both years, the difference is $3.1bn. It means Tinubu borrowed $3.1bn external debt. So where is this $6bn World bank loan coming from?

If you even have sense and you know how institution works, you would know that WB cannot give $6bn in less than a year.
You think world bank loans is like those online loan app that you can just collect?