By
Coker Onita
In his attempt to reach the grassroots, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has promised in his New Year message, to empower a minimum of 1000 people in each of the 8,809 Wards throughout Nigeria. A worthy and commendable effort, you’re wont to say.
But the implications and penetration of this gesture are far reaching. Indeed, it is suspect. The first question to ask is what are the modalities to penetrate all Wards, including the ones already taken over by Boko Haram, insurgents and terrorists?
Second, in this era of active politicking, even when INEC has not given the green light, will the organizers be fair, equitable and just in the distribution of materials to all Nigerians? God help you if you belong to the opposition party. In this era of massive defections, you may get nothing if you don’t defect, as they say, to the party at the “Centre”.
Third, not only that. The officials in charge may be anxious to see the empowerment materials as opportunities to help themselves and line their pockets. If care is not taken, they may embezzle 40 to 60 per cent of the materials. Call it greed, avarice and corruption..
Fourth, if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decides, in addition, to give financial empowerment, they may share the money as pre-election financial inducement to prospective voters. ln other words, Tinubu may indirectly be. doling out money to secure votes, just the same way Vice President Yemi Osibajo moved into markets during Buhari,’s tenure. He openly shared (bribed?) voters in the name of empowerment.
So much money was given out that it became difficult to give accurate account; that it became scandalous. One can only hope that when the programme begins, we wouldn’t have entered another round of unnecessary profligacy and recklessness.
But l have been asking myself how far can Tinubu go in this era of deception and uncertainty? In this era of unfulfilled promises, will this not be counted amongst the long list of shattered hopes? Take for example, Tinubu’s promise to deliver electricity, boasting that estimated billing would be abolished. But what do we have today? Unfulfilled promises. Not only has electricity not improved despite higher tarrifs, estimated billing has not stopped. So sure was Tinubu that he announced with candour, that if he failed to fulfill this singular promise, he should not be voted for in his second term bid. Now, the chicken has come home to roost.
From Tinubu’s trajectory on failed promises, it will be safe to conclude that his promise to empower 1000 people per ward may be an illusion, call it a pipe dream. Analysts have already indicated that over 141 million people may be sliding into poverty this year, 2026. Our population hovers around 230 million.
The solution is positive change in all spheres of our national life
If Tinubu plays politics with everything, especially with this empowerment decision, the end result will be predictable: a free fall into abyss and unmitigated disaster of no mean magnitude. God help Nigeria.
Mr. Coker Onita, former Publisher and Editor-in-chief Today’s Choice Magazine and former Editorial Consultant and Columnist lndependent Newspapers Limited.
