Nigerians, beginning from this week, courtesy of the classical economics theory which stipulates price rise whenever demands exceeds supplies, will start to buy almost all items at costlier prices!
The A4 paper for instance which sold N550 per ream on June 1, 2015, three days after President Muhammadu was sworn in, freely sold for N850 in early December 2015. As at Friday January 29, 2016; the same item was N1,250 in Lagos. Sadly enough, the progression, like that of amphiclox, a medication item, is predicted to adopt another 10 percent rice, this week.
President Muhammadu Buhari
A country generally acknowledged as import dependent, Nigeria’s inward cargo, courtesy of a warped Central Banks of Nigeria (CBN) forex restrictions policy has been on the decline, until last weekend, when it slide to 60 percent.
Subsequently, with a rise as already witnessed in common A4 paper, printing at business/ cyber cafe is expected to shoot up, photocopying would climb upwards, and those going to State Secretariats or police stations to either write reports or obtain documents, would be made to pay more.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
Sadly enough, Nigeria on matters of cargo imports has no alternatives. We import, from staple pins, needles to electronics, motor spare parts to toothpicks!
The salvation for the masses, ironically may not be in sight! The Presidency is busy, running after looters. The Military is running after Boko Haram. The para-military groups are insufficiently funded, and therefore mostly perform their statutory functions, with less than 60 percent effectiveness.
The salvation of the masses may, honestly speaking, not be within the immediate consideration. The national lawmakers, whose oversight functions should have protected the masses was last week, accused of blackmailing and massive corruption, by a man who knows them, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Unfortunately, one of them who anchored the opinions of the generality, instead of denying the allegations, only worsened the situation, by merely confirming, that the former President actually introduced the perceived corruption into the National Assembly, while he was a second term President, futily seeking an illegal third term!
In order words, going by such porous defences, the former President may indeed, be correct on the Senate, in terms of corruption. Senator Dino Melaye failed to absolved the Senate of Obasanjo’s allegations. He merely corroborated it; thereby creating new fears in the electorate, on how a corrupt and blackmailing Senate could protect their welfare, let alone, advance it.
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Sadly enough, the proverbial King’s men, Buhari’s henchmen who should understand better, have not. They neither read the President’s body language, nor understand the simple English meaning of Buhari’s maiden speech: I belong to none, I belong to all…!
They see the President as their PROPERTY, to be owned, and to be shielded from everyone else. Consequently, plagued by insecurity and fears of loosing their ‘hold’ on their PROPERTY, they have started fighting everyone else, including Obasanjo and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of becoming too close to Mr. President.
Some, repeating a similar mistake made by former president, Goodluck Jonathan’s kiths and kins, some of them have even begun to pressure Buhari, not only to distance himself from the duo, but to unleash the EFCC operatives on them!
Pray! Who would save Buhari, from the warped, selfish and thoughtlessness of the King’s men?!
By February 1, precisely Monday, the tariff on NEPA or PHCN, a body that supplies the country with more of darkness than electricity would rise. The reverberating effects would tinker, adversely with the prices of whatever the country still ‘manufactures’ or assembled.
The price shift would coincide with the continuing rising prices of goods, following the CBN restrictions inadequacies, to create another price disequilibrium in the market, totally unfavourable to the masses!
But then, who is thinking of the masses?!
We prayed for Change. God, in HIS Infinite Mercies has bestowed Change on us. But then, in the euphoria of Change, we may also have lost some focus.
Crimes, induced by unmitigated needs are on the increase. Prostitution is worse hit, as the cost of sleeping with women of easy virtues, having been compounded by a growing stiff competition from wives and daughters of newly retrenched (sacked) men, is on the slide. Add these to women who are working but haven’t been paid for months and you begin to understand why prostitution is most hit.
I have visited Opebi Allen, Ikeja axis to study the prostitutes and juxtaposed it with reports my men brought from Ayilara at Ojuelegba and Apapa, to know the illicit trade is also currently, going through hell!
In the meantime, let us leave you with a few newspapers headlines, as sourced from the Twitters handles:
1.Removal of fuel subsidy (including KEROSENE?) would save Government N6bn
2. Non-oil export revenue drops by $5.9 bn in 2years;
3. Buharinomics is height of foolishness;
4. Human Rights Group raises alarm over FG efforts to arrest (former President) Jonathan;
5. Akpabio denies owing properties / accounts in Dubai;
6. Obasanjo introduced Corruption to NASS;
7. Boko Haram (clinically) dead-FG;
8. Five dead, four injured as CJTF vehicles step on Boko Harams land mines in Borno
9. Heavy gun fire, as Boko Harams moves to storm Maiduguri.
With issues as volatile as these, pray, how can the masses and their inconsequential ‘headaches’ ever get a proper attention!
May the President live, Forever!
