Dr Ossai Edmund Ossai is an activist, public commentator and university teacher. In this interview, he speaks on President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and other challenges facing the country, ANAYO EZUGWU writes
Looking back at Year 2024, how would you rate the performance of President Tinubuled government?
President Tinubu appears very focused on his job and also very optimistic about the future of his reforms. That is commendable but the truth is that Nigeria and Nigerians are having it very rough at this point. There is a report that over half of Nigerians want to migrate.
Basic human instincts ensure that human beings tend to run away in periods of economic adversity and it is important that the government should know that this is a very trying moment for the country. But I still think he needs to take another look, a very critical look at the economic reforms.
What do you think needs to be done differently to address the present harsh situation?
The government should re-double efforts at security. There are some gains already but I think it should be strengthened more and consolidated. The last report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on insecurity is very scary.
Which foreign investor will dare to come here when such a report from an agency of government is in the news? My way of monitoring the security situation in Nigeria is that no Nigerian should be in an IDP camp. Again, the spate of kidnappings should be halted.
Once, this is achieved, farmers can go back to their farms as a measure to reduce the high cost of food items. We commend the commencement of operations at the Port-Harcourt refinery; with this achievement I expect the government to strive to reduce the cost of fuel by whatever means.
You can call it any name, ‘reintroduction of subsidy’ or ‘operation reduce fuel price.’ At the present cost of fuel, it will be very difficult to achieve a cease-fire on the current state of hunger in the land.
A hungry nation is a bleeding nation and that is never a recipe for development, which is the main thrust of this administration. Thus, all efforts should be put in place to reduce the present hunger situation in the country.
The hunger situation may eventually drown all the achievements of the Tinubuled government. The hunger in the land is a big challenge to this government and unless it is genuinely tackled it will continue to drown any achievement of the government. At the moment, Nigeria is bleeding.
I also expect the government to take another look at the floating of the Naira. It appears that all the gains of the subsidy removal have been emasculated by the diminished value of the Naira. Then of much importance is that the President should engage with Nigerians.
I expect the President to personally talk to and relate to the people of Nigeria. He should be able to reach out to the hearts of millions of Nigerians, who also love this country but are becoming increasingly despondent about the future of their country.
Even if the President decides to go ahead with all these reforms as they are at present, he should be able to communicate directly to the people of Nigeria and infuse their hearts with the abundant fortunes inherent in his great reforms.
This is an area Mr. President has not done very well, and being an accomplished politician, I expect more from him to turn around the table.
What is your take on the cabinet reshuffle that President Tinubu carried out. Did it produce the needed effect you expected?
The Tinubu-led government took some strategic decisions in the last cabinet reshuffle and that should be commended.
It may be too early to judge but one cannot forget that the idea to make 18 years the minimum age for admission into universities in the country has been reversed. This idea was mooted when the average age of completing senior secondary education in Nigeria was 16years.
This policy was anti-people and ran counter to global best practices. That the idea was reversed may suggest that it was not a policy trust from the Tinubu-led government but simply an idea approved by someone in the top echelon of government.
We must be grateful to Mr President for the decision to reshuffle the cabinet and the time it was done. I am sure there are still other gains and also hopefully many more will surely emerge for the good of the country.
How will you react to the optimism of the presidency that the reforms of the government will produce the desired results soon?
There are so many things that the government is aware of which may not be within my reach. Many Nigerians, including myself have insisted that the twin policy of subsidy removal and the floating of the Naira are responsible for the present economic predicament in the country.
I think that the government thinks otherwise. As a responsible citizen, I have to pray that they succeed. One thing is however obvious, the instability of the nation’s currency coupled with the high cost of fuel make the destination of good hope very far.
The resultant effect of all these is the unprecedented state of hunger in the country, which unfortunately has blinded many Nigerians on the good in the future of Nigeria and the many developmental strides of this government.
The hunger in the land is a big challenge to this government and unless it is genuinely tackled it will continue to drown any achievement of the government
I am however hopeful that the Economic team of the government is working round to clock in bringing the several goodies of this administration which abound in their hearts presently to the reality of all Nigerians. I have never seen a government that intentionally works towards its failure and the Tinubu-led government cannot be an exception.
How do you see the state of insecurity in the South-East; do you think the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will bring peace to the zone as many public commentators contend?
In truth, there should be peace in all corners of Nigeria. I am pleased that the commander-in-chief has directed the military to end banditry this year.
This is cheering news because since the fight against terrorism, banditry and insurgency, this is the first time that a time frame has been included. Now, coming to the South-East, specifically, I think that the release of Nnamdi Kanu could accelerate the peace process in the zone.
However, I expect that insecurity in the area and also in the other geo-political zones of Nigeria should be tackled holistically. We should also bear in mind that the current spate of hunger and the increasing level of unemployment, especially among graduates in Nigeria could also breed insecurity.
In the search for peace in South-East, we should ensure that splinter groups do not emerge. Again, all stakeholders should be involved in the peace process. Let us bear in mind that there is local government autonomy and the probability of state police coming on board.
It is also very important that we let our governors know that they have a great role to play in initiating and sustaining peace in the South-East Nigeria. For me, this is more like a clarion call for all of us to be alive to our duties and responsibilities both as citizens and representatives of government.
Almost all the states have endorsed state police. Do you think it’s the way to go in curbing insecurity?
With the present situation in Nigeria, the idea of a state police is most welcome. I have decided not to focus on the perceived demerits of the state police at this point. The most important issue is that we have an emergency in our hands that should be tackled urgently.
The state police system will ensure that governors are actively involved in the security of their states. This will ensure that they are held accountable for security lapses in the states instead of the present situation where they appear helpless.
It will bring the security of Nigerians to the front burner of political debates and electioneering campaigns. However, we must do an audit on the present state of insecurity in the land learn the needed lessons and know the exact roles of the state police system
. First of all, the entire security network in the country should work together. Then, since all of us have become experts in explaining how the state police system will be abused by the various state governors, we must have a blueprint on how to checkmate such abuses.
How will you react to the statement that the quality of education has gone down in Nigeria?
This statement may mean different things to different people. One aspect remains outstanding. Graduates from Nigerian universities excel in other countries either for their postgraduate educational pursuits or in the case of the medical professionals.
So, in a way, we are doing well. Again, the observation that several graduates are unemployed and almost completely frustrated in Nigeria seems to ask questions about the quality of the graduates produced. We should also bear in mind that our investments in education are sub-optimal.
Also, the various state governments have almost abandoned primary and secondary education to the private sector. At the tertiary level, public universities still stand out mainly because of the length of stay of the institutions and the perseverance of their administrators. Presently, there is a rush for university education outside Nigeria.
This is all part of the ‘japa syndrome’ and the lack of faith in the future of Nigeria by several of its citizens. I think the government should increase its investments in the education sector. There are signs of this from some state governments and the federal budget for 2025. Government should also look at the welfare of teachers from the primary schools to the university level.
Then there is the need to take a good look at the present situation in the country and the pathway the country intends to follow and re-position our educational system to be the driving force for development.
There are calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Some say the problem is not in restructuring but in bad leadership. What is your position on this?
Restructuring as far as Nigeria is concerned is a political terminology and once it is mentioned it evokes emotions and sometimes these are based on sentiments.
This government may eventually go down in history as one that initiated the highest forms of reforms in the country.
They should take credit for that. It may be politically expedient that the term ‘restructuring’ is kept at bay while we gradually identify weakened areas of our social and economic systems and see how we could improve on them constitutionally.
Imagine what will happen if our local government system is effectively managed with the current local government reforms initiated by the present government. I think that what the present government is doing in the area of reforms is the best way to go instead of shouting the restructuring agenda which is always viewed with the utmost suspicion.
But be that as it may, there is still a place for good leadership. A good leader may also find it difficult to function effectively in a defective structure. So, you also need equity, justice and fairness in putting up a good structure.
