“I am a work in progress. I am getting to my goal, a little at a time, not all at once” (Anonymous)
The title of today’s write-up will surely elicit some mixed reactions. Some may be palatable, while many may be so sour. It depends on individual perception of the current situation in Nigeria. In less than two weeks from today, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will clock a year. People will definitely use the occasion to mirror, evaluate and critique the performance of the present administration. That is the usual thing to expect at a time like this.
While it is unnecessary to preempt what views the generality of the people will express, keen followers of the happenings in Nigeria at least in the past one year will not shy away from the fact that things are really tough, and that the rich are also crying. There is overt and covert expression of resentment, anger and indignation by Nigerians which is understandable.
But for those of us that have turned ourselves into motivational speakers in promoting this administration, wear the toga of dogged defenders of the Renewed Hope agenda and assume the position of unrepentant discipleship of PBAT, our summary of the whole episode is that “Nigeria is a work in progress”
When some of us say that Nigeria is a work in progress, we are typically acknowledging that Nigeria is not yet a finished or perfect version of our expectations. But rather, the country is still developing, growing and evolving. This phrase implies that the government is actively working on initiating, improving and executing new things and striving to make the country better.
One thing that the above analogy suggests is that Nigeria is not expected to become perfect magically, but rather we are on a journey of self improvement and development. The nation is on right track of economic recovery even though the race is like that of a marathon; seemingly too long for people to bear and endure.
The scorecard of PBAT administration at any point the assessment is made will not read absolute zero. In a couple of days from now, the legacy projects and others being embarked upon will be under focus. Same will go for the gains and pains being experienced from the deregulation of fuel and that of the forex sectors.
Yes, Nigeria may not be in the El Dorado yet, but the journey towards taking Nigeria economy out of the woods has started. We should continue to support a government that is not giving Nigeria a false hope. The naira is weak, accepted. The prices of fuel are at the rooftop, no doubt. The costs of commodities have skyrocketed, undisputable fact. These are the stack realities of today that the government is addressing frontally.
The era of the naira assuming a pseudo value in order to fake the people that all is well is gone. In the same vein, fuel importation that used to produce overnight millionaires will soon become a thing of the past as locally-owned private and public refineries have started functioning gradually. To crown it all, Nigerians insatiable taste for consumption of foreign products and services is being discouraged thereby reducing the pressure on the dollar. All of these measures are steadily progressing as we speak. Nigeria is a work in progress.
Therefore, let us all imbibe the spirit that if life itself is said to be a work in progress, the mess in Nigeria couldn’t have been cleared in one sweep, but rather, bit by bit.
B. Aderemi Ogundele
(Jagunmolu)
