Spirit of Nigeria to Tinubu: Are you still with us?

Dear Mr. President,

Are You Still with Us?

Mr. President, welcome back from the cabinet retreat.

In our country of ‘One Day, One Drama’, last week did not disappoint us.

Your N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary budget to the National Assembly took centre stage within governance and consequently Nigeria’s media discourse.

Mind boggling was not the huge figure but the details of the line items and the miscommunication that has become a major feature of the PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) administration.

Mr. President, your administration received a yellow card again during the ‘Presidential Yacht versus Naval Security Boat’ match on the field of public opinion. To cap it up, approval was being sought for an already delivered most controversial item which the lower house disapproved but the upper house is amorphous about. The speed of approval also did not go unnoticed, eliciting questions on the fate of more pressing issues within the National Assembly.

From all the negative reverb that came with the supplementary budget, alongside the current abysmal living standards of majority of Nigerians, many who believed in you, especially your ‘Let the Poor Breathe’ maxim, has arisen the question; ‘Are You Still with Us’?

Nigerians are no longer sure where you stand because they are suffocating and not breathing. The spirit blowing across Nigeria is a suffocating spirit that is ravaging the land, your many assurances and flowery presidential sound bites notwithstanding. The optics simply do not match.

Mr. President, while many Nigerians are willing to give you time, the dissonance between the time and sacrifice which you demand of us and the actions of your government is too profuse to ignore.

We need the big ideas and quick wins that will assure Nigerians that you are still with us.

Thank you Mr. President

Rest assured of our highest regards to the highest office in the land

Yours patriotically,

e -signed
The SNR Team
5th November 2023