Minister
of Information, Lai Mohammed last week said that Nigeria is broke. He
spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive
Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. He said: “The current problem is not
really about subsidy removal. It is that Nigeria is broke. Pure and
simple!
“It
is like somebody who has been earning N100,000 a month and he is faced
with a situation where his employer says henceforth, you will be earning
N10,000 a month. He would need to make some very painful decisions and
some very painful adjustments. That is the situation with Nigeria today.
“A few months ago, we were earning as much as $100 for every
barrel of crude. In the months of February and March, we were short
of…so, we no longer have the resources, the foreign exchange to bring in
refined fuel products. And our economy is shrinking. We appreciate the
fact that the decision is going to affect everybody. “We appreciate what
we are going through, but Nigerians should also know that the
government has the responsibility at times to take very difficult
decisions.
So, it is not always about popularity.”
Lai Mohammed was only stating the obvious. This fundamental truth was not told to Nigerians from the very beginning.
This
subsidy removal is perhaps the red pill that may wake Nigerians up to
reality. Nigeria is poor. It is broke. Nigeria has been raped, pillaged,
looted and left for dead.
All these years, the nation’s economy has been sustained on the junk
food of corruption and Nigeria had kwashiorkor but because it looked
chubby, Nigerians thought the nation was healthy. Nigerians were busy
throwing money around. Those who had political godfathers and had access
were renting two bedrooms in Abuja for N700 million. Houses were
springing up around the country from the proceeds of corruption.
It was unbelievable that make-up artistes were charging N500, 000 and
pre-wedding photo shoots were going for N700, 000. Aso ebi for wedding,
naming or burial ceremonies were sold for N90, 000. These Nigerians were
busy buying Rolex watches and Ferraris. Range Rover Sport was
everywhere you turn to in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. To these
sudden wealthy people, the items were like Keke Napep.
Little did they know that it is all fake life. The perception of a
wealthy nation was all a mirage. Nigerians have all been living off the
spoils of corruption. That’s why the country seems so hard and difficult
now that nobody has access to free money anymore.
There
is at the moment no money circulating because there is none to steal
and rent flats and shops for girlfriends. There is no more money for
civil servants to steal to pay bogus tithes of N500, 000 to unsuspecting
churches and take an equally bogus title from traditional rulers. There
is no money for Nigerian lawmakers to spray in dollars at their
daughters’ weddings; for Lagos big boys to spend N2 million every Friday
night at nightclubs.
It is time to see the real Nigeria and Nigerians. Now that money
budgeted will go into our roads and bridges and hospitals, there will be
economic progress. Such budgetary allocations will now benefit those
who do not have a rich corrupt uncle with connections in oil and gas.
Those who cannot travel to Dubai to celebrate birthdays will do so here
in Nigeria. Those who do not know what Coldstone ice cream tastes like
will benefit from government programmes.
Now
is the time for those who have stolen Nigeria’s money to invest in real
estate and reap the benefit of corruption. Hopefully, the real estate
msarkets will crash. The thieves with 15 houses in Abuja will be forced
to sell them fast for cash. It would, however, be better if EFCC seized
and auctioned them. All those in the service industry will have to
reevaluate their pricing. You cannot charge 500,000 to paint faces
anymore; free money is gone for ever. Nigerians welcome to the real
world. 
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