BABA, WETIN DO OUR 5K! BY SAHEED ANIMASHAUN

A : “Bros, you don hear”?

B : I have told you to stop speaking pidgin English with me; anyway what is it?

A : Your Baba yan for Saudi say e no go pay 5k to unemployed youths contrary to his campaign promise!

B : What is wrong with that? Is it not preferable to spend the money on infrastructure like he said?

A : It seems you are not getting the gist! Let me switch to proper English! I was intensely involved in the campaign that brought in Buhari as president. I participated in door-to-door campaigns. I shared APC manifestoes and stoutly defended its contents. I vividly remember being “interrogated” about the 5k unemployment allowance! I can remember assuring the questioner that Buhari always keeps his promise; “It is feasible; once Buhari emerges, he will kill corruption and Nigeria will be rich again!”, I said! So I’m deeply pained by Baba’s betrayal (that’s how I see it). How will I face those I defended the manifesto before?

B : I partly agree with some of what you have said. But Baba is only being truthful! He has seen the economic realities on ground and decided that the 5k unemployment allowance is not a priority. He didn’t envisage the economic challenges we’re having currently!

A : Balderdash! I strongly disagree!No soothsayer was needed to foresee these challenges! Oil prices have been on a downward spiral for more than one year! Our non-oil sector was not booming and Baba knew “Kwarapshun” was at a crescendo! In fact, his anti-corruption stance was his main selling point! He highlighted several times during his campaign, directly and indirectly, that corruption was the bane of our development. So he definitely had a good idea of economic challenges before making such promises. More annoyingly, it seems Nigerians in Nigeria mean so little to Baba that he had to make this comment (that he wasn’t going to fulfill his 5k unemployment promise) in faraway Arabia!

B : Look, look! Guy, calm down! Stop pillorying Buhari! It is not his fault! GEJ and PDP are responsible for quagmire we’re in currently! He has only been in charge for 9 months! He is not a magician! He has examined facts on ground and realized that the 5k unemployment allowance is not feasible!

A : There you go again! We deserve utmost respect as citizens! If the President has realized that the 5k unemployment is not feasible, he should do a national address and apologize! Plain simple! He also should apologize for exploiting our hopelessness in PDP! He should let us know other campaign promises he may be unable to fulfill and give ample reasons! Is he still going to carry out the primary school feeding programme? We deserve to know! I have been terribly disappointed with Baba’s PR. He is either making a policy/important statement abroad, or he’s keeping silent on a pressing national issue, or he makes belated comments! He needs to improve his PR!

B : Let’s cut him some slack! Everything would turn out well! He means well for Nigeria!

A : Maybe, but we have to keep him on his toes to ensure that he doesn’t make mistakes that would worsen the loss of faith many Nigerians have in a turnaround! Buhari has to carry us all along to rekindle the faith of Nigerians in Nigeria.

B : It is well! God would not allow us suffer!

By SAHEED ANIMASHAUN (@ani_gene)