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RESULTS, NOT RHETORIC: THE COVENANT NIGERIANS ARE DEMANDING
By Hon Leye Igbabo
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into office with bold promises. Insecurity, he assured Nigerians, would be “a thing of the past” as he would tackle it headlong. Electricity, he pledged, would improve so significantly that if he failed, Nigerians should reject him in his second term. The economy, he insisted, would get better and the numbers, his administration keeps saying, now prove it.
Three years in, Nigerians are still waiting for those promises to translate into reality.
On insecurity, the rhetoric of “tackling it headlong” rings hollow when abductions continue in every part of the country. The recent kidnap of about 46 school children and their teachers in Oyo State is a reprehensible reminder that no child is safe and no community is spared. Families remain displaced, farmers are afraid of their land, and communities live under the shadow of violence.
On electricity, the story remains one of excuses, not megawatts. Power remains erratic, costly, and unreliable. That was a covenant the President himself set: no light, no second term. Nigerians have not forgotten.
Then there’s the economy. Government statistics paint a picture of growth, stability, and improvement. But statistics don’t buy food at the market. What the Nigerian masses are saying is simple: we will not reckon with “improved” economic numbers if they don’t translate to improved purchasing power and a better standard of living. Instead, the much-touted economic progress has coincided with more Nigerians sinking into despicable penury.
This is the heart of the matter. Nigerians are no longer interested in measuring government by effort, no matter how huge. Effort without results is just noise. The yardstick now is simple: what has changed in our daily lives? Are our children safe in school? Is power constant? Can our wages feed our families?
A covenant was made. The people are watching for delivery. Promises earned votes; only results will earn a second term.
_Hon Leye Igbabo is a social commentator and the National Publicity Secretary of the All Democratic Alliance ADA._ https://www.facebook.com/share/p/188CKavo6E/
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