Tinubunomics: what’s working, what’s not, why and way forward

The countdown to the public presentation of the long-awaited book, “Leading From The Streets: Media Interventions By A Public Intellectual 1999-2019” by Magnus Onyibe, on Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, from 9 am promptly at Alliance Française/Mike Adenuga Center in Ikoyi, Lagos, has commenced.

The book, which is my humble contribution to nation-building in these trying times, is about how we all, as leaders in our own rights, need to support each other and the government to survive the current hardships arising from the ongoing socioeconomic reforms. The book is a sort of elixir as it contains narratives about past mistakes and missteps by Nigerian leaders. By recalling past leadership errors, those currently in the corridors of political power have the opportunity to learn from the past wrong judgements by leaders and make amends going forward.

During the public presentation of the book, Nigerians will have the opportunity to make suggestions to leaders in the corridors of political power and receive candid responses.

The Vice President, His Excellency, Kashim Shettima, is billed to be the special guest of honour, and Gen. Yakubu Gowon, the oldest living Nigerian head of state, will serve as the chairman of the occasion. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, will also be in attendance, just as there will be a panel of erudite and concerned Nigerians to discuss the theme, “Tinubonomics: What’s working, what’s not, why, and the way forward.”

It is expected that at the end of the event, there will be fresh perspectives injected into the leadership of our country by those leading from the streets.

That’s because it is an opportunity, as leaders in our own rights, to suggest to the government in power what we deem necessary to move the nation forward. While Prof. Wole Soyinka would not be available to serve as the keynote speaker as earlier scheduled because he had to travel out in a hurry to attend to a family emergency, Prof. Osagie Osaghae, DG of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, will review the book, and the popular economist, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives, will break down in layman’s terms how petrol subsidy withdrawal and naira devaluation affect the price of bread, rice, and tomatoes in the market and what needs to be done to ameliorate the resultant hardships being experienced by a critical mass of Nigerians.

Dr. Idowu Oyebanjo, an electricity energy management expert, will also share with Nigerians what the authorities need to do to make the removal of subsidy on electricity less painful for the masses.

A panel of discussants, with Prof. Anthony Kila of CIAP as the moderator, Mr. Sam Omatseye, the editorial board chairman of The Nation newspaper, Ms. Ayo Obe, a renowned legal practitioner, and Mr. Bala Zakka, an accountant leading the Ikeja, Lagos branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), as members, are expected to interrogate the theme, “Tinubonomics: What’s Working, What’s Not, Why, and the Way Forward.” The event will be transmitted live by Africa Independent Television, AIT, to Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.

There will also be live streaming and Zoom link-up opportunities directly to homes and offices open to those unable to attend in person.

“Leading From The Streets” awards to deserving Nigerians will also be taking place on the sidelines of the public presentation of the book. So, effectively, it is a three-in-one package.

Prof. Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate who has been in the vanguard of intellectuals advocating for the unity of Nigeria and was even detained for 22 months for engaging in intellectual work of expressing his opposition to the brewing Nigerian Biafran civil war in the late 1960s, will be conferred with the Leading From The Streets honour.

Also, Mr. Allen Onyema, founder/CEO of Air Peace airline, who has been rescuing stranded Nigerians from crisis/conflict zones internationally and recently lowered airfares between Lagos and London to the pleasure of Nigerians and chagrin of foreign airline operators that have been exploiting Nigerians, will also be honoured as one of the remarkable Nigerians Leading From The Streets.

By the same token, Alhaji Aliko Dangote/Dangote Refinery, who also recently lowered the price of diesel to the joy of our compatriots bearing the pains of the high cost of living arising from the removal of subsidy on fuel, is amongst the six (6) beneficiaries who will be conferred with the Leading From The Streets honour.

Others include Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar and Dr. Olisa Agbakoba for integrity, uprightness and pro-democracy advocacy, just as Chief Mike Adenuga/Globacom is being recognised for rendering people-centred services such as democratising access to GSM telephones for the masses and making telephone calls inexpensive by introducing per second as opposed to per minute billing earlier imposed by foreign operators, therefore, making telephony affordable to all Nigerians.

By and large, with my new book: Leading From The Streets. Media Interventions By A Public Intellectual (1999-2019), a case is being made that Nigerians who are leaders in their own rights and outside the corridors of political power with ideas on how to move our country forward are expected to contribute their humble opinions and efforts towards making Nigeria a better and greater country and political leaders are supposed to listen to them.

It may be recalled that in 1961, when one of the most famous presidents of the United States of America, USA, John F. Kennedy, was being sworn into office as the 35th president, he famously stated: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”

It is that same spirit that is driving the writing and public presentation of the book, Leading From The Streets, as well as the panel discussion of the policies and programmes of the incumbent administration tagged Tinubunomics and the conferment of Leading From The Streets awards on six (6) Nigerians who have exhibited exemplary leadership that has made a positive impact on the nation and its people.

The socioeconomic situation in the US before president Kennedy’s tenure was rough and tough as we are currently experiencing in Nigeria with the incumbent administration struggling to pull our country out of the woods by ending policies that had been stifling the nation and preventing her from growing and progressing as it should.

But with Americans being inspired by president Kennedy to resolve to work assiduously together to overcome the challenges faced at that time, Americans and their leaders implemented policies that enabled the country to attain success and the people became prosperous.

In like manner, Nigeria can leap forward if our leaders in the corridors of political power work in harmony with those leading from the streets.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake; Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, as well as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr, Yemi Cardoso, are expected to deliver goodwill messages during the event.

In light of the above, as it were, the Alliance Française/Mike Adenuga Centre located at the intersection between Alfred Rewane and Osborne roads in Ikoyi, Lagos, is set to welcome and host an August event in May.

That is because Nigerians, who have been very resilient, are waiting anxiously for the outcome of the very tough reforms that have inflicted a lot of pain on them, even as the incumbent administration is encouraging the long-suffering masses to endure and promising that the economy would soon be out of the woods, especially if we all collectively put our hands on deck to pull the ship of state out of the turbulent waters in which it is currently sailing on to the shore.

On the part of the masses, they are demanding that government officials live by example to inspire and earn the confidence of Nigerians in their ability to lead the nation into prosperity.

I have no doubt that it is the matching of the pursuit of the common good of all by those leading from the presidential villa, governors mansions and those leading from the streets that our country can become more united, inclusive, prosperous and accommodating for all citizens.

So, as the current administration prepares to mark its one-year anniversary of being in charge on the 29th of this month of May, it is expected that President Bola Tinubu will announce his resolve to listen more to voices from the streets and consider their views in his policy formulation and implementation activities.

*** Magnus Onyibe, a former commissioner in the Delta State Government, sent this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.