Dear Lasisi Olagunju,
I read your piece, ‘The Waist Beads of Olajumoke,’ with great interest. Your ability to weave folklore into political critique is commendable, and your metaphor of Olajumoke’s tragic choice of husband offers a powerful cautionary tale. Indeed, rash decisions, driven by appearances rather than substance, have defined much of Nigeria’s political landscape. Yet, while your piece successfully captures the frustration with the current government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I believe the scope of your critique stops short of addressing the root causes of Nigeria’s deeper, more systemic issues.
In your story, Olajumoke’s choice of Orí, “the handsome but hollow skull,”serves as an apt symbol for the failed expectations placed on the current administration. However, limiting Nigeria’s problems to Tinubu’s policies, or framing the disappointment as a recent phenomenon, risks oversimplifying a much more complex and long-standing national predicament. Tinubu, like Olajumoke’s chosen husband, may be the obvious manifestation of the problem, but Nigeria’s challenges run deeper and are the result of decades of economic mismanagement, corruption, and short-termism.
To critique this government without acknowledging how we got here, and without a deeper look at Nigeria’s long-term economic trajectory, is to focus only on the beads and not the waist that carries them.
The Waist of History
You rightfully highlighted the staggering fuel costs and the unbearable economic strain citizens face today. But this did not start in May 2023. The subsidy you mention, removed by Tinubu with those infamous words, “subsidy is gone” was itself an unsustainable economic relic that had drained the country’s coffers for decades. Successive governments, starting long before Tinubu, used the fuel subsidy as a political bandage to cover the deep wound of Nigeria’s failure to build a functional, diversified economy. We had become addicted to a subsidy system of “welfarism” that was costing billions, while oil theft, infrastructural decay, and a bloated civil service took center stage. Is it any surprise that this house of cards fell?
Blaming Tinubu for the present situation without acknowledging that past administrations failed to adequately prepare for the inevitable collapse of the subsidy system is misleading. You seem to suggest that we suddenly woke up to 400% electricity price hikes and unaffordable fuel, but Nigeria has been walking this path for years. Tinubu simply happened to be the president when the consequences of decades of bad decisions reached a boiling point.
The Economic Metrics We Ignore
To avoid becoming like Olajumoke, seduced by glittering but hollow leadership, we need to consider the real economic metrics that have shaped our situation. Inflation, devaluation of the naira, poor fiscal management, and a failure to diversify the economy beyond oil are not the exclusive failings of this government. Tinubu inherited a battered currency, a bloated budget, and a system teetering on the brink of collapse. To ignore these factors in criticizing his government is to miss the broader picture.
How did Nigeria get to a place where ₦100,000.00 for fuel in a week is normal? We must look at the years of economic mismanagement and lost opportunities, from over-reliance on oil revenues to the consistent looting of public funds. The inability to build sustainable infrastructure, manage human capital, and foster an environment that supports private enterprise is not new. While the current administration’s policies may be exacerbating these issues, they did not originate here.
Leadership Choices: The Orí of Democracy
You brilliantly use the allegory of Olajumoke’s choice to symbolize how we choose our leaders, often to our detriment. But again, we must not ignore how deeply flawed the very process of leadership selection has become. How do we expect to choose the right leaders when the political system itself is broken? From vote-buying to lack of transparency and a deeply entrenched elite class, the choices before Nigerians are often not choices at all but a selection between the lesser of two evils. It’s not just that we are seduced by the outward appearance of leaders; it’s that our political system forces us into a position where even when we see the skull beneath the skin, we feel we have no other option.
We cannot isolate our disappointment with Tinubu from the broader failure of Nigeria’s democratic system. Until we address the root causes of how and why we are forced to choose between àgbá òfìfo (empty barrels), we will continue the cycle of disappointment. Real reform must start at the foundation of our political and electoral systems.
A Broader Lens for Critique
While your critique of Tinubu’s administration is valid and reflects the frustrations of millions of Nigerians, we must resist the temptation to make this a story about one man, one election, or even one administration. The waist beads of Nigeria are heavy because they are weighed down by years of bad policies, corruption, and poor governance. Tinubu may be the latest figure to wear them, but the waist itself has been burdened for far longer.
In this regard, it is not just Olajumoke’s choice we must rethink, but the entire system of suitors that parade before us every election cycle. Until we address the structural issues that limit our options and trap us in this cycle, the song of disillusionment will continue to play.
•Tuase wrote this piece from Lagos.
