By Emmanuel Nduka
Earlier this week, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa warned Nigerians calling for a coup d’etat due to the current economic hardship in the country to desist from their “evil” plans, insisting that the military will continually uphold democracy.
His warning was a timely response to growing assumptions that just like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad, the Nigerian Armed Forces may forcefully seize power from the democratic government of President Bola Tinubu.
Dwindling Economy
As at January 2024, Nigeria’s inflation rate stood at a record 28-year high of 29.9%, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). As at Friday, February 23, 2024, the Nigerian Naira traded at N1,605 to 1USD, according to official market rates. On same day, 1 British Pound traded at N2,033, while 1Euro traded at N1,737, as the Nigerian currency appears to have lost its value.
This is also as prices of consumables and other essentials have tripled, especially with the removal of Petroleum subsidy and forex rates. Escalating insecurity has directly affected food supply, as farmers are unable to return to their farms over fear of attacks by armed groups.
Looming Hunger Crisis
Asides insecurity, hunger is one of Nigeria’s biggest enemy. As projected in 2024 by the World Food Programme (WFP), up to 26.5 million Nigerians will likely face acute hunger this year. The projection may even be surpassed, given the current realities. It is a staggering increase from the 18.6 million people that suffered hunger at the end of 2023, according to the WFP.
Similarly, the Global Hunger Index released in 2023 ranked Nigeria as the 16th most hungry country in the world. Nigeria ranked 109th out of 125 hungry countries. Nigeria was ranked below countries like Zimbabwe, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Guinea and DR Congo.
This and many other indices has now created a deep and simulating fear of a possible coup d’etat, with the conviction that Tinubu and his economic team lack requisite skills and experience to turn around the fortunes of Africa’s most populous nation. Protests over worsening economic crisis have already begun across the country.
‘Those Calling For Coup d’etat Are Evil’
At a routine operational visit to troops in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta Region recently, Gen. Musa assured of the military’s commitment towards the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. “Whoever is making that call (coup) does not love Nigeria. We want to make it very clear that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are here to protect democracy.
“We all want democracy and we do better under democracy. And so we will continue to support democracy. And any of those ones that are calling for anything other than democracy are evil people and I think they don’t mean well for Nigeria.
“And they should be very careful because the law will come after them. We can see that with democracy a lot of things are happening in Nigeria. Yes we are going through trying periods, I mean in life nothing is hundred per cent,” he said.
Arguing that the Federal Government is focused on addressing the current economic challenges in the country, he said, “Everybody goes through a trying period in life, and it is what you do with them. You can see the government putting efforts to ensure that we come out better”.
‘Give The President Time’
Appearing to exonerate Tinubu after both met behind closed doors in the Presidential Villa recently, a former Nigerian Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd) has patronized Nigerians to give President Tinubu time in his bid to solve the challenges facing the country.
Gen. Gowon who is one of the founding fathers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had met with Tinubu to discuss the crisis tearing apart the West African bloc, and the economic challenges bedeviling the country. He insisted that the current administration is trying its best to salvage the country.
“I think the government is trying its best to deal with the various problems of the country but with Nigerians, you will get criticised. People who get there know better than you know. I think all one can say is Nigerians, we’ve got to give the president time for things to be really done.
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“It is too early to sort of say absolute result, perfect result will be achieved now. That is my opinion. I know and if I can remember when I was fighting the war, I was told I was too slow and that probably Nigeria cannot make it and that we should now seek discussion. Well, did we do it or not? They probably do not know the problem underground, so that is where we are,” Gen. Gowon said.
No Going Back On My Reforms – Tinubu
Despite the growing hardship, criticisms and public outcry for the Tinubu government to do better, the ‘Jagaban’ says he is sticking to his economic reforms, and there is no going back.
“I am happy that the Council is interested in various segments of Nigeria’s economy. We are right in the middle of a challenging stage of our reforms. We have headwinds, no doubt, but we are not going back,” President Tinubu said at the State House in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) led by Florizelle Liser, CCA’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Given the heterogenous complexity of the Nigerian state and other political sentiments, Nigerians must now dump the near impossible thought of a military takeover, and remain hopeful that the current administration delivers them to the promised land.
