Vibes, politics and inshallah
President Tinubu and VP Shettima are out of the country and Nigerians have questions
Happy Friday, Big Brains. I don’t know why I still get excited on Fridays even though my weekends are nonexistent. Not for long though – I can feel my rich husband coming to free me from the shackles of capitalism soon.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1,000
Reading time ~3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Tinubu and Shettima are working remotely…kinda
Nigerian lawmakers are tired of waiting for Tinubu’s government to send the 2025 budget
Tinubu is now offering his CNG solution at a discounted price
The Big Deal
Tinubu and Shettima are working remotely…kinda
It’s officially been 14 days since President Tinubu said “peace out” to Nigeria and went on a two-week-long annual leave.
On Wednesday, Vice-President Kashim Shettima also jumped on the next flight to Sweden. In his defence, it’s a two-day work trip that is supposed to sustain trade and build better connections between Nigeria and Sweden.
Working remotely is fine for tech founders but for presidents and their vice, it's a bit controversial and people have been asking questions. “So is the country running on autopilot?” – According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, there’s “no leadership vacuum in the country” because Tinubu and Shettima don’t need to be physically present to perform their duties.
Onanuga also defended their absence by insisting that the “Constitution, a testament to our adaptability in the virtual age, does not explicitly require the physical presence of either the president or the vice president in the country at all times to fulfil his duties.”
Why is this a big deal?
Even though the constitution isn’t against the idea of a president and his vice being out of the country at the same time, it’s not the best way to rule a country with pressing problems like Nigeria.
If both men stay away longer than expected, the "who's in charge?" question might turn into a serious problem, especially if Nigeria faces a national crisis because then, little things like slow decision-making especially on security and emergencies, could translate into a full-blown disaster.
For an administration that’s a little over one year old, this question has popped up a number of times. In May, the country was thrown into a similar dilemma after Tinubu and Shettima flew out of the country at the same time. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar asked the same question we’re asking now – “ Who is in charge of the government at this point, or is it right to assume that we are on autopilot?” Five months later and we’re already back to square one.
Their absence is also coming at a time when there are pressing issues, like the hike in fuel prices, that could use the President’s full attention. In Lagos, the price of fuel is now ₦998 per litre, up from ₦855. In Abuja, it has increased to ₦1,030 per litre, up from ₦897. Even though Tinubu has assigned the duty of bringing the prices down to Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the meeting the Minister had with the Labour Union didn’t end in any resolution. Given Labour’s history with the government and the President’s physical absence, it could take a few more weeks before these prices come down. But hopefully, the vice president will be back in the country later today or Saturday.
Nigerian lawmakers are tired of waiting for Tinubu’s government to send the 2025 budget
Deadlines are not pretty, especially when you’re supposed to be on vacation. President Tinubu would know this because the National Assembly has just served his administration a two-week ultimatum to submit the national budget for 2025.
"Isn’t it too soon to be talking about the 2025 budget?" Well, according to the 1999 constitution, it’s too late to be talking about it! Section 11(1b) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 makes it clear that the federal government is supposed to prepare and submit the budget for the coming year to the National Assembly at least four months before the new financial year kicks off. The law is necessary to keep things transparent for Nigerians who want to know where the country’s money is going and give lawmakers enough time to properly review the budget.
But so far, we haven’t heard a peep from Aso Rock. Now here’s where it gets tricky—the 2025 budget can’t even be sent to lawmakers until the president, who’s the only one that can constitutionally sign a budget, puts pen to paper. So we’re back to the problems that need the presence of Tinubu and Shettima.
Again, the country could really use leadership that can prevent more delays before it’s too late. President Tinubu’s two-week leave ends tomorrow and we hope we won’t have a repeat of what happened in May when he left on an official trip that was supposed to last for two days, only to come back two weeks later. With less than three months to go until 2025, time is no longer on this administration’s side and the whole country could be thrown into more confusion about what gets spent on what if this budget delay keeps dragging on
Tinubu is now offering his CNG solution at a discounted price
Tinubu’s government has been going hard on his Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) project and now, he’s giving you the opportunity to match his freak. There’s a new plan to help you switch to these cheaper, cleaner gas-powered vehicles. The federal government, through a partnership between the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation(Credicorp), and the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PI-CNG), has launched the "Credit Access for Light and Mobility (CALM) Fund" and this fund will provide affordable loans to help you convert your car to run on CNG and adopt energy-saving solutions like solar power.
This is one of the few ways President Tinubu’s administration is trying to make sure that Nigerians don’t suffer from rising transport costs after the removal of fuel subsidies. With this fund, you won’t need to pay for everything upfront and with Credicorp managing the loans, you can convert your car without worrying too much about the cost.
If this doesn’t sound exciting enough to your ears because you’re still trying to figure out if CNG is safe, you might be surprised to know that it’s much safer than petrol or diesel. According to the experts behind the initiative, CNG is eight times less explosive than petrol. So, beyond saving money on fuel, you’re also reducing the risk of accidents.
Instead of the usual high rates that come with most loans, the CALM Fund offers a 15-20% discount on interest rates compared to what banks currently charge. To make things even easier, the PI-CNG will also offer discounted conversion packages for interested Nigerians. The real question though – are you adventurous enough to buy what Tinubu is selling?
The Big Picks
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