Nigeria’s Economy Under Tinubu: A Prolonged Pregnancy, When Will the Nation Give Birth?, By Isaac Asabor

In the quietude of a labor room, a pregnant woman clenches her fists, her face etched with pain. Each contraction is a reminder of the life growing within her; a promise of joy and fulfillment. She endures, knowing that beyond the agony lies the miracle of birth. Similarly, Nigerians find themselves in the throes of suffering under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Yet, like the resilient mother-to-be, they harbor hope that the policies being adopted under the ongoing administration been led by President Tinubu will eventually yield positive results.

Without a doubt, the foregoing metaphor has been a persuasive communication tactics which not a few Tinubu’s apologists have been using to calm the nerves of not a few Nigerians, urging them to be patient with his administration that they would soon begin to experience the dividends of democracy that are inherent in his administration, particularly as he has been implementing auspicious policies. To aptly put it, they no longer waste time in exploring the parallels between childbirth and Nigeria’s struggle, urging patience as the nation labors toward a brighter future.

However, in the corridors of power, where politicians literarily wield their pens like midwives, it is not an exaggeration to opine that Nigeria’s economy has been gestating for far too long. The metaphorical pregnancy which Tinubu’s apologists often use in the bid to calm the nerves of not a few angry Nigerians, urging them to be patient with his administration’s shortcomings has stretched beyond trimesters, even as the people, particularly the masses wait with bated breath for the moment when the contractions of progress will finally yield tangible results.

But what has caused this prolonged gestation? Is it the weight of corruption, dragging down the expectant mother? Or perhaps the misaligned policies that have stifled growth? The masses, like anxious relatives in the waiting room, demand answers.

Against the backdrop of the foregoing, the symptoms of delay in this context is no doubt manifesting in the form of inflation contractions since the Tinubu-led administration took over the mantle of presidential leadership in the country on May 29, 2023, and this has led to rise in prices, squeezing the pockets of ordinary citizens with cost of living unbearably surging, and yet the economy remains stubbornly stagnant.

Also, the indications comes in the form of unemployment pangs as been witnessed in joblessness which is no doubt gnawing at the fabric of society, even as graduates clutch their degrees like ultrasound scans, hoping for a glimpse of opportunity.

In a similar vein, debt is no doubt bulging, as been witnessed in the national debt balloons that threatens to burst. Like an overdue pregnancy, it looms large, casting shadows on future generations.

Metaphorically put, not a few Nigerians are literarily outside waiting to hear good news of the safe delivery, even as the masses fidget. They have endured false alarms, missed due dates, and phantom contractions. They want to hold the newborn that is expected to manifest in the form of jobs, stability, and prosperity, all wrapped in the flag of hope.

In fact, as not a few Nigerians literarily brace for the final push, economists scribble equations, policymakers adjust forceps, and citizens light candles for a safe delivery, asking, “Will Nigeria’s economy emerge squalling and robust, or will it be a premature birth, fragile and gasping?”

Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: the pregnant pause cannot last forever. The nation’s labor pains demand resolution as Nigeria and the world watch. In fact, not a few people are asking, “When will you give birth?”

For the sake of clarity, it is germane to opine that since Nigeria’s economy unprecedentedly began to wobble under Tinubu-led administration that not a few of his apologists, particularly those he is politically and tribally affiliated with are appealing to Nigerians that they should be patient with his administration, and in doing that drawing analogy from the situation of a pregnant woman against the backdrop of Nigeria’s economy, pleading that just like pregnancy involves discomfort and anticipation, economic recovery can be a painful process under which Nigerians are suffering from, and appealing that with patience and collective effort, positive outcomes are possible.

Against the foregoing backdrop, there is no denying the fact that the analogy, or rather the metaphor of the pregnant woman as been mouthed by not a few politicians is not convincing as not a few Nigerians are at the moment wearied of the Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda which they expect to yield enormous dividends of democracy as promised by the president in line with the All Peoples Congress’ (APC) manifesto.

In fact, Nigeria stands at a critical juncture, with citizens eagerly anticipating the fulfillment of promises made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. As the one-year of his administration was marked on May 29, 2024, the nation grapples with economic challenges, rising food prices, and the need for transformative policies.

In as much as there is no denying the fact that he inherited an economy burdened by widespread poverty, unemployment, and an unsustainable fuel subsidy, not a few Nigerians are unanimous in their views that despite that that his administration, given the swiftly implemented reforms, including the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of the FOREX market ought to have by now been yielding results toward the betterment of the people.

In fact, not a few people are opining that the bold moves made under his administration, whereby funds were redirected to critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure, ought to have by now been yielding fruitful results.
Without a doubt, not a few Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the fruits of Tinubu’s vision. While progress is evident, citizens rightfully demand accountability and tangible results. How long will they wait? Only time will tell, but the urgency remains. The Tinubu-led administration must continue its transformative journey, ensuring that hope translates into prosperity for all.

In fact, Nigeria’s economy under Tinubu has been a prolonged pregnancy, and the question not a few Nigerians are asking is “When will the nation give birth?” The question, which is no doubt metaphorical cannot be said to be a misnomer as some apologists of Tinubu-led government are fond of drawing analogy, more often than not, by analogizing the joy which a pregnant woman enjoys after giving birth to a baby as a communication strategy to calm frayed nerves.

While they keep being defensive and seemingly apologetic by calming frayed nerves, it is expedient to remind them that the allegorical pregnancy has become too prolong, and in the same vein ask: “When will the nation give birth?