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Palliative is said to be something that palliates. Centuries ago, to palliate means to hide or to conceal. In the modern usage, it means to mitigate hardship, to moderate pain by making it easier to endure. Initially, each time palliative is mentioned vis-a-vis the existential pang of hunger the masses routinely experience in Nigeria, it gives glimmer of hope and some sense of relief. But with the lapse of time, it began to dawn on many Nigerians that palliative, at best, only gives hopeless hope.
The removal of subsidy is the worst thing that has ever happened to the Nigerians in recent time. The whole thing started with the violent cashless policy which was like a declaration of war against the entire country. The policy was later moderated to give some breathing space. But that was only after the government was convinced that it had done enough harm, inflicted maximum pain, sent more than enough people to their graves, widowed many of the womenfolk, and orphaned many children. Though all this happened under former President Buhari in what I call the Phase One of APC government.
Now under President Tinubu, we have graduated to the Phase Two of the same government. This phase is more ferocious in executing its war against us. To display its ferocity, the frontiers of war are being pushed northwards to Niger Republic desperately and impatiently. Many Nigerians live like captives in their motherland. Not that they are literally captured but because some hidden hands of economic forces continue to degrade them as if they do not deserve to be humans. Foods are being distributed—or planned to be distributed—to the masses in the name of palliative as if in IDP camps. Not because these masses are not capable of earning a living but because they are being disabled to earn a living through the removal of subsidy. Working does not guarantee feeding anymore in Nigeria.
Perhaps many of us do not pay attention to what subsidy means. It means support. How can support for the common man be withdrawn only to be replaced with palliative? If some sorts of supports were withdrawn as economy policy, they should be replaced with other kinds of supports. And this was the initial argument by the apostles of subsidy removal. They argued money saved from subsidy will be channelled to health, education, job creation, and other key areas that will benefit the masses. This is logical. But where is the logic in removing oil subsidy only to pay more for education, more for health care, and more for everything? Where is the money saved? What has it been used for?
Any palliative that does not reflect in salaries of workers is useless. Any palliative that does not reduce electricity tariff is of no use. Any palliative that does not address prohibitive hospital charges is not for the masses. Any palliative that lasts for few months only suspends the Doomsday. Palliative is a temporary measure taken to address suffering until succour comes in different ways. In a situation like ours where succour is not expected from the ruling elite because they cannot be trusted, what is the need for palliative?
In some parts of the country, cups of garri (some call it garrium) is the long awaited palliative per household. Palliative in form of food distribution is ghettoization of the masses. It is true that the masses’ need in Nigeria has been reduced to food only. But if food would be distributed, let it be meaningful. At least it should feed a household for some time. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
No one should be deceived by the N5 billion said to have been given to state governments as palliative. Let’s assume the money is honestly disbursed in a state like Kano which projected population is around 15 million, it means each person will get about N335. Note: not this peanut will not be given every hour, not every day, not every week or every month; but just once as a palliative for the no-end-in-sight hardship. With the disbursement of N5 billion to states, our “over intelligent” rulers think they are giving out palliative. This is sad!
What is even sadder is the fact that some gullible masses who, in desperate desire to have government palliative, fell into the hands of “palliathieves”—palliative scammers. These palliathieves are found all over the place. The poor have to be careful. Leadership newspaper reports that there are palliative syndicates in Taraba. But they are everywhere. The newspaper reports that there is public outcry in Taraba State about a group of people who defraud residents. They disguise as members of Taraba State committee on palliatives. They extort money from unsuspecting residents (in their hundreds) under the pretext that they were being registered to benefit from palliative. Thus, these poor victims were defrauded of their money as they were asked to pay registration fee. This is the damage ignorance does to the ignorant. It also explains why ignorance is expensive. The poor are viciously sandwiched between palliatives and “palliathieves.”
I hope the government is aware that thieves are now everywhere. In many parts of the country, traffic robbery is back as motorists become victims. Food shop burglars are rife. Farmers are crying. Not for lack of rain but for their wasted efforts. They planted but could not harvest. Not because of bandits and kidnappers but because of hungry Nigerians who, due to unbearable hunger, dash into people’s farm for the fear of death. Farm produce are harvested by this hungry people even before they are ripe for harvest just to have something to eat at the expense of the farmers.
Children are angry with their parents; they think ill of them—thinking their parents are not responsible anymore. Unbeknown to these innocent children that their parents are in deep pain, in deep sorrow, and in deep helplessness. Parents are withdrawing their wards from school. Not because they subscribe to the Boko Haram ideology but because government inflicted hardship frowns at sending wards to school by caring parents. Families and friends are now avoiding one another like plague. Not because they are selfish but because removal of subsidy teaches selfishness as a virtue that must be embraced.
If we come over this hardship one day, we shall be grateful to our Creator. Let’s call on the Almighty to grant us respite. The Merciful God! Our rulers have declared war against us and because we are ill-equipped and weaponless, our refuge is in You. In You and only in You.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
