One of the greatest tragedies that has befallen Nigeria and Africans is what I call “hope capital.” This is when politicians come with a lot of hope and very little reality. As a Nigerian, you’ve probably noticed that the word you hear most frequently is “palliative,” and people are sharing palliatives. I had to look at the word “palliative” again because I know what palliative therapy is. Palliative therapy is what you give to someone with a terminal illness, like cancer, to give them a pain-free transition. You give them powerful painkillers like morphine or tramadol, and in the past, even cocaine, to kill the pain and give them a sense of euphoria.
Nigeria as a country has an economic cancer—a malignant one. If we don’t take care, we will end up like Argentina, which has not recovered from its economic collapse years ago, or Zimbabwe, which has not recovered from the economic collapse that Mugabe caused. And so, they are giving us palliative treatments and hope capital. When you want to delude people, you make them sing a slogan. When the fuel subsidy was removed, this brought palliatives. I want to ask you a simple question: is the total amount of money spent on palliatives not enough to build a new refinery?
Now, workers are agitating for a salary increase. If there’s an increase in salary, there will be increased purchasing power, which means more money will be chasing fewer goods because we are not even producing. Companies that were producing are leaving us, and nearly everything is imported. We are a consuming nation. I remember when the Udoji salary awards were given, Nigerians went on a spending spree, and inflation skyrocketed. As inflation increases, and at the same time, because of low returns from oil, low returns from internally generated revenue, and low returns from foreign direct investment, salaries will be owed, and another agitation will start. This is the quagmire we find ourselves in—going around in cycles.
Today, which should be June 2nd, I’ve started receiving messages from “ATM prophets” saying, “This sixth month, this June is J for this, U for this, N for this.” Who are you trying to deceive? Have you helped yourself? Yet you are prophesying to me. You will hear people who, maybe on the night before June 1st, didn’t sleep, and they will say, “This next month…” That was how they said in January, “You’re going to sing a new song.” What did we get? They brought a new national anthem. That is the new song we are singing now.
Africans, in politics and in religion, we are just giving people palliative prophecies and promises without telling them the processes, principles, and procedures for productivity and promotion. You who are listening to me, sit down, think about your life, think about where you have gone wrong, and think about what you have done right. Think about what you need to do to go to the next level. Don’t listen to these people singing and there is no substance. This set of politicians in all the political parties, with only one or two exceptions, do not have the mental capacity or the will to change this nation. It is sad.
Don’t be carried away by hope capital and palliatives. I remain your friend, Dr. Charles Apoki. Remember, I have properties for sale. I’m the “Area Grandfather,” Dr. Charles Apoki.
