Most Nigerians were rudely shocked when about a fortnight ago president Tinubu did the unthinkable of rewarding conquering Super Falcons in dollars instead of our local currency, the naira
Let the point be made clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong in a president or a nation to appreciate any great feat done to the country by an individual or a group. In fact greater commendation goes to the president for doing that as previous administrations have promised without fulfilling it even up to the point that those promised died without redemption of the pledge.
But the moral and relevant question is why will a president reward Nigerian sports men in foreign currency the dollars instead of naira.
Curiously this is coming from a president who prides himself as modern day Singaporean legend and reformer Lee Kuan Yew with his regular boasting of turning the country around after decades of degradation.
Do you reform or turn around the economy by relegating your local currency to the background and promoting another country’s currency.
You want naira to appreciate, stabilize & be strong but you reward players in dollars! Is that a smart move to make.
As Nigerians were still coming out of the shock of the $100,000 gifted to about twenty Super Falcons players and officials with outcry and criticisms, the president went ahead to reward the winning DTigress basketball team with the same amount. All these are happening in a space of two or three weeks and in an economy that is still wobbling and fumbling.
Unfortunately this is also coming from a president who bitterly criticized Buhari in far away Calabar during the 2023 campaigns when the dollar was exchanging for N700 as being very high and unacceptable.. Today the dollar is exchanging for an average of N1500 per dollar after two years of his taking over.
What is wrong if the president rewards the players with naira and say for instance each player gets N50 million or N100 million. Let the players themselves use their hands to go and convert their reward to any currency of their choice. That will preserve the integrity of the country and its currency.
In 2009 and on a visit to South Africa their local currency Rand was exchanging for R19 to a dollar. Recently I checked and to my utmost shock it exchanges for R17 to a dollar .That is an outcome of fiscal discipline by the government and its citizens. You cannot see a Jacob Zuma or Cyril Ramaphosà coming out publicly to reward players in dollars instead of their local currency. President Donald Trump of America cannot reward America athletes with sterling pounds or our own naira.
It is this kind of abuse of naira that makes the currency a laughing stock in the whole world and periodic ratings for the naira has always placed it as one of the worst currencies globally.
Just like following the footsteps of president Tinubu most of the politicians and wealthy men now hoard, trade and do transactions in the dollar. A few years ago a report came out that some governors on receipt of federal allocation convert them to dollars. What an absurdity!
As earlier clarified there is nothing wrong in rewarding achievements and feats but it must be done in a proper way and in our local currency.
Doling out $200, 000 dollars to about 40 players and officials within a space of two or three weeks in the face of hunger, deprivations and sufferings of millions of Nigerians is not the best thing to do now.
Although almost every Nigerian is happy and proud of the scintillating performance of the conquering female footballers. Yes they won the 10th African Women Cup in grandeur ,They actually deserve gratitude and compensation from Nigeria. But does the president need to give each of the players $100,000 and not naira even if it is its equivalent.
Giving out such an amount when lecturers through their trade union body ASUU is threatening strike and crying out of neglect and non-implementation of agreements reached more than ten years ago is to say the least very heartbreaking.
Same pitiable conditions are seen in teachers, nurses and doctors that they now frequently go on strike demanding better remuneration and conditions of service.
Doing father Christmas with dollars to a handful of players when both serving and retired military men are not adequately catered for is nothing but wickedness. Some retired soldiers and police men after 35 active years in service cannot be paid their statutory entitlement of pension and gratitude yet the president has the mind and audacity to dole out dollars as if it is ordinary dust, thereby depleting scarce foreign reserves.
Some governors have also followed the footsteps of the president to dash the players dollars even when roads and other infrastructure in the state are in terrible and deplorable conditions.
Why we encourage the president and government to reward excellence and great feats he should do that within the confines of the law and morality.
Many Nigerians are hungry and suffering and as such greater attention should be paid to them. Things should be done in decently and in moderation using the local currency and also taking into cognizance the prevailing conditions and austerity situations in the country.
A president cannot be plunging the country into serious debts and turn around to dash out such borrowed money anyhow whereas there are tangible things to do be done for the citizens.
By rewarding in naira, insisting that all transactions in Nigeria must be naira denominated will go a long way to restore the value and dignity of the already wounded and bastardized naira.
*Austine Uche-Ejeke a public affairs analyst and publisher of Agenda Papers writes vide eaustineuche@yahoo.com*
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