LABUTU REGBEKE: TINUBU AT OJUELEGBA

Listening to Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s old classic CONFUSION BREAK BONE (CBB), some parts of the lyrics struck me and it looked like he was talking about Nigeria today.

LABUTU REGBEKE, the initial refrain depicts a helpless situation, a state of utmost confusion.

Take a peek at an abridged version of the lyrics before we go on to today’s Nigeria.

When we say confusion

E be say e pafuka

We dey talk confusion break bone

Confusion break bone nko

Nko o nko

Ponpo

Panpa

Deadi body get accident yepaa

Confusion break bonee yepa

Na double wahala for deadi bodi

And the owner of dead body

When I say panpala you go say bolo oya

When I say bolo oya you go say papanla

I sing dis song sometime ago

I Call am

Confusion"

Then army never burn my house

Oil money flow for Lagos then

Labutu regbeke

Regbeke Lau

My people dey say Nigeria done dey

But me as I see am,I know say, Nigeria go-go down

How country go dey make-ee money make people of country no see money

Labutu regbeke

Regbeke Lau

I see many wrong things in Nigeria

Some time ago I come sing one song

Labutu regbeke

When I say confusion

Everything out of control

When everything out of control

E go be say

E pafuka oh

Pafuka na quench

Pafuka fit be police station

Pafuka na quench

Pafuka fit be hospital

Pafuka na quench

I sing about one street for Lagos. Dem call am ojuelegba

I take a copy how Nigeria be, One crossroad in center town

Labutu regbeke

Regbeke Lau

For ojuelegba

Moto dey come from East

Moto dey come from West

Moto dey come from North

Moto dey come from South

And police man no dey for center

Na confusion be dat ee-oh

Pafuka na quench

And then I say confusion na wetin oh

Confusion na wa

My problem is no small at all

Nothing good dey for me to sing about

If something good dey I go sing

Nothing good sef to sing about

Nothing gudu sef to sing

All the things wey dey e no dey good

If I sing say water no day (na old news be that)

Na old old old news be that oh (na old news be that)

If I sing say food no dey (na old news be that)

Na old old old news be that oh (na old news be that)

I fit sing say infilation (na old news be that)

I fit sing say corruption (na old news be that)

I fit sing say mismanagement (na old news be that)

I fit sing say stealing by government (na old news be that)

Na old old old news be that oh (na old news be that)

The problem still dey paparapa (na old news be that)

I say the problem still dey paparapa (na old news be that)

The thing wey e dey worry me

How dis robbery come get big head

The first one na leg robbery (legee robbery)

Where man go go pick pockets (legee robbery)

The man go start take leg wrong (legee robbery)

The second one na, armed robbery (armu robbery)

Where man go go steal big things (armu robbery)

He go take gun defend himself (armu robbery)

The third one, na head robbery (heady robbery)

Where oga pata pata go go steal (heady robbery)

He go take position, steal all free (heady robbery)

Free stealing, na him policy (heady robbery)

Head robbery which head we get no dey steal

Which president we get never steal

President na him dey control of police (looku looku)

President na him dey control of army (see see)

So army and police dey must be thief to very well (hear hear)

But all of you don hear my song before

All of you don hear my song before

Wey I dey sing like dis

When we say confusion

Everything out of control

When everything out of control

E go be say e pafuka oh

Pafuka na quench

We dey talk confusion break bone

Confusion break bone nko

Nko o nko

Deadi body get accident yepaa

Confusion break bonee yepa

Na double wahala for deadi bodi

And the owner of dead body

Double wahala for deadi bodi

Dead body oh oh

The picture painted of the situation at the notorious crossroad in Lagos depicts the present situation of the country.

There are daunting problems in every facet of the Nigerian national life.

Food inflation is at an all-time high. At about forty percent it is almost unbearable; and it doesn’t look like abating. Prices of food items keep soaring every day. Everything is out of control and he pafuka.

Every step taken by government supposedly to ameliorate the suffering of the citizens boomerangs. Food palliatives meant for distribution to the common man are cornered by people in government. It never gets to the people. National grain reserves have been emptied without it getting to the majority of the people. Even if it does, what quantity and how long was it supposed to sustain them? A couple of days maybe.

It is perfidy listening to government and their apologists asking Nigerians to resort to BACKYARD FARMING to feed their families. I wonder how many people have enough backyard to grow enough food for two days or even produce all their needs. Concerning the problem of food inflation, the POLICEMAN NO DEY FOR CENTER. The government is clueless. NA CONFUSION BE DAT O.

In the regime of the dark-goggled general, Abacha, the nation was heading for a food inflation and the government preempted it by taking a short time measure to ease the nerves of the people. Food was imported massively and private businesses who wanted to bring in food items were given waivers. The short term remedy worked until the situation stabilized. The incumbent government does not have men who can think outside the box, or they are simply not interested. NA CONFUSION BE DAT.

Nigeria is a Petroleum Exporting Country; a member of OPEC. She is blessed with abundant crude oil reserves. She also has at least four refineries with staff earning above-average salaries and emoluments every month. Yet Nigeria still imports fuel at prices determined by international market forces. The promise to revive her own refineries has not been fulfilled. Instead, the Government went on a show of shame inaugurating a refurbished refinery. Nigerians clapped only to find out it was a hoax.

The government LIED.

News of a private business man floating a refinery brought great expectations. Government and her agencies put every clog available in the wheel of the actualization of the dream of Nigerians.  At the end when he starts producing, the NNPCL which had been unable to produce a liter for years insist they must be the ones to sell the man’s products at a price to be determined by them. This will definitely scare would-be investors in the sector.

Despite all these, Government spending has been in the least profligate and extravagant, especially for a nation that pleads paucity of funds.

It is becoming obvious the Tinubu government does not have any clue to solve the myriad problems. EVERYTHING OUT OF CONTROL.

Like the people at Ojuelegba one wonders how we got into this confusion.

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu claimed he inherited a dilapidated Nigeria from the former President Muhammadu Buhari.

How can a President that claimed to have inherited a dilapidated nigeria be spending public funds extravagantly as if he inherited a rich and prosperous country 

How does one justify the following extravagant spendings since May 29, 2023? 

·         21 Billion Naira to renovate the residence of the Vice President.

·         70 Billion Naira to the National Assembly members to buy suvs at the cost 160 million naira each for Senators and House of Representatives members.

·         4 Billion Naira to renovate Dodan Barrack Lagos

·         3 Billion Naira to renovate Aguda House

·         5 Billion Naira given to presidential tax reforms committee of less than twenty people headed by taiwo oyedele with nothing to show for it. 

·         1.5 Billion Naira to purchase cars for your wife senator oluremi tinubu despite the fact that first lady office is not recognised by our constitution. 

·         300% salary increase for the judges which was speedily passed by the insensitive and irresponsible senators 

·         5 Billion Naira budgeted for Presidential fleet of cars for President Bola Ahmad Tinubu 

·         Billions equally budgeted for Presidential Yatch

·         Billions Of Naira budgeted for your trips including the Vice President Kashim Shettima.

·         Every Senator is paid 21 Million Naira Monthly 

·         House of Representatives members earn 13.5 Million Monthly

·         5 Trillion Naira Lagos Calabar Coastal Road awarded a Lebanese Gilbert Chagoury who  was repatriated back to his country by the former President Obasanjo 

The Tinubu regime has the largest cabinet ever in the history of Nigeria.

 It even created another ministry of Livestock Development. 

The Orasanye report aimed downsizing and merging some of the Ministries, Agencies , Parastatals and Departments came like a flash in the pan. The government does not have the political will to implement it.

SUBSIDY IS GONE but Where Is The Money saved from the removal?

How much was saved and what was the money used for president Bola Ahmed Tinubu Nigerians are demanding to know?

The cost of governance has not reduced instead it has increased massively 

Fuel subsidy removed 

Electricity tariff hike 

Education beyond the ordinary citizens 

Health services beyond ordinary citizens 

Foodstuffs beyond ordinary citizens 

Insecurity and killings on the increased 

Collapsed economy 

Unemployment on the increased 

Corruption and stealing of public funds legalised 

Nepotism top on the agenda 

President, Vice President, and governor's security votes remained intact. 

The lifestyle and extravagant spending of public funds by Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governors, Ministers and top government officials including the Service Chiefs, Heads of Agencies,Departments and Parastatals does not in any way show that President Tinubu inherited a dilapidated Nigeria 

Leaders are getting richer 

Citizens are getting poorer 

The lots of the citizens are getting worse by the day.

Yet there seems to no respite and EVERTHING OUT OF CONTROL.

 

And, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the POLICEMAN NO DEY FOR CENTER.

 For Nigeria and Nigerians it is CONFUSION BREAK BONE and DOUBLE WAHALA FOR DEAD BODY, AND THE OWNER OF DEAD BODY.