President Bola Tinubu is frantically soliciting governors to induce Islamic clerics in their respective states with largesse during the Ramadan fasting period, particularly to ask them to refrain from preaching sermons that can turn the people against his government and trigger turmoil amid widespread hunger, insecurity and economic crisis assailing his tenure.

Mr Tinbu appealed to the governors “to leverage the auspicious opportunity of the Ramadan period to promote peaceful co-existence.” This leveraging, sources confirmed to Peoples Gazette involves providing largesse to the clerics and CSOs. 

In a confidential memo sent on the president’s behalf by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume to all 36 governors on February 27, Mr Tinubu stated that he desired to “sensitise” radical Islamic clerics from leading “inciting sermons during the upcoming Ramadan,” anticipated to commence March 10.

“As part of the measures, Islamic preachers were being sensitised to moderate and avoid comments capable of misleading their followers or pitching them against the Government,” the memo stressed. “This is necessary considering the increasing calls by various groups including, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), for mass action over the rising cost of living and insecurity across the States of the Federation.”

The so-called sensitisation was aimed at dialling down the rage citizens felt towards the government through sermons that encourage peace and forbid demonstrations at a time when the nation was facing its worst cost-of-living crisis. 

“It would be appreciated if Your Excellency could engage religious leaders, CSOs and other critical stakeholders particularly, the Nigeria Council of Ulamas at both the state and the local government levels to leverage the auspicious opportunity of the Ramadan period to promote peaceful co-existence in the country,” Mr Tinubu pleaded through his SGF last Wednesday.

Sources told The Gazette that some states said they would follow the recommendation and induce clerics and civil rights groups with largesse to deploy a measured tone at this critical period for the country.

Some critics have recently said the president is facing public denunciation because he did not have a strong mandate to begin with, having scored only 36 per cent of the vote cast during last year’s presidential election. However, the administration has rejected such a notion as unfounded.

The Presidency did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the memo urging governors to cajole Islamic clerics with largesse during Ramadan.

With Nigeria’s dire economy worsened by galloping inflation, citizens are frustrated and angrily charged. A sermon criticising the government could spark weeks-long demonstrations across the entire nation in a manner akin to the 2020 EndSARS nationwide protests.

Already, there were protests in Kano, Oyo, Osun and Niger where residents remonstrated in anguish, labelling Mr Tinubu “a thief.” 

The National Bureau of Statistics revealed in January that Nigeria’s inflation had jumped to record highs, placing 29.9 per cent. This consequently drove food prices beyond affordability for most income earners, especially since the minimum wage stood at N30,000, about $10.

A market survey by The Gazette showed that a single packet of 70g Indomie noodles, which sold for about N150 as of June 2023, when Mr Tinubu became president, sold for about N350 last month. A 50kg bag of rice, which sold for about N30,000 in June 2023, jumped to N80,000 in February 2024.

Soaring food prices evidence the inefficiency of policies like naira floating and fuel subsidy removal, which Mr Tinubu deployed to supposedly improve the economy. 

The floating of the naira drastically plunged the Nigerian currency into dire straits, and it exchanged at a historic high of nearly N2000 against one dollar in February. 

The government gave Nigerians palliatives of N35,000 for three months to soften the blow dealt by the fuel subsidy removal. Still, the masses lamented that the money was only a drop in the ocean and was insufficient to mollify.

Last December, Mr Tinubu engaged the services of road transportation companies and halved transport fares for Nigerians travelling across the country for the yuletide. Train tickets to and from Lagos to Ibadan were also given to commuters at no cost.

In 2024, Nigeria Customs Service likewise sold 25kg bags of rice at N10,000 as against the market price of N40,000 to cushion the cost-of-living crisis, but the turnout was so massive that no fewer than seven persons perished in the stampede. 

The president is also trying to market Nigeria among its international counterparts, including the Emir of Qatar, whom he persuaded over the weekend to invest in the Nigerian economy.

Just last month, Mr Tinubu directed the nation’s agriculture ministry to distribute about 42,000 metric tonnes of grain, including maize, millet and garri, to citizens to ease the economic hardship.