Author: O’tega Ogra

ECONOMIC reform is never painless. Every nation that has had to correct profound distortions has faced the same choice: take the hard medicine early, or delay and pay much more later. In times of public frustration, it is tempting to reach for the “gentle” option (the idea of gradual change), being pushed by some opposition elements in Nigeria, begins to sound reasonable. Peter Obi says, “Keep subsidies for a while.” For Atiku Abubakar, it is “Guide the currency quietly from behind the curtain.” Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir El-Rufai want to “Push the tough structural work into another year.” On the…