IT is new beyond the date of the handover but on the expectations of the people. And they are quite huge, those expectation.
A highly be laboured people are gasping for change, change beyond the mantra of the party All Progressives Congress (APC) that flounts it. Change that they can see feel, touch and continue to attest to.
The tall order appear to from every clime come to the man who now wields the wand of change, the man who, only in a few days time, would mount the saddle and propel the cart and the horse to an expected destination, a new dawn. On that date, General Muhamuadu Buhari would adorn a new toga and become Muhamuadu Buhari President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This time it is about the man what he would, nay, should do.
What should be the focus of this awaited brand new administration? The list appears unending, so also are the velocity of demands for attention key areas of development power, sector, education in frastruture and corruption.
A cross section of Nigerians have been handing out tips, to the president elect since the outcome of the March 28 General elections came to be in the public domain, and where else can proper tips come from except from those who are directly affected by the prevailing circumstances in the nation.
The president –elect himself has stated that his administration would concentrate on three major area on assumption of office, which are insecurity, the economy/unemployment and corruption. ‘We will ensure we nip insecurity in the bud. He stated on poverty he said his administration would ensure that every Nigerian lives within their honest earning. “A situation where people live above their earning will not be tolerated by our administration”. He averred.
Among top Nigerians who gave dues on how the Nigerian situation can be turned around are the former president, chief Olusegun Obasanjo who presented a development blue-print through his think-tank committee to the president-elect, Mohamadu Buhari.
The chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum(ACF) himself a former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Ahmadu coomsie has also issued out directions on how the incoming administration should re-engineer the nation.
“Nigeria had never experienced the level of decay, the collapse of moral values and the high level of corruption, crime and impoverishment of the citizenry like in the last six years.
Security has been the major concern, especially in the North-East region which has been devastated by the insurgency caused by the Boko Haram; and the energy which is the source of power and main driver of the economy requires serious and urgent attention”. He also urged Buhari to free Nigerians from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, corruption and insurgency.
A two-day policy dialague will today, Thursday, be held in Abuja where the roadmap for the policy direction of the Muhammadu Buhari- led administration would be unveiled.
The policy dialogue with the theme, “implementing change: From vision to Reality”, is being organized by the policy, research and strategy Directorate of the APC Presidential council.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Deputy Head of the Directorate and former minister of Youth and Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated that the president –elect would declare the dialogue open while the vice – president –elect, Prof Yemi Osinbjo (CAN) would chair it.
Former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, is the keynote speaker where in put to the roadmap for the actualisation of the policy thrust of incoming administration would be made by experts drawn from various fields and members of the general public.
Abdullahi identified the core area of focus in the two-day dialogue to include the economy, governance, job creation and security in line with the APC manifesto. According to him, topics for discussion include: improving the National Development; Achieving Sustainable Reforms on Oil/Gas sector, Reducing Inequality and Achieving Holistic and sustainable Reforms in the Education sector; Developing an Education system Relevant to Nigeria’s Developmental Aspiration, and Achieving Qualitative and Affordable Healthcare. Others include: Achieving Diversity and Inclusion in Public life, Exploring sports, Tourism and the creative Industry for job creation; Governance and improved Efficiency in Public service; Tackling corruption in public sector and foreign policy and Agenda for change.
Some of the speakers and discussants expected at the dialogue include Mrs. Ifueko Omogui-Okaune, former FIRS chairperson; Dr Rilwan Babalola, former minister of power, Dr. Tajudeen Umar, former country chair, Nigeria-Saorome and Principe joint Development Authonty; Prof. Niyi Ayoola Daniels, president, International Institute for petroleum Energy law and Policy; Mr. Tunde Ahonsi, resident representative, UNFPA, Ghana, and major-General Ishola Williamson (retd).
Other include: Prof Pai Obawya, WAEC Chairman; Dr. Ayo Teriba, CEO, Economic Associates, Prof –Bolaji Aluko, Vice chancellor, Federal University, Ofuoke, Prof. Mohammed Tabia, Department of Islamic law, Bayero University, Kano, General Adulrahman Dambaccau, former chief of Army staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambaro, former Nigerian permanent representative, united Nations, Mr. Fola Arthur-worrey, former solicitor –general, Lagos state; Ms. Bolanle Onogoruwa, former director-general, Board of Public Enterprises, BPE; Mr. Wale Fapounda, of Legal Resources Consortium and Prof. Etannibi Alemika, chairman, CLEEN Foundation.
The programme will also signal the winding down of the activities of the policy, Research and strategy Directorate of the APC campaign council.
Meanwhile, other incrested stakeholder are still laying a foothold for the incoming administration on which they hope it would make a leap. Rev Humphrey Arhegan, President Beshan Youth organization and a top public Affairs/ policy Analyst says he has mixed feelings about the Nigerian state, attributing the inconsistency with which Nigerians have dealt with themselves over the years as reason for his nostalgia.
‘I am bothered about lip service and the Nigerian state. For instance, people talk about corruption at the slightest opportunity and you ask yourself. ‘Who is corrupt?” you see, without a basic understanding of the term, we will always be looking at those who steal money as being corrupt. Corruption is endemic in every sector, every segment of the nation’s economy. There’s no gainsaying the fact that corruption is a very big factor where there is no fairplay, nothing good happens.
Getting It Right
Rev. Arheghan says it has gone beyond what the president should do, and that so much revolves around the nation’s legal system. “Democracy and good governance are governed by laws and therefore there is the need for the government to critically look at the hope of the governed, the judiciary, which to a large extent, has the mandate to determine whether corruption has been the mandate to determine whether corruption has been abolished or not, just like the outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan said, and I concur with him, there’s a difference between corruption and stealing. It is unfortunate that our legal system has a very silent note on the issue of corruption, but quite loud on the issue of stealing. We have to consider them side by side and deuce the difference and prevailing sanctions.
Our own personal stance on the issue has also not helped us. Even those who has been established as corrupt by relevant institutions buy their way out of the net. So, in order to tackle corruption from that perspective I think there should be a serious surgery on the judiciary, not just with the bar and bench but with the legal system as it pertains to our laws, immunity and all that. We can’t put all the burden on the shoulders of the judges who daily inundated with all manner of injunction, stay of execution and other frivolous demands; for instance, those who were in court during the Ribadu era as EFCC Chairman are today still in court, almost 12 years after our political structure is fraught with corruption too. In Nigeria, it is too expensive to be a politician. If we don’t curb that aspect, then we will continue to have issues. It is unfair that if someone wants to participate in politics in Nigeria, they would have to recoupe their investments or cut from government coffers. Even those who sponsor aspirants are mostly government contactors. So how would that augur well? How would you fight corruption when you are part of the system where corruption is endemics part owners of these corrupt venture”.
Rev. Arheghan advised the incoming president to work with the National Assembly and ensure that issues of competence and even the confidence the people should have in the administrators of their collective patrimony are upheld over and above mundane issues. He noted that the era when politicians emphasise followership and communal interests of a select few rather than the overall wellbeing of the majority should be phased out. “It is corruption when the person who is not qualified to do a job is taken in place of those who are qualified to do so”. He stated that there should be a deliberate attempt to reform the civil service and the civil servants themselves.
“There is synergy between the civil service and the political class and elites. It is that connection that breeds corruption. Of course, it would not be possible to create a disconnect between the civil service and the politicians, but there should be measures put in place for checks and balances, because if you want to prosecute a governor, civil servants would have to go with him. He advocated that institutions should be strengthened; “We have institutions on ground. They should be given the leverage and space for proper utilization. You don’t have to look at anyone’s face. There should be enabling environment for performance to be enhanced. The reason people are dying for positions is because people are more powerful than institutions”.
On the high hopes and expectations of the people, Rev. Arhaghan pouted out that the expectations of the people are justified, even as he noted that they cannot expect what they cannot be given.
“It is because politicians make promises only to win votes that it appears people’s expectations are over exaggerated. During the electionery process, promises are made which are not truly meant to be delivered, just to win votes. However, the issues that beset this country are multidimensional and cannot be fixed in a day. Nigerians should pray for the leaders. We all crave for change, but we also have problem of followership; It is time we started thinking what we can do for our country and not basically what our country can do for us. We have the right, the capacity to do the right things; we have to begin now to take cognizance of the fact that we the responsibilityto do what we want done. Citizen arrest by citizen themselves may not yet be practice here, but as agents of change ourselves we can make corrections, help people to turn new leaves and re-annex our energies towards the right path. Neither Buhari, nor the National and state Houses of Assembly alone can discharge the onerous task of rebuilding our collective inheritance. We need to put our heads together. Change is not an easy thing to achieve. See the queue over fuel, the fights and all that and you will see that positive change does not come easily. We need to strive and work to attain it”.
Recently, a committee set up by former president Olusegun Obasanjo presented a comprehensive repot on five key sectors to serve as a guide to the president –elect. Area covered by the reports are economy, security, power, education and infrastructure After presenting volumes of the report to Buhari during a closed door meeting, vice –chairman of the committee and former Minister of Finance, Dr. Idika Kalu, joined by chairman of the Governing Board, centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential Library, Prof. Akin Mabognuje who told journalists that the committee had been working on a number of critical issues for the development of the country.
“We have looked at education, security, economy, power and infrastructure. These are the areas we have made recommendations and which we hope the new administration will be able to work on”
It is indeed the hope of Nigerians that these issues are critically addressed.