The change campaign slogan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Muhammadu Buhari, its presidential candidate in the 2015 general election, resonated with a substantial majority of Nigerians culminating in the historical defeat of an incumbent for the first time in Nigerian history. Nigerians assumed, rightly to my mind, that they were voting not just for a change of personnel but, more importantly, for a change of direction.
The presupposition of the change mantra and its acceptance by the electorate was that the status quo was no longer tenable or acceptable. With youth unemployment up in the stratosphere and generalised poverty and its attendant miserable existence ravaging the nation while a few amass stupendous wealth, many Nigerians felt neglected and unappreciated by their government. Informed citizens voted for change and they succeeded; they got their favoured president.
Success soon led to a new reality. Normally a successful change means better realities for the nation and its downcast and demoralised citizens. The party of change is therefore expected to bring successful change. And because they had waited for so long to see a substantial and positive change in the conditions of their existence, the people cannot be expected to be patient. Their patience has worn thin and they cannot understand why their desired change wasn’t coming within a month of the inauguration of the new administration.
But the reality has been different. There have been real challenges in six months. An opposition party campaigning on the promise of change can be forgiven for not knowing what it was getting into, the extent of the damage done, and the substance of the needed repair. It was in the interest of the party in power to hide the depth of the trouble, especially in the economy. But who wants to hear excuses or complaints? All the electorate needed was change and the miracle man they elected must deliver.
In fairness to both the electorate and the new administration, each has a point. First, the economic reality that the new administration met on the ground was a mess. The slump in the oil market in our mono economy has made it impossible for the states to pay the salaries of their workers, a substantial number of who don’t really contribute productively to the economy but have been kept in the system for political reasons. States have to be bailed out by the Federal Government while the original challenge of states managing to live within their means remains unresolved.
At some point, however, and sooner than later if the country is not only to survive but to prosper, the important issue of managing the economy of states must have to be an issue for the government and party of change. Where a state receives close to 70 per cent of its resources from federal allocation and it spends close to 80 per cent of its resources on workers’ salary, it is clear that there can be no capital development in such a state. For how long can this continue?
Second, judging from the revelations from just a few cases that the EFCC has been battling, it is clear that corruption has eaten deep into the national flesh and it is about to crack the bones. This is an area where Nigerians have been unanimous in their rage against the system. They want the new administration to fight corruption. Indeed, they see the new president as Mr. Integrity and that was why they gave him their support. It appears that the president got that message loud and clear. Time, of course, will tell.
Third, there are cultural realities that are not the making of the new administration. Indeed, these have been with the nation since the dawn of its birth. There are cultural cleavages, including religious bigotry, ethnic chauvinism and blatant sexism. These fissures in the anatomy of the nation could be extremely painful and tragic with different groups talking past each other and making national consensus on important matters difficult to resolve.
Thus while many saw presidential candidate Buhari as a Nigerian nationalist who can bring sanity to a broken system, others saw him as a sectional irredentist. And as he emerged as the elected president, that division still endures. In the circumstance, it will take the Wisdom of Solomon to bridge these divisions and move the nation forward in one accord. Mr. President has his work cut out for him.
Beside the pre-existing realities, however, the new administration and the coalition that brought it to power have had to deal with a new reality which is no less challenging. APC was marketed as the party of change. But since its assumption of responsibility for the running of the nation, it has struggled with its own inner demons, to the delight of its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It appears that the party of change has not been well prepared for the discipline that it takes to govern with a mission of change.
The indiscipline that has been exhibited at the National Assembly is unimaginable but understandable. APC is a coalition of forces that massed against the PDP. While the emergence of the party as a formidable opposition was hailed by many Nigerians as a redeeming grace, it now appears that some within the coalition only wanted a change of administration so they could have a shot at positions they had coveted for long. Surely, no one should be condemned for having an ambition; but it is unforgivable to allow ambition to scuttle the substantive change that the electorate had clamoured for.
The NASS dysfunction has gone on for too long already and it is time that the President used his bully pulpit to call the perpetrators out. For, while we have separation of powers, it is not a far-fetched supposition that if it is not arrested early, the charade going on with the National Assembly will consume the other arms of government including the executive, and scuttle the change agenda.
This of course naturally takes us to the newly appointed ministers as change agents. Believing the president that he has chosen his ministers solely on merit, they are the talented 36 out of 150million Nigerians. They must be proud of themselves. Even if they are the loyalists of Mr. President, and not necessarily the best, there is still good reason for self-jubilation and pride. The President was elected by a clear majority. That he has confidence in the 36 men and women is a big deal.
They are, in Mr. President’s testimonial, round pegs in round holes. I understand this to mean that each of the honourable ministers has the requisite knowledge, the skill-set, and the temperament for the specific task to which he or she has been assigned. Therefore, I expect that the real change that our people desired with their vote would not elude them after all. Each of our honourable ministers must therefore contribute as a team player to the commonwealth such that they put naysayers to shame.
Investing in human talents through the transformation of the educational system will produce educated citizens with consciousness for their health, and great potentials for wealth creation in a diversified economy, thus increasing national productivity, boosting infrastructural development including roads, rails and waterways, and ultimately benefitting the nation and its proud citizens. This is the tie that binds all the government ministries and departments. None is missing here. Therefore if all the ministers work together, the benefits are substantial for the nation. The world is watching. We wish them Godspeed.
NATION
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