Buhari: A Penny For Your Thought? By Leke Adebisi

The Nigerian 2015 election rolled out a new form of participative politics, where the voice of the people broke through, overturning noisy and rhetorical clatter of the political sycophants, who in themselves are incapable and out of touch. For the first time in the history of Nigeria the election brought a much desired fresh air to the administration of the country, one that is significant indeed, Nigerians will no longer have the opportunity of witnessing an opposition party unseating an incumbent government on a first time basis again for ever.

It is no longer news that the 2015 poll will go down as one hell of an election in the chronicle of our great country, in spite of the blockades mounted by petrol scarcity, disruption to sanity fashioned by some insolents such as the Oduduwa People’s Congress, under the camouflage of political rallies and other verbalised threats to keep people in fear and to force them out of exercising their constitutional rights at the polls, this is also evidenced in the unbridled tongue wagging of political newbies like Femi Fani-Kayode and especially Doyin Okupe, who predicted a doom day for the APC alliance and mandated that he must be called a ‘bastard’ if it ever worked.

Not effaced by any of these, Nigerians broke through these qualms and coercions; a determination for which I can only echo the accolades still trudging through from the world over, it is a well deserved congratulation to my fellow compatriots. Beyond this, the governorship and gubernatorial election that followed witnessed the breaking of rank amongst many wheelers and dealers of the erstwhile ruling party, who ghastly were becoming endangered species and strategically cross-carpeted into the winning APC party ahead of becoming political orphans.
An immense congratulation also to the ‘General of Generals’, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), his resilience paid off, crossing over all sorts of discrimination, first was his age, then his academics certificates, and later his English accents. The propagators forgot that President Ronald Reagan ruled the greatest country in the world at the age of 69 years old, they also forgot that GEJ’s PhD failed to present the quality and astuteness we desired of a leader throughout his reign in office, evidenced by his obvious legacies of failure especially in his circle of influence. The naira is yet to recover from the pain of Goodluck-nomics after sliding at an unprecedented rate and wetting itself against the dollar, at the instance of a falling oil price.

In spite of the success at the poll and the phenomenal victory achieved by the All People’s Congress party (APC), why has it taken so long for PMB to come up with the appointment of Ministers? Exactly the point! The real question in the mind of Nigerians. Answering this question demands that we understand the antecedents that led to the choice of President Muhammad Buhari (PMB) as enumerated above, to help contextualise the delay in appointing ministers since his government was inaugurated on the 29th May, 2015.

Every government has a message; they do whatever their message dictates and often they leave behind a vestige that either validate them as ‘men of honour’ or condemn them to the den of fools. Buhari, showed up a time when Nigeria needs discipline in every facet of her structure. Buhari inherited a Nigerian economy that was in coma, already in deficit and owing, requiring financial discipline and accountability from the last regime, where the central bank levied a momentous accusation of a missing $20 Billion dollars in the federation account.

This economy is bleeding heavily, with a record high adverse exchange rate, weak reserve position and a high level of reliance on importation. Security to life and property is also at its worst in our country. Boko-Haram is having filled days; they valiantly walked into a school to capture over 200 girls, which yet remain unaccounted for. There are several reports confirming several villages completely wiped out in Northern Nigeria by the same Islamic militia group, who are still out there untamed.

Businesses in Nigeria need discipline! Nearly all government parastatals have been privatised, but their outputs remain very close to zero. The power sector is loosely a grave situation. Every home now runs on petrol or diesel generators. Businesses are also clamouring, burdened with high cost of operation, the failure of the country to provide an uninterrupted power supply is ramping industry cost of production to staggering heights. The post office is dead; no one thinks about it again, only private courier companies run the show now. PMB appears to be the man for this moment, could an experienced and regimented militant, such as PMB resolve this mutiny or should Nigerians looks somewhere else?

Under PMB regime, Nigerians gaze for a glimmer of hope for improvement. So far major events are unfolding, PMB is holding dialogues both locally and internationally, he has visited his counterparts in the United Kingdom, the G20 summit and the United States of America. The government watchdog (EFCC) is slowly swinging into action, days of reckoning is ensuing, corrupt politicians of the past regimes are taking position to court PMB, the seat of fight against Boko Haram insurgency has been moved to Maiduguri once and for all.

Who would ever forget the Nigerian Parliament! The election of the senate president was a major bomb that welcomed this government, where Bukola Saraki beat everyone to it. The house of representative has had its first ‘chair fight’ under the newly elected leader. The long awaited appointments are beginning to show up as new Service Chiefs were recently selected to take over office. In the face of all these, the executive ministers are not appointed yet. That is the lacuna, we cannot but ask the question – What is PMB’s strategy, what is this man doing? At a time when the country needs resuscitation, that must be fed through the ministries, how come we do not have Ministers in place?

With the few examples given already, it would appear that the business of governance is already in place, this delay is only an evidence that this would not be a ‘government as usual’, some people are feeling the heat of this government already, delay is truly not denial. On the flip side, Nigerians can take solace in the words of W.E.B Du Bois – “Herein lies the tragedy of the age: not that men are poor, — all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked, — who is good? not that men are ignorant, — what is Truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men.” – The Souls of Black Folks.

About PMB, I think as Nigerians we know very little. We have missed the opportunity of having this illustrious leader as a democratically elected president of Nigeria several times since 2003. At last he is here and here to stay, he is no doubt a political heavy weight, whose record of governance speaks loud and clear, the most attractive of which is his penchant for discipline. Just like everyone he could see the decadence of our great country if not more than all else, I only wish he would share his thoughts with us all.

But on a final note, I submit that I am a believer, I will continue to believe, and I believe in due process, I believe in the four seasons of the world’s climate, the winter brings discontent, but now the spring is here, it is a growing season, a growth to life. A return of Nigeria to the path of greatness. The slush has washed away the decadence and diseases of the winter. The beautiful spring is a resumption of the loveliness of nature. The voice of Nigerians has broken the back of the winter; let it be that they get all that the spring brings. PMB, the ball is in your court, where are you taking us this time, what about a penny for your thought?

@LekeAdebisi