Half a year onward from the historic inauguration of General Muhammadu Buhari as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after an electoral process which was a manifestation of the will of Nigerians to opt for change, our analyst assesses the steps being taken by the Buhari administration to remedy a nation in dire need of rebuild in many aspects. Working with the presidential campaign promises of the All Progressing Congress and the President’s actions in his first few months in office, how confident should Nigerians be that they indeed made the right choice in the April 2015 presidential polls?
With over 180million inhabitants, Nigeria is easily the most populated nation in Africa and the most populated black nation in the world. Thus, by implication there is no other nation in Africa or dominated by blacks which can boast of 70% of Nigeria’s workforce.
This has indeed boosted the nation’s economy (20th largest in the world as at 2015), yet an appalling number of Nigerians still live below $1 a day. In the last days of Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, poverty remained a major issue in a nation which generated over $500bn a year as a total domestic revenue and possessed a purchasing power that more than doubled that figure. Nigeria, however, remained a lower middle income country where the lowest earning civil servant could not boast of healthier wages than that he earned during his days in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Apart from poverty, unemployment remained a problem with about 15million Nigerians unable to secure jobs going into the 2015 general elections. Frustrations were further aggravated as the oversupply of oil into the markets led to the plummeting of crude oil prices as demand for the often dubbed ‘black gold’ was perpetually sliding down a slippery slope that got even steeper by the day.
Efforts made by the former president to balance the country’s dependence on oil in favour of a gradual shift towards agriculture and technology encountered multiple stumbling blocks as Nigerians began to lose faith in a leader they once saw as the hope for a true giant of Africa.
There was no denying that the vision of the former president was largely impaired by the corruption which plagued his administration, and further enhanced by his passive body language which led Nigerians to accuse him (perhaps correctly) of being implicit in the looting on the nations treasury.
President Jonathan, however presented a clear vision for a transformation agenda and was perhaps most unfortunate with having to battle the Boko Haram terror group which posed a threat to the bright prospects of a transforming nation, as instead of looking forward to a brighter future, Nigerians began to question the existence of one.
The slow-paced transformation movement was faced with many stumbling blocks. Perhaps too many. Nigerians had had enough. Nigerians needed change.
“I cannot give you a fist of dollars or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of our nation is not up for sale.” Words that surely hit sensitive spots in the hearts of all concerned with the APC presidential primaries. After all it would only take a priceless statement to define the pricelessness of a great nation which was almost on its knees. One must have to admit that no other candidate worked harder for the votes of the Nigerian people than the revered General.
Buhari’s speech was a plea to Nigerians to consider the APC as the better alternative to a “clueless and incompetent” PDP rule and to present himself as the most suitable head for an emerging political body which would rescue Nigeria and its people from social, and economic implosion.
Of course there was not to be a magical wave of any presidential wand which would revert Nigeria to its more prosperous days, but the presidential aspirant urged Nigerians not to believe the ‘We need more time’ cliché, emphasizing that “we do not. What we need now is change”. So what pathway did the Daura born former Head of State envision for the prosperity of the country?
The hard line which President Buhari persistently drove at Nigerians was the need to uproot corruption from the Nigerian system. This was always a welcome ideology as corruption had proved to be the underlying factor inhibiting a steady growth in development for as long as the average Nigerian can remember.
Unemployment was also underlined as major failing of the PDP government by president Buhari during his presidential campaign. And rightly so. While the Jonathan administration was lauded in some corners for efforts on youth empowerment, the former president failed to curb the imbalance between the number of eligible job seekers and the number of jobs available.
Such hardships easily left President Jonathan vulnerable to stern criticism as the youth which he endeared himself to during his 2011 presidential campaign ended up short-changed. The lackadaisical attitude of the same administration was also responsible for the dramatic and excruciating halt in federal and state tertiary academics as the federal government dragged its feet on negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities leading to a nationwide strike that lasted over half a year!
As though things were not bad enough, the fight against boko haram was hampered by the same corruption which left Nigeria generating power at a crippling half capacity as there were reports of laundering of security funds making the battle more or less a lost cause. General Buhari emphasized on his ability to tackle the issue of insurgency swiftly and Nigerians barely had a reason to doubt him as he had proven himself in the past, hence his present status.
Nigerians enjoyed the dream of a prosperous economy which truly reflected the wealth of the masses. They needed more jobs and an improved infrastructure which would serve as foundation for innovation. Buhari’s government was too be the one that salvaged the nation from 16 years of mismanagement and a lack of a clear direction. How much, however, has the nation improved under Buhari’s rule?
President Buhari was never and probably will never be known to be easily intimidated. He has tackled the cancer of corruption with the confidence any astute and fearless leader would. He has however been rightly criticized for sparing those associates with his party. Contrary to the alarmingly poor performances by his predecessors in tackling corruption, Buhari has excelled in striking fear into hearts of corrupt individuals whether in the PDP or the APC and there is finally a headway in the fight against corruption.
It is safe to say that this present administration has commanded a significant impact in the fight against Boko Haram. Even with the Nigerian Army keeping the insurgents on the backfoot, the threat posed by this terror group is not waning as they still find routes into villages and towns (even the capital city) to wreak havoc on innocent Nigerians.
The Chibok girls are yet to be found and there seems to be a sudden quiet over the issue even with the Nigerian Air forces bombing Sambisa forest without a precise intelligence on the whereabouts of the abducted schoolgirls. Recently, the presidency has had to go back on its word, as the three month deadline which president Buhari set to destroy the Islamic sect has run out.
After rash criticism of the Goodluck administration, perhaps the Buhari administration is coming to terms with the reality of the Boko haram threat.
Nothing tangible has been carried out so far in the tackle of unemployment. Whilst these are still early days, it should be noted that unemployment has risen from 8.20 percent in Goodluck Jonathan’s last days in office to 9.90 percent as at December 2015. The president will have to be cautious as this may be one of the toughest task for his administration as his previous administration (as head of state) was marred by an increase in unemployment as many civil servants were laid off and after all, it was under the Jonathan administration unemployment dropped from 9.60 percent to 8.20 percent.
PMB’s numbers on infrastructure is boosted by his intentions for the development of the sector as he stated his determination improve infrastructure through his appointment of Babatunde Raji Fashola. The former government of Lagos state, having called Goodluck Jonathan a liar for his claims of road development has recently had to admit that no other president has done more to improve the state of Nigerian roads than Goodluck Jonathan. However, with the increase of power supply to Nigerians, it is safe to say there is reason to be optimistic.
Perhaps the only reason the Buhari administration scored this high is thanks to the analyst cutting his young administration some slack due to the fall of crude oil prices. Nigeria has struggled to cope with the change, with the former president forced to lower pump prices for petrol. While Goodluck Jonathan sought to diversify the means of Nigerian revenue through the expansion of the agriculture sector and the empowering of small and medium enterprises, president Buhari appointed himself as minister of petroleum resources as a means to control the wealth in that sector.
Unfortunately due to the alarming fall in oil prices, the sector is worth three times less what it was just over a year ago. Measures to counter the drop in naira seem not to be working as the naira has devaluaed further so that the equivalent of a dollar is N250 today.
After the extension of the deadline given to the military to crush the Boko haram sect, Nigerians felt suylike they had returned to an all too familiar territory as ironically this was exactly what PMB had asked Nigerians not to believe in his speech before his adoption as APC’s presidential flagbearer.
The truth is however, no matter how fast the change will come, it will take time to heal the wounds of 16years of PDP rule as his fellow APC stalwart Bola Tinubu had emphasized (hopefully not another 16 years!).
President Buhari, just like his predecessor means well for the nation. Politicking and governance are two completely different things, and anyone can say anything to get elected. What will eventually matter is what he does with the mandate he gets based on the hope he has planted in the hearts of the electorates.
Change does not happen overnight. It needs time. If, however there was a better person to clear the rust on Nigeria’s global image, there is no better person to tackle it than the man the people voted for. After all, we voted for four years of change. We must be patient as it comes to fruition.
This article was written by Chris Onaji for 234jam.com
What we asked for
With over 180million inhabitants, Nigeria is easily the most populated nation in Africa and the most populated black nation in the world. Thus, by implication there is no other nation in Africa or dominated by blacks which can boast of 70% of Nigeria’s workforce.
This has indeed boosted the nation’s economy (20th largest in the world as at 2015), yet an appalling number of Nigerians still live below $1 a day. In the last days of Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, poverty remained a major issue in a nation which generated over $500bn a year as a total domestic revenue and possessed a purchasing power that more than doubled that figure. Nigeria, however, remained a lower middle income country where the lowest earning civil servant could not boast of healthier wages than that he earned during his days in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Apart from poverty, unemployment remained a problem with about 15million Nigerians unable to secure jobs going into the 2015 general elections. Frustrations were further aggravated as the oversupply of oil into the markets led to the plummeting of crude oil prices as demand for the often dubbed ‘black gold’ was perpetually sliding down a slippery slope that got even steeper by the day.
Efforts made by the former president to balance the country’s dependence on oil in favour of a gradual shift towards agriculture and technology encountered multiple stumbling blocks as Nigerians began to lose faith in a leader they once saw as the hope for a true giant of Africa.
There was no denying that the vision of the former president was largely impaired by the corruption which plagued his administration, and further enhanced by his passive body language which led Nigerians to accuse him (perhaps correctly) of being implicit in the looting on the nations treasury.
President Jonathan, however presented a clear vision for a transformation agenda and was perhaps most unfortunate with having to battle the Boko Haram terror group which posed a threat to the bright prospects of a transforming nation, as instead of looking forward to a brighter future, Nigerians began to question the existence of one.
The slow-paced transformation movement was faced with many stumbling blocks. Perhaps too many. Nigerians had had enough. Nigerians needed change.
What President Muhammadu Buhari Promised
“I cannot give you a fist of dollars or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of our nation is not up for sale.” Words that surely hit sensitive spots in the hearts of all concerned with the APC presidential primaries. After all it would only take a priceless statement to define the pricelessness of a great nation which was almost on its knees. One must have to admit that no other candidate worked harder for the votes of the Nigerian people than the revered General.
Buhari’s speech was a plea to Nigerians to consider the APC as the better alternative to a “clueless and incompetent” PDP rule and to present himself as the most suitable head for an emerging political body which would rescue Nigeria and its people from social, and economic implosion.
Of course there was not to be a magical wave of any presidential wand which would revert Nigeria to its more prosperous days, but the presidential aspirant urged Nigerians not to believe the ‘We need more time’ cliché, emphasizing that “we do not. What we need now is change”. So what pathway did the Daura born former Head of State envision for the prosperity of the country?
The hard line which President Buhari persistently drove at Nigerians was the need to uproot corruption from the Nigerian system. This was always a welcome ideology as corruption had proved to be the underlying factor inhibiting a steady growth in development for as long as the average Nigerian can remember.
Unemployment was also underlined as major failing of the PDP government by president Buhari during his presidential campaign. And rightly so. While the Jonathan administration was lauded in some corners for efforts on youth empowerment, the former president failed to curb the imbalance between the number of eligible job seekers and the number of jobs available.
Such hardships easily left President Jonathan vulnerable to stern criticism as the youth which he endeared himself to during his 2011 presidential campaign ended up short-changed. The lackadaisical attitude of the same administration was also responsible for the dramatic and excruciating halt in federal and state tertiary academics as the federal government dragged its feet on negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities leading to a nationwide strike that lasted over half a year!
As though things were not bad enough, the fight against boko haram was hampered by the same corruption which left Nigeria generating power at a crippling half capacity as there were reports of laundering of security funds making the battle more or less a lost cause. General Buhari emphasized on his ability to tackle the issue of insurgency swiftly and Nigerians barely had a reason to doubt him as he had proven himself in the past, hence his present status.
Nigerians enjoyed the dream of a prosperous economy which truly reflected the wealth of the masses. They needed more jobs and an improved infrastructure which would serve as foundation for innovation. Buhari’s government was too be the one that salvaged the nation from 16 years of mismanagement and a lack of a clear direction. How much, however, has the nation improved under Buhari’s rule?
Corruption: 8/10
President Buhari was never and probably will never be known to be easily intimidated. He has tackled the cancer of corruption with the confidence any astute and fearless leader would. He has however been rightly criticized for sparing those associates with his party. Contrary to the alarmingly poor performances by his predecessors in tackling corruption, Buhari has excelled in striking fear into hearts of corrupt individuals whether in the PDP or the APC and there is finally a headway in the fight against corruption.
War against Insurgency: 5/10
It is safe to say that this present administration has commanded a significant impact in the fight against Boko Haram. Even with the Nigerian Army keeping the insurgents on the backfoot, the threat posed by this terror group is not waning as they still find routes into villages and towns (even the capital city) to wreak havoc on innocent Nigerians.
The Chibok girls are yet to be found and there seems to be a sudden quiet over the issue even with the Nigerian Air forces bombing Sambisa forest without a precise intelligence on the whereabouts of the abducted schoolgirls. Recently, the presidency has had to go back on its word, as the three month deadline which president Buhari set to destroy the Islamic sect has run out.
After rash criticism of the Goodluck administration, perhaps the Buhari administration is coming to terms with the reality of the Boko haram threat.
Unemployment: 1/10
Nothing tangible has been carried out so far in the tackle of unemployment. Whilst these are still early days, it should be noted that unemployment has risen from 8.20 percent in Goodluck Jonathan’s last days in office to 9.90 percent as at December 2015. The president will have to be cautious as this may be one of the toughest task for his administration as his previous administration (as head of state) was marred by an increase in unemployment as many civil servants were laid off and after all, it was under the Jonathan administration unemployment dropped from 9.60 percent to 8.20 percent.
Infrastructure: 6/10
PMB’s numbers on infrastructure is boosted by his intentions for the development of the sector as he stated his determination improve infrastructure through his appointment of Babatunde Raji Fashola. The former government of Lagos state, having called Goodluck Jonathan a liar for his claims of road development has recently had to admit that no other president has done more to improve the state of Nigerian roads than Goodluck Jonathan. However, with the increase of power supply to Nigerians, it is safe to say there is reason to be optimistic.
Economy: 4/10
Perhaps the only reason the Buhari administration scored this high is thanks to the analyst cutting his young administration some slack due to the fall of crude oil prices. Nigeria has struggled to cope with the change, with the former president forced to lower pump prices for petrol. While Goodluck Jonathan sought to diversify the means of Nigerian revenue through the expansion of the agriculture sector and the empowering of small and medium enterprises, president Buhari appointed himself as minister of petroleum resources as a means to control the wealth in that sector.
Unfortunately due to the alarming fall in oil prices, the sector is worth three times less what it was just over a year ago. Measures to counter the drop in naira seem not to be working as the naira has devaluaed further so that the equivalent of a dollar is N250 today.
Buhari needs time
After the extension of the deadline given to the military to crush the Boko haram sect, Nigerians felt suylike they had returned to an all too familiar territory as ironically this was exactly what PMB had asked Nigerians not to believe in his speech before his adoption as APC’s presidential flagbearer.
The truth is however, no matter how fast the change will come, it will take time to heal the wounds of 16years of PDP rule as his fellow APC stalwart Bola Tinubu had emphasized (hopefully not another 16 years!).
President Buhari, just like his predecessor means well for the nation. Politicking and governance are two completely different things, and anyone can say anything to get elected. What will eventually matter is what he does with the mandate he gets based on the hope he has planted in the hearts of the electorates.
Change does not happen overnight. It needs time. If, however there was a better person to clear the rust on Nigeria’s global image, there is no better person to tackle it than the man the people voted for. After all, we voted for four years of change. We must be patient as it comes to fruition.
This article was written by Chris Onaji for 234jam.com
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