AGENDA FOR THE GENERAL

That phone call between President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari could go down as the most important telephone conversation between two individuals in the recent history of Nigeria. President Goodluck saved 170 million people from witnessing the fragmentation of the country as predicted by the US, in what could have been the most violent election aftermath. We thank God!

We had all prepared for the worst: stocking up on food and water, servicing cars, and piling up fuel. Many travelled to their villages, and many more jetted out of the country. Although some have downplayed the significance of that phone call, I for one know that the most severe affliction of African leaders is their unwillingness to relinquish power, even when they have obviously overstayed their welcome at the helm. Without making excuses for them, this may be connected to the culturally embedded perennial absolutism of the African ruler.

Our genes may have evolved into believing in the divinity of our kings and queens and to accept them and their excesses until the expiration of their tenure at death. Hence, when the system of governance was hijacked and reformed by our colonial masters, the mindset of our leaders was still stuck in the monarchical system. This may, for instance, inform why former president Olusegun Obasanjo desired a third-term. Same explanation goes for other African leaders, such as Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Paul Biya of Cameroon.

It is difficult for me to use the word “change” without sounding partisan but like the word or not, a change has come, a tremendous change for that matter. We the people are now more than ever aware of the degree of power in our individual votes. The last elections may have had their flaws, but they also marked a rebirth and the kind of political consciousness never experienced in the 54 years of Nigeria’s existence as a country. Suddenly, people power has assumed its rightful place in our polity!

A new president is  set  to  assume  the  leadership  of  this  country  on  May  29. General Buhari’s first task will be how to manage the legitimately high expectations of Nigerians, all of us. Sample opinions anywhere and you will find that we want change primarily in the power sector. This sector’s perennial failure has been central to all the under developmental problems this country is facing.  If there is one campaign promise which Nigerians want the president-elect to fulfill in the shortest possible time, it is the provision of electricity. All  the  industrial  roadmaps,  including  Vision 20:20:20, will  remain  a  pipe  dream  if  the  nation’s  power  generation  level  remains  as  it  is  presently.

The provision of infrastructure is a matter of necessity, yet we need peace first. The security challenges which all but held us to our knees prior to the general elections have to be addressed expressly. The onus is on the incoming government to ensure that  every  Nigerian,  irrespective  of  tribe  or  religion,  is  safe  wherever they reside. No  doubt,  the  just  concluded  general  elections  left  many  scars  in  its  wake.  Sentiments still came to play in some areas, and some of us may be feeling alienated.  Buhari has to play the role of a statesman. The whole country is his constituency.  Processes should be set in motion for national reconciliation.

Prior to the elections, not since the civil war has the nation been so divided. Politicians were whipping up old sentiments, alluding to differences in religion, tribe, culture and political leanings. Our indigent masses visit the source of our problems to these sentiments. This has led to violence as these primitive sentiments have unearthed ancient prejudices and hatreds that had been lying below the surface in the various communities affected.

The president-elect will do well by building strong institutions and taking a stand against corruption. He has promised that; he should match it with action. A greater responsibility of Buhari’s government shall be the pursuit of people-oriented policies that will mop up the idle and angry youths from the streets.  Crime will thereby be reduced and electoral violence eradicated when food and jobs become available for young people irrespective of their states of origin or educational credentials. The trouble with Nigeria has always been a failure of leadership. We must succeed this time. Good governance will heal any wound faster than goodwill. 

  

You and I must work for a better Nigeria. I wish Buhari good luck and patience but not too much patience, for we know where that has gotten us before (pun unintended). He must balance the high expectations of the people with the delicate task of rebuilding a new nation. Above all, I pray for God’s guidance for him.