One term for good
We are living in the realities of APC’s manifestos, economic blue prints and Buhari’s long awaited dreams of putting Nigeria in the right direction, which did not change since his first contest in 2003. Security, prosperity and political stability, these he promised to achieve through war against corruption which he described as economic cancer to Nigeria.
Whether we are moving in the right direction or not it’s a matter of time but the undoubted reality is that people are living in hardship, purchasing power has decreased, power supply remains myriad, infrastructural deficit looms, systematic corruption resurfacing and neither president’s political party nor is opposition out of political turbulence. While all cannot but be attributed to the world’s economic recession, past administration’s failure to save for the rainy days during oil boom and peculiar situation of oil pipelines vandalism in the Niger-delta which reduces the Nigeria’s oil output to the world market, president Buhari’s leadership style has added much ado to it.
President spent 3 good months in the office without ministers; this has sent according to the Bloomberg wrong signals to the investors which have seriously affected stock market negatively. While president has several media aides, he spent more than one year in office without economic adviser. Up to now president Buhari did not appoint DGs and board members of some agencies, this has helped in making government to move slowly because acting DG or a substantive DG without board members cannot by the provision of constitution take decisions of some certain level.
Almost a year since the death of Ocholi, a minister for state of labour from Kogi state, president did not appoint his replacement which contravened the provision of the constitution that every state must have a representative in the federal cabinet. Up till today, APC, president’s political party doesn’t have chairman board of trustees or council of elders as they amended it, the party did not sit for NEC meeting over a year which according to party’s constitution should be quarterly.
President Buhari has not helped matters in appointing members of his inner circle, president’s appointments did not have political colors, those he appointed like his chief of staff, Secretary to the government of the federation, some ministers and DGs are not members of his party, not part of his campaign team neither were they recognized with him during the struggle nor possessed some extra qualities that make them attract the positions better than his party affiliates and political associates, this situation frustrates members of his party and the persons that helped him in the political struggle for over a decade.
Democratic governance is about politics and governance, every political position has some privileges attached to it, no body is doing politics for politics sake, some good politicians are supporting candidates, spending their time and resources in order to serve their country and enjoy the privileges attached to the positions they are appointed, Buhari ought to give his political associates, party affiliates a chance to serve their country not chance to loot public treasury, Buhari shall let Nigerians recognized those who have been with him, share his vision in the long time of his political struggle and those who supported his party to serve their country, write their name in history and be part of the change agents in the respective positions they deserved to be appointed. This is the wisdom the president could not see.
It is for the good of our party and President Buhari’s personality that he serves one term for good. Whoever doubts president’s credibility, patriotism, honesty and sincerity of purpose, did it at his own ignorance, but Buhari’s tenure as a democratically elected president has proved to us that democratic leadership is not all about honesty and sincere wishes, it involves some political qualities, certain level of making accurate decisions at the right time, large heart that forgives, dynamism and ability to include the best hands even when you disagree with them.
It is a time for Nigerian political parties to start ignoring people with military background in our political system, after all it supposed to be a time of another generation. Buhari’s generations have been serving our country since from our independence fathers.
Buhari administration’s success in war against corruption and terrorism cannot be whisked away, the president still has good two years to fix the economy and keeps the country moving in the right direction. What will our president loose if he became our Mandela by serving one tenure of four years and leaves the country in the safe hands? What’s better for a 76-year-old man other than to be with his family, enjoy the rest of his life seeing the legacy he established and his country growing?
Hussaini wrote this piece from Abuja. He can be reached at alkasimhussien@yahoo.com