PMB and public expectations
With the presidential election done with, and incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress overwhelmingly voted and re-elected to steer the ship of state for the next four years, the next agenda on the table should be how to urgently address the various challenges confronting the nation.
Having survived a well-orchestrated political, media onslaught and elite gang up launched against his reelection bid, we all expect him to prove his traducers wrong by doing things differently, better and faster this time around. There is really no time to waste given the quantum and complex nature of the challenges staring us in the face.
This time around, the President should be more nationalistic, cosmopolitan, open and transparent in his appointments. There is hardly any village or community in Nigeria that has no educated, exposed and competent hands fit enough to be appointed or assigned national tasks. The usual practice of skewing appointments to favour a section or region of a country as big, diverse and large as Nigeria will only breed ethnic suspicion and rivalry.The cabinet should be a blend of both the young and old. It should comprise of all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.
On the corruption front, we expect to see a more transparent approach to tackling the menace. Relevant institutions involved in the anti-corruption war should be strengthened and allowed to operate freely without any form of interference. The war must be seen to be total, transparent, objective and not selective. We truly want to see people pay dearly for soiling their hands and shortchanging the country.
Mr. President, for quicker and faster results, delegate responsibilities to your aides. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has so far demonstrated capacity, competence, loyalty and brilliance in the discharge of his responsibilities, especially as seen in the successes recorded in the implementation of the Social Investment Programme.
Please, waste no time in constituting a cabinet once you are sworn in. Nigerians, especially your ardent supporters won’t accept any delay in assembling a crack team of technocrats, politicians and development experts to help realize the Nigeria of our dream.
Going forward, Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians. The responsibility to make it work for the good of all, including future generations is ours. Let us all be nationalistic in the way we go about our activities. How to fix the country, secure our land, guarantee economic prosperity for all and remain a united entity should come first in all our considerations.
Building a successful and prosperous country is not as simple as it seems. For us to take Nigeria to the realm of socio-economic prosperity, technological and scientific advancement, political stability and overall growth and development all hands must be on deck.
Abdullahi Yunusa, Abuja