NIGERIA’S PERILOUS AND TRYING TIMES
This is not the best of times for the generality of Nigerians. Never before - save for the period when the Nigeria-Biafra war raged- had we experienced such excruciating economic hardship as we are passing through now. But we cast our votes for Muhammadu Buhari, our current president, in the hope that he would better our lots in life and take Nigeria to a great technological height. During the 2015 presidential election campaign, his legendary Spartan lifestyle, avuncular disposition, and distaste for corruption won us over to his side. And Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s lack-lustre, inept, tardy, and uninspiring political leadership helped Buhari’s political cause too. Again, we should remember that Buhari contested the 2015 presidential poll on the political platform of All Progressives Congress, the slogan of which (change) resonated with us.
Having contested the presidential poll four times before clinching the presidential diadem, President Buhari ought to be very familiar with Nigeria’s hydra-headed and multi-farious problems. He could have articulated and formulated policies and programmes of action before taking the oath of office. So, after his assumption of office, we expected him to hit the ground running. But it didn’t happen.
In fact, it is sad that President Buhari’s occupation of the highest political office in Nigeria has led to his demystification. Now, it’s obvious to us that a man’s zeal for political leadership is not a proof that he posses leadership qualities, and a guarantee that he will turn around his country’s economic fortunes.
President Buhari’s actions, inactions, and frequent overseas medical trips have portrayed him as a man who is ill-equipped, both mentally and physically, for the rigours of political leadership of Nigeria. In the United Kingdom and America, their prime minister and president named members of their executive cabinets soon after they’re elected into offices. But it took President Buhari eon period to cobble together an executive cabinet that is filled with tired, retired, recycled, and incompetent politicians and technocrats. Most of them can be likened to putting square pegs in round holes.
The unpalatable fact is, over the years, President Buhari hasn’t weaned himself of religious bigotry and ethnic chauvanism. So ethnic and religious factors and party membership influenced and informed his choices of people, who are members of the executive cabinet. It is an indisputable fact that his federal appointments are lopsided in favour of a section of the country. When merit is sacrificed on the altar of sectionalism and other primordial and selfish interests, national development will be put in abeyance. Now, Nigeria’s economy has gone into recession owing to the slump in global oil prices and this political administration’s jejune and misconceived economic policies. Consequently, some banks as well as companies had shed off some of their workers. That measure has compounded our country’s unemployment problem. More so, many states in the federation are so financially distressed that they owe their workers backlog of salaries.
As a consequence, millions of children of school ages engage in child labour to augment their parents’ income. They are out of school as their parents cannot afford to keep them in school owing to the economic hardship besetting Nigeria. Chiedu Uche Okoye, Uruowulu- Obosi, Anambra State