Between Promises and Delivery
For those who were sorely disappointed on May 29, 2019, when President Muhammadu Buhari (Baba) failed to deliver an inaugural address during his swearing in ceremony, I hope you are happy now – Baba was obviously ‘saving the best for last’ - for June 12, 2019 (as I had speculated), the day which Baba was instrumental to having designated as ‘Democracy Day’, in honour of late Chief M.K.O. Abiola GCFR. I also hope that Baba’s address, met your expectations. All in all, I found Baba’s 2019 address, to be a bit more detailed than that of 2015 – it was acceptable, and showed a slightly better understanding of the Nigerian situation. If it was not just a motivational speech, and his administration is actually able to do all that was contained in this address, Nigeria will be transformed, and Baba will certainly go down in history, as one of the best leaders Nigeria has ever had. Regretfully, many remain sceptical, about his capacity to deliver, judging by the last four years.
President Buhari’s 2015 Inaugural Address Now that Baba has spoken, it is probably apposite for us, to consider some of what he said in 2015, vis a vis what was actually done in the last four years, and try to determine what to expect, during the next four years. In his 2015 address, Baba said that his executive would not encroach on the duties and functions of the legislative and judicial arms of government – they did. He also said that, law enforcement authorities would be charged to operate within the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution) – whether they were charged or not, many a time, they did not. While Baba’s first term administration’s scorecard, with regard to the rule of law, was not that impressive, in an unrefined and unconstitutional way, the Executive set about trying to undertake some reforms in the Judiciary (usurping the role of the NJC).
In Baba’s 2015 inaugural address, he said: ”The most immediate, is Boko Haram’s insurgency.... But, we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other persons held hostage, by the insurgents”. In April 2014, 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, by Boko Haram insurgents. None of them were rescued, by the Jonathan administration. Baba’s administration, on the other hand, was able to secure the release of 21 girls in October 2016, and another 82 girls in May 2017. Progress has been made in this regard, though over 100 Chibok girls are still unaccounted for, and Leah Sharibu, now a prisoner of conscience, the last of the Dapchi girls who were also abducted by Boko Haram in February 2018, still remains in captivity. Though the rescue of these girls is a step in the right direction, according to Baba’s pledge in his 2015 address, we cannot consider Boko Haram to be defeated, until all the girls and others held hostage by the insurgents, have been rescued.
Baba actually referred to the Nigerian press, as “the most vibrant in Africa”, in his 2015 address. Isn’t it ironical that, subsequently, it is this same vibrant press, that Baba’s administration has sought to gag and intimidate, contrary to Sections 22 and 39 of the Constitution, possibly because of their criticism of Baba’s performance. Baba had also appealed for unity, but sadly, some of the key appointments made by his administration, and some of their other actions and inactions, were divisive, and resulted in many Nigerians drawing the conclusion that, Baba did not live up to his oath to serve as President to all Nigerians, as our country has never been as divided on ethnic and religious lines since the Nigerian Civil War, as it is today.
Baba undertook to tackle the issues of fuel and power shortages, ‘head on’. For quite sometime now, fuel shortages seem to have become a bad memory of the distant past. The issue of constant power supply, however, still remains a major challenge, though output has certainly increased. To better the lot of the Nigerian worker, the minimum wage was increased from N18,000 to N30,000. Even though this is still a pittance, considering the fact that the Naira has depreciated, it is still better to earn N30,000 than N18,000. As small as the N5,000 a month social intervention program for the poorest of the poor is, N5,000 is still better than N0 (Section 17(3)(g) - provision of public assistance in deserving cases or other conditions of need). The administration also developed a little bit of infrastructure, like trying to improve the road and rail networks, some from scratch, and others, by way of completion of projects commenced by previous administrations.
The 2019 Address Though Baba’s administration did not achieve the milestones that he set out to accomplish in the three principal areas which he had placed emphasis on in 2015, namely security, corruption, and the economy, Baba stated in his 2019 address that, his administration had made appreciable progress, or to quote him, ‘solid’ progress in addressing these challenges.
I was however, glad that Baba honestly admitted that, what is required now, is for us to get our act together. This statement in itself, evinces the fact that (even though Baba seems to have given his administration a pass mark in his 2019 address), he acknowledges that, there is still much that needs to be done, plenty of which he made mention of, in the course of making his submissions. He acknowledged the fact that, lapses are inevitable in all human endeavours, and the thrust of his second term, will be to make corrections. A good place to start, is to begin to truly actualise the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution, that is, the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Baba reiterated his commitment to lifting the bulk of Nigerians out of poverty. He mentioned that, this goal is attainable, as China, India and Indonesia, countries that are burdened with large populations like Nigeria, had been able to do it. According to the World Bank, China has lifted about 800 million people out of poverty, since it started its economic reform about 30 years ago. China was able to achieve this stunning feat, through the ‘open door policy’ – trade liberalisation, foreign direct investment, topping the list as one of the foremost manufacturers/industrialists in the world, improving its human capital and the business investment climate for the private sector. According to a UNDP Report, between 2006 and 2016, 271 million Indians were lifted out of poverty.
I was reading a story on the internet, the other day. A Deputy Mayor of a City in China, was sentenced to death for corruption. He was accused of taking £120 million in bribes. Baba mentioned the need for “a collective resolution to address corruption”, in his address. I concur. While many who are against the death penalty, will certainly oppose it as punishment for conviction for corruption charges, Government needs to take the fight against corruption, much more seriously. I was listening to the radio in the car the other day, and the discussion was centred on the railway system that Government is trying to build. The discussants were demanding for an explanation, as to why the cost of the railway of a particular distance in Nigeria, is double the cost for the same distance in Ghana! The answer to that is obvious - probably the cost of the contract in Nigeria, has been inflated - corruption. Whether we develop rural areas, increase agricultural and industrial output, develop mining, create jobs, invest in education and skills acquisition, and do all the other things necessary to eradicate poverty, if the issue of corruption is not tackled effectively, all these efforts will be in vain.
I somehow was of the opinion that, Baba downplayed the challenges of insecurity, in his 2019 address. Kidnapping, which he stated is restricted to the rural areas, occurs nationwide. Just last week, I was shocked to hear of a recent abduction, which occurred on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. If kidnappings, banditry and violence were restricted only to rural areas, the Kaduna Train Station for one, would not be inundated with passengers travelling between Kaduna and Abuja, to avoid that dangerous road.
It was good that Baba mentioned the congestion at the seaports, and the roads leading up to them. “Seaports strengthen the economy” - their importance to trade (being one of the cheapest ways of transportation of goods) and job creation, cannot be overemphasised. To be in a coastal area is advantageous, so, to have a seaport that is inaccessible because of trailer traffic, is not only the height of insouciance, but a stunt to economic activity. On June 12, I decided to seize the opportunity of the work-free day, to visit my friend who lives in Apapa. I was disgusted with the condition of the bridge, and as we were passing over it, I was praying that it would not collapse, as a result of the weight of the trailers parked on it – a bridge that is already in dire need of serious maintenance. The trailers blocked the usual entrance to Apapa, and we had to divert through the Kirikiri exit, to enter Apapa GRA. The bridge looked old, filthy, and generally unkempt, with garbage dumped right in the centre of the intersection, at the point of exit from Apapa.
‘The Next Level’ Baba has undertaken to assemble a strong team of Nigerians and allies, to move the country to the ‘next level’, and achieve the goals set in his 2019 address. The question is, when exactly will this team be assembled? In this century? Considering the fact that this is a second term, this should have been done by now. Hopefully, ‘the brightest and the best’, reflecting an acceptable spread, and not just a concentration of people from the North (Section 14(3) of the Constitution) and a few other mediocres, who are APC faithfuls/ loyalists. As Baba rightly pointed out, “correcting injustice is a prerequisite for peace and unity”. But, it will take more than naming a stadium after Chief Abiola, to correct injustice. Presently, the South East zone is nowhere to be found, in the first seven slots in our Government’s hierarchy. Peace, unity, security and stability, attract foreign investments. Most importantly, if we continue in the same culture of ‘square pegs in round holes’, as we have done in the past four years, it is certain that, Baba’s 2019 address will not move beyond being a motivational speech, very little or nothing will be achieved, and the future will continue to be bleak for Nigerians.