One year after the unprecedented swearing-in of the change crusader, President Muhammadu Buhari which saw Nigerians replace one president and government with another, many citizens are asking several questions like “Where is the change” and “What really changed”, among others. It is increasingly looking as if the immediate expected ends of the change of government are far from reality.
It is always thrilling to observe the activities that take place during political campaign seasons. That is when you hear politicians brag, bluster and grandstand. Power seekers come out latching on to the failures of their opponents and promising to be different.
Everybody strives to be strong where their rivals have been weak.
In different colours, the confetti of hope is sprinkled in the air. And the naïve among us take the promises of the politicians as gospel.
Then the days roll into weeks, months and years. Yet, the people expect the heavens to open. They wait for an eternity and their hearts become sick because hope has been deferred. Where is the old excitement and where are the promised refreshments?
A celebration party that began with pomp and splendor nine months ago is sliding into a diminuendo as the music fades. These aren’t happy times, my friends. Our messiah has yet to turn water into wine. The prophet may be trying his prophetic best, but the hearts of many are waxing cold. Shall these dry bones live? Only God knows.
Take the resounding success the administration has made of dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency. It has become evident to Nigerians that victory over the insurgents is no longer just technical but cogent, even to the acclamation of the international community. But what we have gained on that front, we have lost in the growing audacious terrorism of marauding herdsmen and the rampant cases of kidnappings, abductions and vandalism of key installations that have been visited on the country, you will agree that government could do a lot better in securing the country. This victory is further shrunk by government’s inability to redeem the pledge to rescue over 200 young
girls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State two years ago!
Another front on which the government would decorate itself is its fight against corruption. We have seen more corruption related activity in our courtrooms in the past one year than in the preceding eight years put together. The same can be said of the volume of media trials as well as the naming and shaming that the country has witnessed. We hear that tons of money hitherto looted have been recovered as we await for the determination of a number of
cases in court. This war is one that the administration is winning even if just in the court of public opinion.
It is also very clear that the President has left the All Progressives Congress, on whose back he rode to power, behind in the business of governance. No matter how much it tries to cover it up, the APC has become an outsider in this administration. For instance, there is no reason why a party which controls the executive and legislative arms of government should struggle to pass its first budget five months into the year.
The country has witnessed one of its worst energy crises of all times, particularly under a democracy. Power supply is simply epileptic at best, across the nation.
It is clear that there is a huge gap in translating dreams to reality under the Buhari administration. Sometimes even dreaming the dreams can be a huge task. Pray, why did it take the suggestion of Wole Soyinka for the government to think of holding a retreat to strategise an economic recovery plan?
The result of all the above is that the government which arrived on the basis of goodwill from the citizens is fast losing a lot of the goodwill. And that is very dangerous for a new government that came to replace one that had been in power for all of 16 years. It is enough to make some citizens lose interest completely in governance, if the two of its major political parties cannot be trusted to salvage the country.
Perhaps the president would have had more time to concentrate on some of these nitty gritty if he stayed at home more. But no, our president is also the ‘gallivanter-in-chief’ of the country that many cannot immediately remember who the foreign affairs minister is. And this also raises concerns as to which of his lieutenants the president has
much confidence in to allow to take a lead on some of the issues on his behalf.
As the President steps into his second year in office therefore, I suggest that he considers the wisdom of more consultation and collaboration with people with whom he started this journey. There is no doubt that the President means well for the country but meaning well is never enough to change the lives of a people.
– Balogun Emmanuel Funsho writes from Ilorin.
He can be reached on irule9ja@gmail.com or 07034444976
