I hope Lai Muhammad is able to draw a line between the acrimonious party job of a spokesman and that of minister of information of Nigeria as he is the most likely nominee to occupy that post. I hope when countries demand information and answers, he won't go about throwing jabs and insults and vituperations all in the name of responses and clarifications. While he can engage in partisan squabbles with Oliseh Metuh and PDP, countries especially those that have clout will not waste time on frivolities but will respond with polices and actions that will be to the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians residing in Nigeria and mostly abroad. They will send in their spies to do their dirty jobs. I hope like Buhari stated recently, 'if we survived it I want Nigerian to have found out that I was genuine,a real patriot not that I only fought the Civil war but fought corruption to a stand still’. I hope Nigeria survives APC and their tantrums. The signs are not very good. But God help Nigeria.
The change of government, from a patriotic view is a very good phenomenon and omen for Nigeria given that the PDP had an opportunity to pilot the affairs of the republic for sixteen years of our nascent democracy but marginally improved the lots of the masses and created a top 1% who are so wealthy that they can afford the best things in life. However, they did not fail in all aspects, while many African countries have become failed states and war zones, they protected our freedom and bequeathed to Nigerians, President Muhammad Buhari and APC peace instead of war and strife. However, his excellency's pessimistic views and outlook above captures the near comatose situation we have found Nigeria at the moment instead of an ebullient environment charged with optimism and hope which were pillars of the change mantra on which the APC ascended to office. Speaking to the press in New Delhi as the president is wont to, having made every important statement of his presidency from foreign lands a la Chatham House, Germany, France, USA, our surrounding neighbours, and now India, the president alludes that Nigeria lacks direction at the moment. Seems the president and his men at the presidency are bereft of ideas and are likely waiting on the soon to be inaugurated noise makers (ministers) some of who will be without portfolio according to the president to hatch the master plan of change to rescue Nigeria and set the country on the path of greatness.
This depicts a dispensation in which the government is planning to fail as there is lack of vision from the leader and a resort to haphazard planning and absence of an elaborate agenda, lack of policy thrust and direction, ignorance of viable and robust economic plans which are all signs that leadership, that type of transformational, charismatic and authentic leadership that is required to establish Nigeria and improve the living standards of the citizens is not forthcoming from the top.
Our economy is not smiling if I may use that allegory. IMF has asked that we devalue our currency! And I ask, is there a way Nigeria can counter the devaluation through macro and micro economic polices? What can the government and his economic team do to boost the economy in real terms so that we can harness the value that can enable the economy withstand the vagaries of the global economy that is the root cause of this request for devaluation? If I understand correctly devaluing the Nigeria ensures that we have less purchasing parity and we now spend more to import items that were imported at lesser values? Is there a way to produce domestically so we import less? Are there any factors holding the incumbent government from taking steps in this direction? We spent over 100 days in the country chasing the ghost of the past and pursuing a sectional agenda, hunting opposition and tussling for party supremacy instead of settling down to rescue Nigeria. We need answers and solutions that will be made in Nigeria, I wish Buhari will know that he has a huge task for the present and the future and will spend 80% of his time on such ventures and 20% on pursuing the ghost of the past!
According to one media source, Nigerians have called on the soon to be inaugurated ministers to declare their assets but in a swift response, the presidency retorted that ministers won't be compelled to declare their assets but will abide by the existing laws. In their responses, the ministers in waiting have stated that they will abide by the polices of the Buhari's administration. There seems to be a disconnect between the president's utterances and the clarifications of his spokesmen. While the president has insisted that some of the ministers who have been enrolled in a two days retreat in preparation for the tedious job of public administration will not have any portfolio, his hatchet men have in between the two assertions by Buhari within the space of one week, in New Delhi and during his meeting with the Senate President clarified that no ministers will be without portfolio. While this trend has been characteristic of the Buhari's presidency, one begins to wonder if old age has began to set in or the president's men are yet to synchronize with the body language of their principal.
Pondering on the decision to have ministers without portfolio, one wonders aloud if the task of governing Nigeria is a menial task and if so there is no need for senior and junior ministers. However, Nigeria is in a dire situation and as one public commentator stated lately, Nigeria was a pariah and a near failed state in 1999 before the advent of the new dispensation of democracy. I believe that the task of public policy making and administration in the Nigerian context is huge and can accommodate 36 ministers. Given that we do not have up to 36 ministries, I am aware that some ministries composes of different areas that fall under the same sector. For instance, the ministry of transport comprise of land and water. While land comprises of roads and railways. Ability to develop innovative polices that will move Nigeria forward in this ministry requires a senior and junior minister who will work in these different areas homogeneously with instructions from the presidency to find ways of apportioning the work to be done such that no area will be neglected. However, my ideas are only applicable if the motives of the appointees are genuine and ideal and are targeted at developing Nigeria. Else as it is insinuated in many quarters and as can be deduced from the trajectory of the appointments, most of the nominees are political jobbers who invested heavily in the campaign and election of Buhari and as such must be compensated. Nigerians are eagerly waiting for the inauguration of the ministers and their various portfolios assigned to them so that, all motion and no movement of the Nigerian government can give way to progress and change. Things are worsening as we speak, fuel queues are resurfacing, the economy is not smiling and people are losing their jobs. The roads as the Vice president noted recently in the South East needs urgent attention. Nigerians wish the president will deliver the change he so promised.
Lastly, it seems that the task of developing a viable economic agenda lies on the soon to be inaugurated ministers because the presidency has not delivered one. The West who want to control everything have through their usual channels regurgitated everything well meaning Nigerians have been shouting from the rooftops since May 29th 2015. Matthew Page a fellow of international affairs at the Council on Foreign Relations writing in the Washington post presented five ideas the president could adopt in his pursuit of a change agenda for Nigeria. It is in fact ridiculous that at a time when commentators and public affairs analysts should spend time dissecting, deliberating, criticizing and discussing the president's agenda, there is virtually none for that purpose. All we know is that the president wants to fight corruption head on and curb the deteriorating security situation mainly coming from the North Eastern Nigeria where the Boko Haram insurgents hold sway. Any plan on how to achieve these goals remain elusive. No wonder everyone has resorted to providing recipes for the president. To be the president of a democratic government, the head of government being the president must be a visionary citizen, one who can rally other citizens around his visions, visions which are clear and not ambiguous, visions which can be clearly communicated, which can be articulated in plans and policy documents, visions which are subject to debates and criticisms. I severally told my friends that no matter how intelligent, brilliant and experienced the presidents aides, advisers, assistants and minsters are, if the presidents lacks and cannot articulate a documented vision which is a guide and epoch for his platoon of staff, progress and success will be minimal. The president has many people and files to attend to on daily basis and his job entails the highest level of decision making where he should have the propensity to provide direction for all decisions. If the reverse is the case, how does the president know if the plans and decisions communicated are correct. We will then have a situation where the president is no longer responsible for decision making and passes that job to his staff who will not be directly held responsible for their actions and corresponding outcomes by the Nigerian people. That is a recipe for disaster. However, that is the nasty and dire situation we find ourselves in Nigeria today.
One thing I know is that given the foundations and resilience Nigeria has acquired in the last 16 years of democracy, Nigeria cannot fail. However, this government going by its precedents and antecedents are tilting towards failure more than they lean towards success. As we await the noise makers whose absence have kept the various areas of governance in near comatose, we hope that relieve will come in a short while. Our president is a very patient one and it will not be out of place for him to inaugurate the ministers in 2016.
Nigerians deserve better from President Buhari and his party APC.
