President Muhammadu Buhari
By: Dr. Charles Ikedikwa Soeze
Writing on Nigeria at 55, I have to start by quoting President Muhammadu Buhari popularly known as “MB” Moving Best when he said “The mission of this administration is to move Nigeria forward to become a strong, strategic and proactive state through a deliberate, pragmatic and productivity conscious programme of action. We want to rebuild Nigeria into a competitive, virile, strong and productivity economy, a state whose citizens are creative, innovative, responsive, accountable, incorruptibility, patriotic and diligent”.
At another forum, MB said “we have realized our problems, we have made the sacrifice. Nigerians pray a lot, we need to pray even more for luck so that their expectations are deeply helped especially the youths. I know that more than 65 percent of Nigeria’s population is youth. Most of them are not employed whether they have been to school or not. This is the keg of gun powder we are sitting on. If the young unemployed Nigerian youth in their 20s turn against the authority, there will be nothing the authority would do and quite frankly, I am frightened by the number of unemployed young Nigerians. These, we should all agree is for change for the best. In the words of Confucious, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”. In this connection, let us support Mr. President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Party at the federal level.
Dr. Charles Ikedikwa Soeze
Going by the Nigeria history, one can boldly and proudly say that our past leaders moulded this country with great zeal for success. This was manifest in the way and manner they collectively fought and achieved political independence for Nigeria. It is true to say that those crops of leaders exhibited sound leadership qualities and moral pedigree as well as professionalism that is lacking in some of our current politicians and leaders because greater part of their actions are based on ethnicity, tribalism, favouritism, among others. However, the current democratic president, Muhammadu Buhari does believe in these because of his statement “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”. In the threshold of Nigeria history, one can say that the abysmal performances of some of our leaders are caused by us the followers. In the words of Jide Osuntokun, we need to move away from “come and chop” politics that unfortunately permeates our society with the result that very few people can speak truth to power. This denies our leaders’ good advice and the rest of us good governance emanating from bad advice. What a dangerous dichotomy at 55 indeed?
It is evident that some past leaders in Nigeria have ruined this nation and made it what great Professor Chinua Achebe (of blessed memory) referred to as, “This is an example of a country that has fallen down; it has collapsed. The house has fallen”. The country has suffered and sunk into persuasive corruption, social catastrophe and economic dilapidation for a long time. Our much respected values of patriotism and uncompromising emphasis on integrity and honesty have been thrown to the winds. Some of our leaders have lost their integrity and dignity because of money and they sometime lost their sense of reasoning because of Naira if not “Nairases”.
It is a known fact that corruption has been instrumental in disorienting us in this country; it has made us the laughing stock of the World. We have so many good people; we have resources, which should make us the envy of other nations in the world. In view of the mismanagement of resources, under-utilization of human resources, and the syndrome of ‘get-rich-quick’ our country is in shambles. We have laws that must be enforced to punish the corrupt.
No doubt, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (alias Junior Jesus) former Ghanaian president, said thus in 2007 on corruption “…unless the citizens learn to boldly reject fraud and criminality in leaders, wrong-doing will persist; unless our people disabused the mind of politicians who think the electorate can be bought to surrender their rights and votes, leadership will continue to commit fraud; rig elections and amass ill-gotten gains at the expense of the whole country; unless our people learn to stand up against dictators and political charlatans democracy will continue to fail in different countries at different times”.
NEPAD Nigeria (2007:5) stated that “corruption is a huge challenge in the public administration in Nigeria. It is at the core of the crisis of governance, the establishment of a stable democratic order, rule of law, development and the welfare of citizens”. The former minister of education, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa (of blessed memory) and the first Nigerian to bag Ph.D. in education in 1955 puts its best as follows: “Name any problem we have in this country and I will tell you that corruption is the root cause. If there is a plane crash, car crash, bad road, poor health facilities, bad economy, insecurity, bad education, corruption is at the root of all these challenges and we must kill corruption before it kills us”.
Furthermore, the National Vision 20, 20 20 realize that “eradication of corruption” must be part of its strategic framework. Refer to Nigeria Vision 20: 20 20, Economic Transformation Blueprint, P.14, figure 1.1, September 2009. In other words, we must put structures to eliminate corruption. I have always opined that eradication of corruption is a basic human rights for all Nigerians. Although corruption is rampant in today’s Nigeria, corruption is not new to our society. It has been a problem in Nigeria, even before independence.
Senator Hillary Clinton, while speaking on the failure of leadership in Nigeria said and I quote “Nigeria as the 6th world largest producer of oil in OPEC has no business with continued importation of oil for her citizens”. Refer to the words on marble of The Pointer Newspaper of Monday, April 5, 2010 page 6. Happily, the new Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, a man of timber and caliber has promised Nigerians that our four refineries must be functional in ninety (90) days. Refer to The Pointer Newspaper front page of Friday, September 11, 2015.
Speaking on Nigeria, President Barrack Obama of the most powerful nation (US) has this to say “Nigeria is critical to the rest of the continent and if Nigeria does not get it right, Africa will really not make progress”. In this connection therefore, it is no exaggeration but most appropriate to say, that Nigeria is and will continue to remain the giant of Africa. However, it is true to say that some Nigerian leaders are either oblivious of their responsibilities to the Nigerian citizens or blinded by their selfish quest for self-aggrandizement. In other words, one can see decadence in all sectors of the economy and some of the leaders are nothing more than self-serving demagogues. Most of our leaders have shown that they are incapable of providing efficient and effective leadership to the Nigerian citizens. This is based on their inability to check their appetite and propensity to acquire wealth at the expense of the citizenry is unparalleled.
It is flabbergasting that in the 21st century where there are a large number of leadership models to emulate, some of our politicians and administrators continue to settle scores in old-fashioned stone Age way. Historians and others will definitely agree with me that some of our leaders have never learnt anything from the past. As a result, some of these leaders made Nigeria a laughing stock of the other nations. Our nation that is regarded as the giant of Africa and still cannot provide effective leadership. All Nigerians should be concerned about the bad happenings in the polity which clearly have showed signs of ineptitude, ineffectiveness, idiocy, tribalism, nepotism, favoritism, and finally the emergence of political godfathers and godmothers, mismanagement, misdirection, misappropriation, corruption, lack of planning, policy inconsistencies and many others have become the trade mark of some past administration that have ruled our nation.
It is true to say that democracy is the best form of government everywhere in the world. To this end therefore, Nigeria cannot be an exemption. Whatever the case may be, we cannot totally write off the leadership of this country, I think and believe we all need to bring our ideas towards national development, this is because no man has monopoly of knowledge, we must not relent in contributing our quota so as to move the nation forward in the right direction. It is our country and nobody will develop it for us. We don’t have any other place to go. It is rather unfortunate that at fifty-five (55) years, we are still at the primary level of development. Let all Nigerians continue to pray to God to give us a selfless leader that can lead us to path of peace, prosperity and progress. In other words, to make Nigeria great is a collective responsibility in that it should not be left in the hands of a few individuals. In order to effectively achieve these, we must embrace change under the current democratic structure led by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
In the first chapter of his 1983 caustic pamphlet, “The Trouble with Nigeria” prodigious storyteller and literary critic, the late Professor Chinua Achebe identified the Nigerian monster in few words. For him, “the problem with Nigeria simply and squarely is that of corruption”. Subsequent chapters only served as explanations to the shattering revelation. The professor was 53 then.
According to the former chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, while lamenting the nation’s monumental losses to corruption since independence said that Nigeria has lost the sum of $300bn to corruption. Refer to the Punch newspaper of May 28, 2010 back page. The said sum would have been enough to build many standard public schools with state of the arts facilities. We now send our children to private schools and universities both at home and abroad.
Former President Matthew Okiokiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo popularly known as “OBJ” or “Baba Iyabo” during his first outing as Military Head of State noted at the formal opening of the Command and Staff College, Jaji on Monday, 12th of September 1977 and I quote “The Nigerian society as at now, in spite of our efforts since July 1975 is not sufficiently disciplined, fair, just or humane”. The then head of junta who later ruled the country as a civilian president for eight (8) years went further to say “A nation where the indolent, the dishonest, and the inefficient can get to the top or become excessively wealthy is a nation fit for destruction. It will in fact sooner than later bring destruction on itself”.
Corrupt enrichment had made many Nigerians to display shocking callousness and sadism in their actions, gross indiscipline and selfishness, thereby bring misfortune to some families because man’s inhumanity to man makes countless people mourn. It beats my imagination when we clap and drum to the high heaven for those who corruptly enriched themselves and begged them to accept many chieftaincy titles; in other words, “Chief Thief Titles” including National Honours.
At 55, issue of electricity supply is nothing to write about. Astonishingly, China is boosting her economy with a massive generator trade boom with Nigerians faceless billionaire generator importers. As a result of incessant power supply, hospitals are sometimes forced to carry out medical operations on patients with the aid of kerosene lanterns or sticks of candle and this have unbearable consequences on health-care delivery. We pray President Muhammadu Buhari will address effectively the issue of power supply adequately. With regular power supply, business especially small medium and big enterprises (SMBE) will boom and unemployment would be reduced minimally. Inadequate power supply has chocked the development and growth of Nigeria’s economy, particularly in the last two decades. The Punch newspaper editorial of the 22nd of March 2010 stated that “poor power supply has been at the heart of the nation’s wobbling manufacturing sector whose capacity utilization has today plunged to 29 percent. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has been crying out over continued closure of factories occasioned by a hostile business climate. MAN estimates that the imperative of providing alternative power supply in the face of power shortages adds up to forty (40) percent to the cost of factory products.
However, for Nigeria to move forward in the right direction and to embrace change, we need to love one another. According to the Holy Bible, in the book of 1st Corinthians 13:4-8; it states thus; “love is patient, love is kind. It is not rude. It does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury…it bears all things… endures all things. Love never fails”. Also, the Holy Quran preaches love, patience, generosity and honesty in all ramifications. The following two verses from the Holy Quran testify for this: verily man is loss, except such as have faith, and do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual enjoining of truth, and of patience and constancy”. Holy Quran 103:2-3. This second verse gives the meaning of Islam as peace and submission to the will of God and not the will of people; “It is not righteous that you turn your faces towards East or West. However, it is righteous to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the book, and the messengers. To spend your substance, out of love for him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and give in charity; to fulfill the contracts which you have made, and to be firm and patient, in pain, and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing”. Holy Quran 2:177.
Finally, I wish to quote Abraham Lincoln’s statement in Gethysbury, on the 19th of November 1863 for our information and guidance “That this country under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Back home, in the words of Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, first premier of defunct northern region, on September 25, 1963 “I wish to state categorically my belief in the unity of this country for there are far more things that unite us than things that divide us. Our path to salvation lies in cooperation”. In other words, we must cooperate with MB for effective change in Nigeria not only better but for best.
Dr. Charles Ikedikwa Soeze is a learned mass communication scholar and former Assistant Director (Administration)/Head, Academic and Physical Planning (A&PP) of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria. He is also a public affairs analyst/commentator on local, national and international issues. (08036724193) charlessoeze@yahoo.ca
