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Tag: president-elect

  • The President-elect and I

    The President-elect and I

    On the morning of December 31, 1983, I was one of the young men who poured onto the streets of Jos, Plateau State, to welcome the coup that toppled the government of President Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The Shagari government was the first civilian government my generation witnessed having won the election that ushered him in during the 1979 election. So, when the military struck, we were not moved because we had grown up under the aegis of a military government that was to us purposeful. At least life was not as tough under the military as we witnessed as adults under the Shagari regime.

    The year that former President Shagari assumed power was the year I left secondary school. As it was with many young men of that era, my eyes were trained on travelling to America for further studies. Although I was not from an affluent home, I was determined to travel abroad.

    The naira had begun to fall in comparison to the dollar, so getting foreign exchange was becoming tough. Toward the end of 1983, after working for about four years and making some savings, I got a letter of admission to a university in the US and I was preparing to go and resume there when the Buhari/Idiagbon coup came. I joined the crowd on the streets rejoicing because I felt the civilian government that was responsible for the woes that had befallen our economy had been swept away.

    I was still determined to travel abroad despite the change of government. However, the speech by Gen Buhari that “Nigeria is our country, we must stay here and salvage it together,” stopped that dream. That was the singular sentence that sealed my fate. The tenor of the speech and the sincerity on the face of the speaker (Gen Buhari) and his lieutenants jelled with me and touched me. I decided to drop my decision to travel abroad and help “salvage” my country as demanded by the then Head of State.

    Although twenty months down the line, he was shoved aside and all the dreams he had laid down were shattered by the succeeding government. Thirty one years after, the same man has come to renew the dream of a great Nigeria.

    The presidential election held on March 28, 2015 has put the country on another threshold of hope by throwing up Gen Muhammadu Buhari. I am part of that renewed hope that our country would rise again.

    The tasks ahead

    At every opportunity, the president-elect himself has acknowledged that he knows that he is at the cusp of history. The chance that has been given to him, not only by Nigerians but by the world at large is enormous. In fact, I don’t envy him because looking at the faces of many Nigerians, especially the millions of citizens who trooped out to vote for him, I know they are all very expectant and impatient.

    We have all been so traumatised that the General cannot afford to fail. Apart from that, he should understand when our patience seems to snap. He should not expect that he would have the whole time in the world to put the country back on an even keel. We know that the sixteen years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been years of locusts that have made many hitherto reasonable citizens grow irrational. It is the task of the General to fix this and not give excuses as to why things are not easy to fix. Many trooped out to vote for him because they believed in him and do not expect shifting of blames when things are not fast as we expected.

    As a General, he must know that choosing a winning team is key, and as he plans to constitute his team he should do this with a thorough and fine tooth comb. Winning an election might not be easy, especially when you’re faced with an incumbent and a behemoth as the PDP. But this has been achieved and the next step is not as easy as defeating an incumbent. This he will soon find out, that is if he doesn’t already know that.

    There are going to be many interests to serve and please. This is normal in every political contest. However, he must be able to differentiate what would work for the country and what wont. He should always remember the word of that former American President Harry Truman that “The buck stops at this table (the President’s).” All the interest groups that worked for his victory cannot be ignored; to ignore them is to be ungrateful. However, he must know when to call the brake. He is the one elected and whom history would call to question if he fails (God forbid).

    I feel very passionate about what I personally call ‘The Project Buhari’ because I hold him responsible for holding me down in Nigeria till today.

    Since that dawn of 1983 when he came to power till now, I’ve had several opportunities to travel around the world and it has never crossed my mind to stay away despite the temptations and offers. His statement that we must salvage our country and rescue it from the hands of carpetbaggers has resonated with me.

    For me, the March 28 election has offered him the golden opportunity and the time to reshape our country. I don’t envy him because the tasks ahead are enormous and frightening. But they are all surmountable, all he needs is to pick his team with care and impress it on them that this is no time to indulge in any victory ride. Nigeria and Nigerians expect so much from the name Buhari, it is perhaps too much to hinge the fate of a country on one man’s shoulder. However, this seems to be what most of us citizens have done; and as a senior journalist, Mr. Dan Agbese, had said the before the election, the emergence of the president-elect which he called the “Buhari Phenomenon” must be sustained to make us recreate our own ‘Nigerian Dream’.

    I am sure, as a war General, he can do it.

  • Organised labour set agenda for president-elect

    Organised labour set agenda for president-elect

    • Unemployment, casualisation, PIB passage, top list of demands

    The Organised Labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has urged the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to tackle unemployment, casualisation and to ensure that he fulfils all his campaign promises upon assumption of office.

    The NLC described Muhammadu Buhari’s victory as a lesson in ‘perseverance and commitment to a cause’, saying there are unusually great expectations from Nigerians which he cannot fail to meet.

    Speaking with The Nation, NUPENG President, Comrade Igwe Achese, urged the President-elect to address the challenges of quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), rehabilitation of the nation’s four refineries and building of new ones, in order to reduce massive importation of petroleum products that has bedevilled the sector.

    Said he: “We believe that if these issues are addressed, there will be job creation which is one of the cardinal points of the new administration. The union is optimistic that the second coming of Buhari will put the nation’s oil and gas sector on a sound footing.”

    NUPENG also urged Buhari to tackle outsourcing and casualisation of the workforce in the nation’s oil and gas sector. The union said nipping the unfortunate development in the bud would open decent job opportunities in the sector for Nigerians as stipulated by the country’s labour laws.

    In similar vein, ASUP charged the President-elect to restore Nigeria’s greatness by pursuing only policies that will impact positively on the citizens.

    ASUP, in a letter signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Clement Chairman, noted that in electing Buhari, Nigerians have given vent to their overwhelming desire for the nation to move forward towards becoming an equitable society where the rule of law is held sacrosanct and the people are placed above the selfishness and greed of the political class.

    He said Nigerians are hopeful that the change agenda, which drove Buhari’s campaign, will be pursued with disciplined diligence that will put Nigeria on the track of wholesome greatness. “The revolutionary smooth transition represents a significant deepening moment for our democracy and holds the seed of promise for a vibrant egalitarian society where the wish of the people is supreme,” he said.

    President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the election was significant for the fact that votes do count after all, adding that politicians will learn to keep their promises to the electorate.

    While expressing readiness to work with and engage the incoming government, Wabba said the NLC is ready to work with the president-elect in defining a new agenda for the nation.

    “We strongly believe that the election of General Buhari (retired), has undoubtedly opened a new and important chapter in the socio-political development of our nation as we have finally broken the jinx of transiting from one democratically elected civilian government controlled by a ruling party to one controlled by an opposition party,” he said.

    President of TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, while reminding the President-elect of the urgent need to tackle the worsening unemployment challenge in the country, also urged him to see all Nigerians as one irrespective of religious or ethnic leaning so as to move the nation forward.

    “He must know that irrespective of the number of votes he got from individual states, there is no part of the country where he was not voted for. By implication it means that he is the president of Nigeria and father to all.

    “Muslims, Christians, pagans, etc voted for him because they believe in him. As such, we don’t wish to see the issue of religion, tribalism, nepotism, which have always been the bane of Nigeria’s development rear their ugly heads in the next dispensation,” he admonished.

    The union also commended outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan for what it termed his “rare show of statesmanship by driving the process for a credible and seamless transition.”

    It said Jonathan has earned a revered place in history for placing the nation above self and for deepening the practice of democracy in Nigeria and preserving the unity and integrity of the nation at its most critical point. It also commended INEC chairman Professor Attahiru Jega for organising a credible electoral process.

     

  • Agenda for President-elect, by lawyer

    Agenda for President-elect, by lawyer

    As the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo are getting set for governance on May 29, a Law teacher at the University of Lagos, Wahab Shittu, draws an agenda that will guide the new president in the arduous task ahead.

    Beyond the euphoria and celebrations that greeted Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the March 28 presidential elections as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there is the urgent need to examine what the president-elect has to offer including the likely impact of his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on his administration from May 29.

    I have listened to the pronouncements of the president-elect and observed the disposition of the incumbent president since the outcome of the historic elections. I have also watched the comportment of the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega during and after the announcement of the outcome of the election was made. The first point to make is the seeming statesman-like comportment of incumbent President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,  which is salutary. He may have raised the bar of democratic spirit and ethical conduct by the swiftness with which he congratulated Gen Buhari even before the formal announcement of his victory by INEC. The whole world is already celebrating this remarkable gesture which is uncommon in this clime.

     

    Starting well

    The second point to note is the outstanding integrity and comportment of the INEC chairman at the time the results of the election was being collated and proceedings became rudely interrupted by the seemingly unguarded utterances of Elder Godsday Orubebe. The matured manner he handled the proceedings despite the tantrums thrown at him by Elder Orubebe may have elevated the rating of the  Nigerian in the consciousness of civilised nations of the world. I commend his maturity in the face of provocation.

    The other issue worthy of mention is the magnanimity of Gen Mohammadu Buhari in victory consistent with the democratic spirit. He had extended his hands of fellowship and conciliation to President Jonathan and those who voted against him saying that he has no ill-wind against anyone and describing the incumbent president as a great Nigerian who is still our president.These are pronouncements of a statesman and indicative of a very positive beginning sign-posting the fact that politics ought to be about service to the people without bitterness from the contenders including politicians and their supporters. These actions may have contributed to the deepening of the democratic process including enhancing the quality of the peace process in the land.

    Thirdly, the president-elect also pledged to deliver just and peaceful governance subject to the rule of law including declaring massive war against corruption, saying quit significantly that ‘corruption will not be tolerated by this administration’.  He also pledged to tackle insurgency that is ravaging the land, declaring – with a strong resolve – that ‘the strength of our collective will would spare no effort until we defeat terrorism’.

    Overall, it can be said that Buhari has started well judging by the quality of his pronouncements. But what are the preliminary issues that he ought to consider moving forward?

     

    Beyond rhetorics

    The first issue that he needs to address urgently is the unity and cohesiveness of the country because never has our country except during the civil war been so divided by politics, ethnicity, religion and other primordial sentiments making it imperative for him to immediately unify the country as a matter of priority.  I am happy to observe that he has also pledged to prevent the discrimination of any Nigerian on account of ethnicity, religion and such other base sentiments. Beyond that however, is the need to walk the talk by putting in place policies and programmes that would make every Nigerian to have the requisite sense of belonging which is indispensable in nation building.

    There is the need to reconcile entities within the nation that are severely divided including elements from the Northeast and Niger Delta with prospects of instability and threats to the nation state. The war against terror must be fought to a standstill by enlisting the cooperation of Nigerians, the international communities and the neighbouring countries of Niger, Cameroon and Chad whose cooperation is crucial to forestall illegal movements across borders and check the inflow of illegal weapons. Our security forces must also be well-equipped in terms of weapons, training, logistics, funding and collaboration to win the war of terror. Corruption which he has identified as a major stumbling block in prosecuting the war of terror must be addressed decisively as our country can no longer afford destruction of valuable lives and property including the displacement of Nigerians from their homes.

     

    Walking the talk

    Secondly, I am also impressed by the president-elect’s declaration that he is now a converted democrat alluding to the fact that having attempted the presidency three times without success and ending up in the Supreme Court rather than resorting to violence, he has demonstrated his belief in democratic tenets. The president-elect is advised to continue with that spirit as dictatorship in whatever guise is no longer fashionable in any part of the world.

    There is also the need to fix the economy and raise the living standards of Nigerians, majority of whom are suffering and living below the poverty line. In this sense, there is the need to approach economic development within the context of a major set of problems such as poverty, inequality, population growth, environmental decay and rural stagnation including adopting a problem and policy oriented approach to governance. The present situation comprising widespread poverty, large income and asset inequalities, rapid population growth, low levels of literacy and health, high levels of urban unemployment and underemployment and chronic balance of payments and foreign/debt burdens to name a few.

     

    Empowering the people

    Nigerians must have access to food, energy, natural resources, technology, information and financial flows. The incoming administration must realise that there is a symbiotic relationship between economic, social and institutional problems of underdevelopment requiring coordinated approaches to their solution at the local, national and international levels. In summary,  attempts to boost our economy must address decisively issues bordering on lower levels of human capital, higher levels of inequality and absolute poverty, higher population growth rates compared to available resources, greater social fractionalisation accelerated by displacements arising from insurgency, larger rural populations but rapid rural to urban migrations, lower levels of industrialisations and manufactured exports, adverse geography, underdeveloped financial and other markets, lingering colonial impacts and inadequate public and private sectors participations in driving the economy.

    These require agricultural transformation and rural development, involving appropriate policy framework to tackle finance and fiscal policies for development. The widening gap between the rich and poor must be reduced to the barest minimum.

     

    Creating business-friendly environment

    It is also important for the president-elect to make the business environment more conducive and friendly. These include carrying out performance audit of key regulatory institutions whose activities impact on the private sector with a view to ensuring that these institutions deliver added value to the economy.

    The foregoing would require the president-elect to put in place an all-inclusive team of talented and outstanding Nigerians to assist him in delivering on his commitment to a just and principled governance.

    The incoming Buhari administration should also deliver positive change to Nigeria by providing visionary leadership, upholding the rule of law, ensuring transparency and accountability, guaranteeing zero tolerance for corruption, putting a stop to the culture of impunity and indiscipline in our national life, protecting fundamental rights of the people and generally ensuring good governance.

     

    Leading by example

    These outlined policy objectives could be achieved if the Buhari administration leads the fight against corruption from the front believing that the leadership below and the followership will take a cue from leadership by example. In this wise, one expects the president to publicly declare his assets and insist that those working under him should also follow the example.  The activities of the anti-graft agencies at all levels must be overhauled to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. This means the anti-graft agencies must be supported with funding, training, logistics, collaboration and equipment to enhance their operations. Autonomy and independence of these agencies are key factors.

    The leadership must adopt both preventive and proactive measures in stamping out the menace of corruption. This implies that systems be overhauled; institutions must be strengthened; social traditions must be restored; ethical and moral values ought to be emphasised by putting in place a code of ethical conduct for all categories of public office holders. These measures would no doubt impact on personal behaviours and lead to a change in the orientation and values of our people. When this orientation changes, hard work, discipline, integrity, credibility, honesty, trustworthiness and patriotism would be restored into our collective consciousness as a people and as a country.

    The incoming Buhari administration must put in place policy guidelines to address every sector of the economy and our national life and this policy thrust must also guide our foreign policy objectives and direction. This in turn will restore the image of Nigeria and Nigerians in the committee of nations.

    In summary, if the incoming Buhari administration delivers on leadership, rule of law, transparency and accountability, rights protection, zero tolerance for corruption and impunity and above all on good governance the trust that most Nigerians placed on Buhari by electing him in this fiercely contested election would not be in vain.

    I wish the president-elect the best of luck.

  • Open letter to the President-elect

    I had in an earlier article made it abundantly clear that this time around, General Muhammadu Buhari would no doubt scale the hurdle in becoming the country’s next president at his fourth attempt.

    I emphatically said that the General would give the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan a good run for his money.

    My assertion was basically based on certain indices as a result of the wind of change that was blowing across the country based on the wrong steps and mis-governance on the part of President Jonathan, which he failed to tackle, especially the insurgency in the North East, which has claimed the lives of so many innocent people and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

    Sir, now that you have won and as you prepare to take the mantle of leadership of this country, I want to use this medium to address you on some fundamental issues:

     One among these issues is that a lot of bad eggs in your party got the advantage of your sincerity of purpose and honesty to have been elected, while in actual sense do not share your ideology of non being corrupt nor condone it in every ramifications. As such, it has become absolutely necessary for you not to give room for corrupt persons to be so close to you and your administration.

    This kind of people may use the opportunity to perpetrate acts inimical to your reputation as someone that has disdain for corrupt tendencies. You should not allow such undesirable elements to have their way to siphon public funds from the coffers of the government as it would dent your credibility in the eyes of the people, especially the common man and woman, who are your pillar and the international world.

    You really have a very big challenge as most of those so far elected do not share the ideology you strongly hold as an incorruptible person. This is because virtually all those elected have different things in mind. You don’t need to allow yourself to be taken for granted especially by the lawmakers at the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, who may resort to intimidation in order to have Ghana-must-go bags before confirming your political appointees.

    You also need to be magnanimous in victory by embracing other political parties’ members as this country is greater than anybody and politics is a channel to offer selfless service to the people and not an avenue to accumulate ill-gotten wealth. Also, you need to fully empower the anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to do their jobs in curbing corruption that has become so endemic.

     You should overhaul electricity supply and high billing that the people pay through their nose in spite of the fact that the PHCN has been sold to private investors to manage. You should revamp the education sector with adequate funding, so that the youths would have access to quality education.

    As the first opposition to have dislodged a sitting president in the political dispensation, you should realise that a lot is needed from you.

    By Usman Santuraki,

    Jambutu, Jimeta-Yola

  • Oshiomhole, Amosun, Saraki, Fayemi, others greet president-elect

    Oshiomhole, Amosun, Saraki, Fayemi, others greet president-elect

    Governors and other eminent citizens yesterday congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on his victory.

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole said Buhari’s victory represents a new dawn in the nation’s polity.

    Oshiomhole, in a statement, said: “Let me congratulate you sir, on your historic victory at the presidential election, through a process which has been adjudged as free, fair and credible by both local and international observers. Indeed, your victory, on the basis of one man, one vote, represents a new dawn in the democratic governance of our great country

    “The spread of your victory across the length and breadth of the country shows your national acceptance as the man Nigeria needs at this critical stage to reposition her from the 16 years of misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “I have implicit confidence that, with you as president, Nigeria will no doubt get a true and selfless leadership needed to drive the much-desired change at the centre, which will start the process of reengineering the country and halt the drift, which the country had been plunged in the past 16 years.”

    Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun has also congratulated the president-elect.

    Amosun expressed the hope that Buhari’s government would bring about the much needed security, economic growth and development.

    Amosun, in a statement yesterday by his spokesperson, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, added that the victory was a demonstration of the Nigerian people’s confidence in Gen. Buhari’s strong leadership qualities.

    Amosun said: “The people have spoken and demonstrated with their votes, their confidence in the ability of the president-elect to pull the nation out of its present economic woes.

    “The trajectory of the president-elect, his principles and uprightness are some of the qualities that must have endeared him to the electorate.”

    To the former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Gen. Buhari’s victory signposts a new beginning for Nigeria and Nigerians.

    “History has just been made in our dear country”, declared Fayemi, who hailed Buhari’s victory over the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan as a victory for democracy and the Nigerian citizenry.

    Fayemi, in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, said going by the outcome of the election, Nigerians have demonstrated to the entire world their ability and readiness to tow the path of greatness and oneness.

    “Nigerians have spoken. They have spoken clearly through their votes. They want a new direction and a new approach to governance and the APC government under the leadership of Gen. Buhari owes them this and more”, said Fayemi.

    He added that the APC, through the victory, is now saddled with the responsibility of making a meaningful change in the lives of the people as promised during the electioneering.

    Fayemi, who chaired the APC national convention that produced Gen. Buhari as the party’s candidate, said Nigerians were the actual winners in the keenly contested election, having demonstrated rare courage and determination to effect the change they desired.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki dedicated Gen, Buhari’s victory to the citizens.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Advocacy, Bamikole Omishore, in Abuja, called on the president-elect to be magnanimous in victory.

    He enjoined him to use his unique stature as a statesman to reunite the country and heal whatever crack that might be in the political demography due to the electioneering process.

    The Oyo Central senator-elect, Monsurat Sunmonu, congratulated Gen. Buhari on his victory at the polls.

    The House of Representatives members-elect for Oyo Federal Constituency, Prince Akeem Adeyemi and Waliu Ganiyu, greeted the president-elect, saying that his victory was well-deserved.

    The Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), Mr. Ismail Ali, described the presidential and National Assembly elections as the best ever in the history of Nigeria.

    The APC chieftain congratulated the APC presidential candidate for the victory in the keenly contested polls.