As Mr. President’s mandate is renewed
Eze Onyekpere
The 2019 presidential election has come and gone. A winner has emerged but the challenge to the legality of the election has just begun. However, governance must go on and Nigerians have their expectations of what the government at the centre should do in the national interest. Essentially, it is about securing the people, growing the economy, facilitating development and ensuring the growth of democratic norms.
The foundation of the foregoing expectations is peace and unity in the country. Nigeria needs unity of purpose, where all persons and sections are regarded as equals and provided the opportunities to give their best to the country. This will be a Nigeria where virtually everyone will be proud to sing the National Anthem and recite the Pledge. Attaining this unity of purpose starts from the leader. The words, actions and disposition of the President sets the tone for national engagement. President Muhammadu Buhari needs to learn from his mistakes in the first term. His speech needs to be very cautious and guided so as not to alienate any section of the country. If need be, he should be talking with scripts to avoid unnecessary gaffes. It is expected that his words should inspire, uplift and encourage Nigerians to sacrifice for the country. He cannot continue to be a purveyor of negativity and stereotypes.
The 97%-5% gaffe in 2015 was an unhelpful own goal. The presidential narrative cannot continue to hammer on our negative soft under-belly in corruption whilst neglecting our positives, including the innovation, skills and energy of our population. It must be a balanced narrative where the president as the chief marketer and salesman of Nigeria goes out eulogising our positives whilst downplaying the negatives. This does not in any way diminish the war on corruption. No investor will come to Nigeria through a presidential declaration that Nigerian youths are lazy or that Nigeria is the corruption capital of the world. Rather, you scare them away. The negatives do not define who we are because these negatives are even unlawful. Thus, if the real or ideal Nigerian is sought for, we cannot present a deviant as the Nigerian of our dreams.
The president needs to understand the power of communication especially, the need for him to continually engage Nigerians. You need to reach out to various interest and professional groups. Tap their knowledge, explain your policy positions to them and seek their support. When a people feel honoured and recognized, they are willing to sacrifice and partner for the greater good of all. It is sad that the president in his first tenure hardly engaged the local media as most of his media pronouncements were from outside the country. Restoring the quarterly presidential media chats should be a priority. This will provide the opportunity for the president to explain his policy options and actions on a first-hand basis because nature abhors a vacuum and all manner of truths, half-truths and lies will fill the void. This engagement will build the confidence of the people in their government. Seeing the domestic press as an adversary will not help.
Beyond his words, the President needs to act and be seen to be nationalistic and engage the entire population, rather than the sectional and nepotistic disposition that marked the last four years.It is no longer acceptable for a President who went around the country to ask for votes to literally state that he cannot find trusted people among some states and ethnic groups in Nigeria. Running an exclusionary government simply reduces the number of cylinders available for development. It is like using only three cylinders in a six-cylinder engine and expecting to perform optimally. This is not possible. Nigeria, as a country will gain nothing when we fail to tap the resources of a part of the population.
The actions of the president and the government must be seen to be balanced especially in the field of law enforcement. The rule of law presents no sacred cows as all persons are equal in the eyes of the law. The idea that crimes will no longer be crimes for anyone who joins the ruling party is the worst form of corruption and dishonesty. It rubbishes every attempt that says there is an ongoing war on corruption. Once a prima facie case is established, prosecutions must proceed with dispatch, no matter the party the suspect is affiliated to. Mr. President, the rule of law guarantees that you cannot use illegality to fight corruption or any crime at all. It would backfire as that would mean committing a second crime in a bid to punish the first crime.
Mr. President, too much innocent blood has been shed under your watch in the last four years and it seems to have become a routine and a new normal. Life is so precious that this normal is an abnormality and the trend must be halted. Whether they are bandits, herdsmen, armed robbers or Boko Haram insurgents, Nigerians are desirous of seeing a stop to this madness. Failing to bring the killers to book will be and has been a fundamental failure of governance as the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. The security architecture has failed, it is not working and needs to be changed. The leadership of the security agencies may have been very loyal to you but loyalty to a regime is not what counts. It is loyalty to the nation and its laws that counts.
Also, we do not need to spend six months to get the ministers and advisers to run the government. At least, you must have learnt from the 2015 misadventure. I dare say that the delay eventually led us into economic quagmire. The next issue is the gravamen of our development. You need to select only tested and competent hands as ministers and advisers. You have already paid political debts in your first term. Now, you must present a cabinet made up of our first eleven, not the current mediocre team. In choosing the team, party affiliation should not matter, just get the best available in the country. We need visionaries, practical men who can see the opportunities in the economic chaos of today. When they deliver, you will take the credit as it will be accounted for in the history of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Set broad actionable targets for your team and review their performance from time to time, to know whether you are on course or course correction is needed.
Finally, Mr. President, the rule of a strong man will only endure as long as he is around. Your legacy will be about institutions that you either built or strengthened. Today, your legacy is more in pulling down, than building institutions. This narrative needs to change. You need to carefully think through all your words and action and their impact on institutions, especially the institutions that constitute the pillars of democracy. May God grant you the grace to do good to Nigerians according to your presidential oath.
(PUNCH)
