By Mike Udah
During the 2015 electioneering campaigns, presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari (as he then was) had flaunted the change mantra: he would right all wrongs wrought on Nigeria by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, he had claimed. In specific terms, he said he would improve power supply, provide employment for the large army of graduates roaming the streets; he would give Five Thousand Naira to each of those who would remain unemployed; security would be adequately tackled as Boko Haram would be routed out of existence; social infrastructure would be provided in good measure, among other promises.
Fortunately for the APC and for its presidential candidate, many Nigerians at that time wanted the Goodluck Jonathan (Peoples Democratic Party)- led government to do west (to use the Shakespearean phraseology). The reasons for this were as plausible as they were glaring: non-availability of petroleum products, irregular and very poor power supply, the orgy of crime and criminality with kidnapping were rife. To make matters worse, the advent of Boko Haram and the abduction of 219 Chibok girls in Borno state as well as government’s seeming insensitivity and incapacity to deal with the tinder box which the country had turned into.
It was, therefore, a welcome relief to Nigerians when Mr. Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner of the 2015 election and sworn in on May 29, 2015. One year down the line, has this administration justified its existence? Has it lived up to the people’s expectations or has it become a misadventure as some analysts are wont to believe? What type of change has the Buhari government brought to Nigerians? Is it a positive change or a negative one?
On the positive front, the Buhari government realized early enough that the state governments were pauperized and could not pay salaries and discharge other sundry responsibilities. As a sensitive, pro-people government, it quickly embarked on a bail-out policy by providing funds to the state governments. There is no doubt that that singular step helped immensely in rescuing the states from the thralldom of bankruptcy, thereby saving them from a devastating and destabilizing battle which Labour would have waged against them.
On security, it is obvious that this administration has degraded, nay decapitated Boko Haram. In fact, the government has taken the battle to the enclave of the insurgents – to the much – dreaded, once impenetrable Sambisa Forest, recording a huge success in the process. The numerous internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been taken better care of even as it is not yet uhuru.
The main victims of Boko Haram are Northerners living in the North Eastern part of our country and some other parts of the North. Government’s attention in terms of reform and rehabilitation, expectedly, has been focused on these people from these areas. Thus far, those non-Northerners who died and suffered severe losses from Boko Haram attacks, that is, those from the Eastern and Western parts of Nigeria as well as others from the South-South, have remained unattended to, if not unremembered at all. The Government should do well to support the next-of-kin of dead fellows and wounded ones. Similarly, the soldiers who have been waging these wars against the insurgents do not seem to have been properly taken care of. It does not appear that the families of the deceased ones among them have been adequately compensated. The plight of the wounded is no better. Ideally, insurance covers should have been provided for these soldiers ab initio.
On the big issue of corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari through the instrumentality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dragged numerous high profile persons to courts to either prove their innocence or face the wrath of the law. This move has somehow shown the citizens of this country that the era of unbridled corruption and impunity is over. The list of such people is long, including the former National Security Adviser (NSA) Rtd. Col. Sambo Dasuki; the former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, etc. Against the accusation of prosecuting only non-APC members, the President has shown non-partisanship in his fight against corruption by not interfering in the on-going trial of the Senate President and APC chieftain, Chief Bukola Saraki.
In the area of foreign relations, the present administration has scored high marks, what with the many useful trips made by Mr. President to the United States of America, Germany, United Arab Emirate, France, South Africa, Chad and Benin Republic. The friendly manner in which Mr. President was received by his counterparts in these countries he visited, the discussions held and the agreements signed showed that not only has the image/perception of our country improved on the international scene; in a few years, our economy will witness significant growth owing to the benefits which will have accrued from the pacts entered into with these countries.
Still on the economic front, this administration is working to modify our tax regulations with a view to preventing tax evasion and improving the generation of revenue which will, in turn, lead to improvement in the quality of lives of Nigerians.
In spite of the foregoing strides, however, President Muhammadu Buhari and indeed all Nigerians have an arduous task to perform to ensure the stability of our country and secure the happiness of the greatest number of Nigerians which is one main reason for the existence of government in the first place.
•Udah, a media consultant, writes from Lagos