•Abuja residents bare their minds
From Okwe Obi and Idu Jude, Abuja
Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have expressed their feelings following the swearing-in of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kassim Shettima as President and Vice President respectively. From Lokogoma, Gudu, Mararaba, Nyanya, Kado, Dutse, Dei-Dei down to Asokoro, Maitama, Gwagwalada and Gwarimpa, the atmosphere was the same with pockets of rainfall.
Abuja city centre was scanty with few commercial and private vehicles moving around undesignated areas, a situation attributed to the public holiday declared by the Federal Government.
Leader of Police Team deployed at Mararaba Junction, from Abacha Road Police Division, Nasarawa State, Haruna Ben Wukari, exclusively told Daily Sun that there was no atom of security breach as people went about their various businesses.
He said his men were on ground to ensure peace and order.
Most newspaper stands were crowded with people dissecting different headlines in loud voices amidst rainfall.
Some residents said they were upbeat others said they were uncertain of what to come in the new administration.
Mohammed Haruna, a resident of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, expressed hope that the new administration would be quite different from that of Buhari’s.
He said he had offered that he had offered prayers to God to ensure that there should not be a repeat of the kind of Buhari’s administration:
“I do not expect a magic but I have prayed that what Nigerians experienced in terms of insecurity does not repeat itself.”
Emmanuel Okoroafor, said the Tinubu administration should not at any level be close to wasted eight years of Buhari, whom he alleged inflicted economic pains on millions of Nigerians:
“I am rejoicing today not because, Tinubu, has become president, no.
But because an evil man has departed and has gone forever.
“We all experienced terrible things in the past eight years. Which part would I talk about? Is it on the part of insecurity? Dogs actually lapped blood all over the country. With kidnapping and stage-managing of payment of ransoms.
“The Chibok and Dapchi girls as well as others are still in captivity.
Is it on the poor economic implications, Nigeria today is the poverty capital of Africa if not the world and with a bag of rice sold at N35,000.
“What about a naira to a dollar he promised. The closure of borders, which resulted to anti-economic policy. I am happy he is gone for good.”
A clergy man, Isaac Agwaza, opined that the ruling party must not allow its past mistakes under Buhari: “It is no news that the economy was taken to zero point. I am expecting the new President to have a rethink and ensure that the country’s economy bounces back.”
However, a civil servant, Celestine Otobo, said expressed doubt of the promises of the incoming administration: “What played out in the last administration were lies and negative media propaganda.
“I knew that the hawks are gathering to continue from where others stopped. May God help us to survive this Holocaust. There would be no difference since the same political party re-launched itself to power after eight years of terrible experiences.
“It is obvious that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a party that does not obey the rule of law. So we wouldn’t expect much from them.”
A trader at Wuse Market, Silvester Maaji, said: “I am demanding good governance. I am not demanding good governance from an Igbo man, Hausa man or Yoruba man.
“My concern is that the same people who misled us throughout the past eight years have come back to continue the way things were.
“As a businessman, I can tell you that my business has suffered huge setbacks owing to wrong policies.” Maaji alluded that many like him, would not positively benefit from the imposition of mandatory public holiday and security surveillance as the economy bits harder.
“Do you think the incoming administration has the magic wand? Taking a cue from what is going on and the body language of the man being sworn in. His utterances, dispositions and his health challenges are great concerns.
“I also believe that Nigerians should be wary of the implications of this Muslim Muslim tickets.
“They even have perfected the move to ensure that all the key positions including those at the parliament are held by Muslims.”