• Say President’s first few weeks worse
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has described as ‘worse’ the first few weeks of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
NEF stated that the administration has erred in embarking on major decisions before it even took its first faltering steps.
Its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in a statement yesterday, added that attempts by the new administration to correct mistakes has not been successful, and has and made worse by the barrage of plans and policies which would make life even more intolerable for Nigerians.
He said: “Most Nigerians do not need convincing that the country had been reduced to a very sorry state by the last administration, and sacrifices and informed policies and decisions will need to be made to make a transition to a more productive economy, more secure communities and a more united country.
“We believe that the administration has erred in embarking on major decisions before it even took its first faltering steps.
“Attempts to correct mistakes have not been very successful, and these have been made worse by the barrage of plans and policies being hinted at, which will make life even more intolerable for the Nigerian.
“Where efforts have been made to correct mistakes, they appeared too hastily decided and will, in the long term, do little to relieve the desperate challenges of daily living of Nigerians.
“On the whole, the first few weeks of President Tinubu will be recorded by history as the act of a leadership that made bad situations considerably worse, and fails to explain why.
“The Forum prefers to believe this is not the intention of the administration, but it shares the agony of the citizen whose life has taken a major turn for the worse in the last few weeks.”
Baba-Ahmed, advised Tinubu to
consider taking some basic steps to improve the context in which it seeks to achieve short and long term goals.
According to him, the Tinubu administration to cultivate the culture of
respect for citizens, humility of the leader and a willingness to build flexibility into policies as great virtues that should serve it and the country well.
“The administration must, at all cost, avoid considering its vision and plans of our future as a country as a done deal. A population convinced that its fate has been designed and sealed by an all-knowing leadership is very difficult to govern.
“We advise this administration to cultivate the values of respect for the citizen, humility of the leader and a willingness to build flexibility into policies as great virtues that should serve it and the country well.
“The Forum wishes to advise the administration to consider taking some basic steps to improve the context in which it seeks to achieve short and long term goals.
“The most important at this stage is to communicate with Nigerians in a manner that lets us understand why it has become necessary that we should go through major pains, including whether they are inevitable or avoidable.
“The citizen is entitled to know why it is now impossible for millions of families to feed; why his child may soon be out of school, and why his life has no timeline for recovery.
“Nigerians want to know how we got here, who and what was responsible for the prices we are paying for their actions, and what the administration plans to do to bring the past to book,” he said.
He, however, appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the new administration, with the believe that the formation of Tinubu’s cabinet would usher in good tidings.
He concluded: “We advise fellow citizens to be patient with the administration, and, at all cost, avoid illegal actions that will merely make our lives poorer and more insecure.”