Buhari’s Development Template

About a week to the swearing-in of
President Muhammadu Buhari, he was
quoted to have identified four sectors to concentrate on to give Nigeria the desired change in the shortest possible time. The priority areas include security, economy, employment and electric power.
Like previous administrations he promised to promote employment through the development of agriculture and solid mineral resources across the country. On all the issues he was clearly on point and Nigerians cannot wait for the administration to break the jinx and deliver on the promise.
While moments like this provide the euphoria that often distract persons in government, we expect the present government at the federal level to stick to its original plans that actually made Nigerians vote for them. Even as the government may have to adjust to areas of need, the plan to achieve focus must not change.
This caution has become rather imperative because of concerns being expressed in some quarters that direct assurances during the electioneering appear to be changing. The promise to deliver profound and immediate change is what many are looking forward to.
The Tide thinks that the plan to concentrate on a few areas is a great one that all the states will need to key into. To drop it is to drop a pivotal plan and drift with the complex and complicated demands of the citizenry.
Our fears is predicted on the fact that successive administrations tried to do everything and ended up doing too little. They had no legacy to leave behind. Because people hardly learn from the experiences of the past, they often bite more than they can chew and end up labouring under their own illusion.
It is sad that this act of governments at the federal and State levels has constituted one of the greatest sources of waste in the Nigerian polity. Apart from the failure to achieve their aims, some of these uncompleted projects and programmes are never completed by the new governments. What a waste!
The trend has continued and even the immediate past administrations at both the federal and State levels have left behind uncompleted projects. In Rivers State, the highly priced model secondary and primary schools, health centres and roads are largely uncompleted but the amount already paid out could have completed work fully in one or two areas.
Meanwhile, projects left behind by other governments in Rivers State were not touched by the immediate past government. They include the shopping complex along Aba Road, the second phase of the Rumuwoji Market in Mile 1, the Trans-Kalabari Road among others.
Government can no longer be allowed to play politics with the wealth of the people and the amenities that are designed to better the lot of the people. Government must be seen to be a continuum and not the settling of scores by estranged housewives.
While we call on the present administrations at all levels of government to save state resources by completing all on-going projects and programmes, they must ensure that they themselves do not leave projects that do not have long-term gestation period like the Monorail to the next administration.
This has become even more imperative because of the State of the economy that demands that every kobo count. Clearly, it will serve the people better and provide veritable legacies for every government, if they are able to deliver on one or two areas emphatically. Just make a statement that no opposition can question.
Even as we do not expect governments to continue to be jack of all trade and master of none, we expect that members of the new government will realise that in some cases these things cannot be wished away. They must see the public good in those projects and if necessary modify or upgrade them, but complete them immediately.
The Buhari government must also see the great projects left uncompleted by the last government. The government must also be dynamic enough to address issues concerning education, the civil service and the Niger Delta as a matter of urgent national interest. But let the uncompleted projects worry the government enough to attract a national policy or law.
This is important in more than the few areas we have identified. In fact, the completion of some of the projects can provide a paradigm shift for the economy even as it promises to avoid waste in the country.