Politics
Buhari And Nigerians’ Great Expectations
In less than one week, precisely May 29, Nigerians will witness the inauguration of Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as the new president of Federal Republic of Nigeria after the expiration of President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure.
Observers are quick to note that the incoming administration will be formed by the APC, an amalgamation of three opposition parties, that defeated the ruling PDP, which has been in power for 16 years, in a keenly contested general election.
As the new administration prepares to assume office, the hopes and expectations of Nigerians are obviously very high, with most people expressing the belief that Buhari, the president-elect, will correct all perceptible anomalies in the political and socio-economic life of the country.
Such expectations are rife, considering the “change’’ mantra of the APC and its presidential candidate in the lead-up to the elections.
Observers, therefore, maintain that the incoming administration will, no doubt, face some challenges immediately after its inauguration, judging from the high expectations of the citizenry.
They note that Nigeria’s problems are numerous, complex and multi-faceted, ranging from corruption to insecurity, poor economy and inadequate electricity supply, among others.
Dr Ibrahim Shuwa, a sociologist, insists that the Buhari-government is expected to provide urgent solutions to some of the myriad challenges facing the nation and its citizens.
“The people’s expectation for a pragmatic change in every aspect of national life is quite high and if they fail to see changes soon, they will be somewhat disillusioned,’’ he says.
Shuwa, however, notes that while some Nigerians appreciate the enormity of the challenges facing the country, others want nothing short of quick solutions to the problems.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Kunle Onas, a civil servant, says that in line with the APC manifesto, the Buhari-government needs to initiate novel ways of cushioning the effects of the “harsh economic conditions’’ on the citizens.
He recalls that Buhari pledged, during his election campaign, to stimulate Nigeria’s economic turn-around and create the basis for its improved prosperity, stressing that there should be no excuses for failure in that regard.
“During the campaigns, the term ‘change’ was the in-thing; we believe that Gen. Buhari already has a lot of plans in place to provoke this change before embarking on such a campaign.
“Now that he has been elected, we hope he is not going to start giving excuses for his inability to effect the desired change after some time because Nigerians are tired of excuses,’’ he says.
Going from the general to the specifics, Onas advises the incoming government to fix the country’s refineries as a matter of urgency so as to resolve the perennial challenge of fuel scarcity facing the country.
“I believe that finding solutions to the perennial scarcity of petroleum products should be a priority for the incoming government and the matter should be handled with all the urgency it deserves.
“It is an embarrassment for an oil-rich country like Nigeria to depend on imported fuel for local supply and consumption; Nigerians expect the incoming administration to tackle this embarrassing fuel supply situation.
“Gen. Buhari should immediately commence the construction of new refineries, while refurbishing the existing ones, so as to tackle the issue once and for all,’’ he says.
Onas believes that the focus of the administration’s revenue generation activities should also be on the export of refined petroleum products to other countries.
“Rather than importing refined fuel, we expect the new government to devise a means that will enable Nigeria to export petrol and refined petroleum products to other countries, particularly African countries,’’ he says.
However, Mr Steve Ade, a contractor, advises the incoming government to place considerable emphasis on how to boost the country’s security.
“Gen. Buhari should use his experience in the military to enhance the security of the citizens’ lives and property, especially by crushing the Boko Haram insurgents.
“We want a safe country where citizens will be able to live and work in any part of the country without fear.
“A situation whereby some states in the North are no longer safe to visit is not acceptable and this should be addressed immediately.
“I understand that the present government has done a lot lately in terms of battling the insurgents, but so much still needs to be done; the new administration should be ready to live up to our expectations,’’ he says.
Besides, Mr Tunde Adeoti, a technician, urges the incoming government to give priority attention to the agriculture sector.
“There have been some landmark achievements by President Goodluck Jonathan in the area of agriculture and I advise the incoming government to consolidate on these achievements.
“The remarkable improvement in fertiliser supply to farmers and the boost in rice production should be sustained and in fact, improved upon so that Nigeria can finally stop the importation of food items.
“Most governments are fond of discarding the policies of their predecessors even if they are potentially viable. I advise the Buhari-administration not to toe that line,’’ Adeoti says.
Mrs Vicky Dada, a business woman, urges the incoming administration to urgently focus its attention on job creation so as to curb the rising menace of crime and insecurity
“The president-elect, during his campaigns, expressed concern about the high level of unemployment in the country. “He promised to boost employment and create jobs; this is why many Nigerians voted for him,’’ she recalled.
According to Dada, “Now that Buhari is about to be sworn in, he must tackle the issue of unemployment as a matter of priority so as to enhance the country’s growth.
“Tangible efforts should be made to resuscitate all the moribund industries across the country, as part of efforts to boost job creation.”
All the same, Mr Frank Eke, a lawyer, urges Nigerians to be patient with the incoming government.
“It is obvious that most Nigerians are expecting some kind of miracle from the incoming administration but I will advise them to be patient.
“Although there is a compelling need for Nigerians to live comfortably, considering the resources at our disposal, but we have to appreciate the degree of the decay of our infrastructure and the enormity of the work required to achieve results,’’ he says.
Buhari himself appears to have anticipated the high expectations of the citizens, judging by his acceptance speech after he was declared winner of the elections.
While pledging to meet aspirations of Nigerians, he advised them to be realistic in their expectations from his government.
“We shall correct that which does not work and improve that which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle. We shall, if necessary, crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.
“I realise that the expectations of our people today are quite high; their commitment to change has been strong and their belief in us is unshaken.
“While we pledge to begin doing our best without delay, we would like to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become more realistic in our expectations,’’ he said.
Nevertheless, analysts insist that as all the stakeholders in the “ Nigeria project’’ are looking up to the incoming government to meet the great expectations of Nigerians, they should also strive to partake more meaningfully in all the nation-building processes.
In a matter of days, the new government will be in power but most Nigerians are anxiously waiting to see whether or not the new administration will be able to guide the nation to the Promised Land.
Abdulrahman is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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