With a little over three weeks before the commencement of Buhari's incumbency, the scramble for ministerial positions is gathering pace. While the jostling is not an alien phenomenon in the current context, the incoming Buhari government would do well not to take off on a wobbly note. What has escaped the attention, or rather the observation, of many is that Buhari has the distinct advantage of being the most prepared President in this current political dispensation. After all, he has been fighting for much of the last sixteen years to be where he is today, and boy, has he earned it! The biggest battle of his political career has now only just begun: he has to translate his preparedness into immediate manifestation of his long-held ideas. He also has to stamp his authority on the configuration of his Executive cabinet, and to show Nigerians that he is going to be his own man. Buhari has to realise (if he hasn't already) that Nigerians are impatient and that he has little time to convince us that we made the right choice. Right now, time is his main enemy; other considerations pale into insignificance. We voted for change and change must begin in earnest; there should be no excuses and no flip-flopping; Buhari must be on the front foot right from the off, which is why Nigerians are waiting to see those whom he would appoint to run the most important offices of State.
It is pleasing and most heart-warming to note that he has pledged to trim the size of government, but we expect individuals with proven expertise and experience in their respective professional careers to populate the Cabinet so that visible and palpable change could be brought to bear in double-quick time. Were Buhari to shun the political shenanigans that characterized much of the last sixteen years, he would be adjudged to have lived up to his reputation as being indifferent to patronage and intolerant of corruption at whatever level. Hence, the need for a high-calibre Ministerial configuration cannot be over-emphasized. Even though the so-called Federal Character (as espoused by the Constitution) has to be applied, the need for such compliance must not take undue precedence over the absolute need for unimpeachable characters running the affairs of State. Besides, there is no part of Nigeria that such people could not be found, and party affiliation should be treated with utmost care.
Almost every government institution has been destroyed by successive governments, but none more so by the Jonathan administration. The Army, the Navy, the Nigeria Police, the EFCC, the ICPC, the Judiciary, and so on, have been so politicized that they have lost their way and abdicated their constitutional essence. The NNPC has become a cash-point and a cash cow for the political elite for many a year. The NDDC is just a sick and costly joke, with trillions of Naira disappearing into criminals' bank accounts. These are areas that Nigerians need, and demand, immediate wholesale changes. No ifs or buts. All of these institutions must be totally rejiggered without much ado so that Nigerians may begin to rebuild confidence in these areas that directly impact their lives. Nigerians want their stolen monies returned and the recovered funds be expended to reverse the unprecedented infrastructural decay that has bedevilled our nation in recent years. All convicted thieves have to be brought to book in strict accordance with extant laws, without fear or favour. No Nigerian should be ABOVE the law, and no Nigerian should be BELOW it. Equal application of the law and non-selective compliance with it is the bedrock of a decent, just and equitable society. That is what Buhari should aspire to make his legacy, and Nigerians expect, and deserve, no less.
Nigerians hope that May 29, 2015 will usher in an era of verdure in our country, and much of that hope rests squarely on Buhari's shoulders. I sincerely wish Buhari well, and I sincerely hope that Nigerians would feel justified in reposing their trust in him.
It is pleasing and most heart-warming to note that he has pledged to trim the size of government, but we expect individuals with proven expertise and experience in their respective professional careers to populate the Cabinet so that visible and palpable change could be brought to bear in double-quick time. Were Buhari to shun the political shenanigans that characterized much of the last sixteen years, he would be adjudged to have lived up to his reputation as being indifferent to patronage and intolerant of corruption at whatever level. Hence, the need for a high-calibre Ministerial configuration cannot be over-emphasized. Even though the so-called Federal Character (as espoused by the Constitution) has to be applied, the need for such compliance must not take undue precedence over the absolute need for unimpeachable characters running the affairs of State. Besides, there is no part of Nigeria that such people could not be found, and party affiliation should be treated with utmost care.
Almost every government institution has been destroyed by successive governments, but none more so by the Jonathan administration. The Army, the Navy, the Nigeria Police, the EFCC, the ICPC, the Judiciary, and so on, have been so politicized that they have lost their way and abdicated their constitutional essence. The NNPC has become a cash-point and a cash cow for the political elite for many a year. The NDDC is just a sick and costly joke, with trillions of Naira disappearing into criminals' bank accounts. These are areas that Nigerians need, and demand, immediate wholesale changes. No ifs or buts. All of these institutions must be totally rejiggered without much ado so that Nigerians may begin to rebuild confidence in these areas that directly impact their lives. Nigerians want their stolen monies returned and the recovered funds be expended to reverse the unprecedented infrastructural decay that has bedevilled our nation in recent years. All convicted thieves have to be brought to book in strict accordance with extant laws, without fear or favour. No Nigerian should be ABOVE the law, and no Nigerian should be BELOW it. Equal application of the law and non-selective compliance with it is the bedrock of a decent, just and equitable society. That is what Buhari should aspire to make his legacy, and Nigerians expect, and deserve, no less.
Nigerians hope that May 29, 2015 will usher in an era of verdure in our country, and much of that hope rests squarely on Buhari's shoulders. I sincerely wish Buhari well, and I sincerely hope that Nigerians would feel justified in reposing their trust in him.
No comments:
Post a Comment