I would be in self-denial if I didn't think our President had had quite a shambolic and utterly woeful fourteen months in office. I would be untrue to myself if I didn't feel disappointed in our President, despite the mountain of undesirables, both economic and structural, that he inherited in 2015. I, like tens of millions of my fellow Nigerians, feel distinctly disillusioned and utterly let down.
Leading to the general elections last year, the vast majority of Nigerians (as shown in the election results) had had enough of the gravy train government of Jonathan and had, in almost unison, embraced the slogan of 'Change' adopted by the APC. We put our hope in that change that had Buhari as its spearhead. Has that spearhead now morphed to a figurehead? How has our hope been dashed so soon? Why have our aspirations for a better government been smashed in such a little space of time? I was prepared to give Buhari and his government a year in which to come to grips with the dire economic woes bedeviling the country; a year I had hoped would herald in a series of initiatives and policies that would mark a new beginning and direction for our country in both economic and social terms. What has become of the determined and resolute Buhari I knew? Millions of Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, are asking the same question; wondering when and if things are going to get better for the long-suffering and dying masses. Pointing a finger of blame at prior administrations just doesn't cut it any more, and we're done hoping against hope as a people.
This isn't saying that no good has come from Buhari and his ministerial team, but the 'good' hasn't been good enough. If the pace of progress were any slower, it would grind to a halt, and it virtually has! Nigerians are simply fed up with slow action, inaction and excuses, that is the truth of the matter. We have, so far, been shortchanged and we feel conned by the 'Change' thingy. It's okay to pursue and retrieve stolen monies, and drag the incorrigibles through the law courts, but the population is fast becoming weary of the protracted court cases and claims of selective prosecutions persist.
People are malnourished and dying of hunger on an hourly basis; the UN is helping to feed our IDPs; the vast majority of states haven't paid workers' salaries for over six months; the education and health systems are still in disarray; no discernible forward movement on the shameful issue of lack power supply; oil pipelines being bombed with reckless abandon. For goodness' sake, this is Nigeria in 2016!!
Buhari now has to wake up and get to grips with the ever-depressing situation we are in.
The general perception, and in fact, reality, now is that this government has no clear-cut policy direction, nor does it seem to have any action plan as to how to deal with the insurgency in the Niger Delta, having scored a commendable, even though a not-yet-decisive, victory over Boko Haram. Nobody has a clue as to what plans there are about the badly-needed infrastructural revamp, and a coherent economic policy that we so desperately need.
Let the truth be told, every single one of Buhari's ministers has been a colossal failure, and thinking that it took Buhari almost six months to select them, it isn't uncharitable to say that he couldn't have selected a worse bunch of under-performers and downright non-performers. For the life of me, I don't fathom why Lai Mohammed should be anywhere near the corridors of power, he's the most useless of a useless bunch. Fashola has massively disappointed, even though we didn't expect any magic from him, the expectation was that he would bring his usual diligence to bear in his roles. Still, why he was saddled with so many ministries is beyond the comprehension of most mortals. I think Amaechi needs to be declared missing! Has anyone heard of him lately? Adeosun hasn't lived up to her billing in any shape or form, the economy is in doldrums and she hasn't reassured us that she is the woman to turn things around. What exactly is the Vice President (I can't even remember his name!) about? What is he doing about dragging our legislature kicking and screaming into the 21st century? What is the myriad of advisers about? What are they advising on? Communication with the population is zero! The country is no better now than it was pre-2015 elections, that's a fact; if anything, it's gone backwards. Why?
FDIs are virtually zero; after all, which foreign investor would wish to invest in a stagnant and directionless economy? Local businesses cannot borrow to invest because of a lack of reason and incentive to do so, talk less of the crippling interest rates. Inflation, unemployment and underemployment are getting worse by the day. Why?
I have said it in the past, I have no time for sentiments. I don't care about the APC or PDP or any political party for that matter. What most of us care about is to better the lot of Nigerians, and quickly. The first step for Buhari to take in retrieving his goodwill is for him to replace his deadwood of a cabinet with proven experts who have no political capital at stake, and who would be guided by what is right and just. We have them in abundance, and Buhari must take a firm and decisive action before the question 'BUHARI: A FAILING PRESIDENT?' becomes the narration: 'BUHARI: A FAILED PRESIDENT'. I most sincerely hope it never comes to that because the alternative is too scary to contemplate.
