This quotation is not original. It is essentially a modification of a statement from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. If we may recall, General Muhammadu Buhari, has had a shot at the Presidency on three previous occasions. But each time, He floundered. Now he has it. And I believe that by now, the euphoria of victory will be wearing-off. The President-elect will have to contend with the stark reality of governing a seemingly complex country like Nigeria. It must be said here that the General, to use the stock phrase, has his work cut out for him. In an era of declining oil prices and devaluation of the naira, the landscape is the not very cheery. Indeed the situation is bleak!
Meanwhile, the situation has not been helped by the mantra of change, which was the main slogan with which, his campaign was charged. Even then, the discerning observer, far removed from the hurly-burly of the hustings would ask: change for what, change for whom; and of course, change in which direction. For if the truth must be told, change can easily occur in several directions. There could be a positive change or in fact negative change. Permit me to state here that time is not really on the General’s side. Sure, he has four- year tenure. But then, being relatively new to his duty post, the four-year tenure can be very brief indeed. We may as well elaborate on this. In view of the fact that, his is an incoming government, it will probably take him the better part of a year to settle down. The implication of this time-line is that in reality, he has only 24 months to accomplish his goals in the realm of governance. The last twelve months as everyone knows, will be swallowed up by yet another round of electioneering campaigns. The bottom-line therefore is that time is not really on his side. The General must therefore hit the ground running! Otherwise, he will be sent packing as was done to his predecessor. This I dare say, is the stuff of democracy. Therefore, and in order to prioritize, the president must assemble a good team-soonest! It is possible to state here that the quality of change which he hopes to bring about will depend largely on the competence of his team. On this note, let me confess that I am a bit apprehensive. My fears stem from the fact that as I contemplate on the various social forces within his party, the All Peoples Congress (APC), my heart sinks. This despondency has essentially been fuelled by the fact that some of the prospective office holders within the Buhari government are no better than the locusts of the outgoing administration. We may as well recall here that some members of the change-brigade in the APC had extensive stints in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The General must therefore walk a fine line between party hacks and tested technocrats, whose track records in governance are in the positive side. Needless to say, much is expected here. In an era of declining oil prices and a deflated economy, the General is advised to do away with a bloated government. It is relevant to state here that there was a comedy sorts when the outgoing President decided to have three ministers in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. This was clearly unnecessary and also a drain on the nation’s purse. A clear case of too many mouths on the dining table.
Thus, beyond the issue of a tested and credible team which can bring about the desired change, is also the issue of security. As I write, although the Boko Haram menace is now being contained; yet much remains to be done in order to ensure that this menace becomes history. In any case, and given the complexity of the Nigerian society, the dousing of the flames in the North East does not necessarily mean, the end of history. Who knows, some form of eruption could be in the offing in say the Niger Delta. Here is hoping that the General is well primed to take care of potential and actual security issues which may rear their heads. And talking of security, one is immediately reminded that security is not just about hard-ware and insurgencies. There is also the equally important dimension of Human Security. As things stand, Human Security i.e. the welfare of the citizens has taken a down-ward dip. The various indices of human existence are far from being clement in this part of the world.
We refer particularly here to features like: nutrition, potable water and decent accommodation. The figures elude me here. But then, it is possible to be categorical that a majority of Nigerians lack access to these fundamentals of life.
Kayode Soremekun
