One week after the inauguration of the Muhammadu Buhari administration at the Eagle Square, Abuja, Nigerians have grown impatient and rather disappointed with the near-absence of sparks from the Presidency to confront the daunting issues that need urgent attention.
Scepticism has continued to greet Buhari’s early moves as many Nigerians who felt he would hit the ground running as soon as he was sworn in are either disappointed or entangled in the hard task of defending his actions on the social media, at newspaper stands and in political discourse.
Some who described government’s approach to governance as “all motion without movement” say it is cheaper to talk than to act.
For instance, for a president that clinched victory on the plank of profuse pledge to cut down on cost of governance, it is expected that his government would deviate from bloated bureaucracy with a retinue of aides which characterised the administrations before it.
Pundits say that the appointment last week of Femi Adesina as special adviser (Media and Publicity) and Garba Shehu as new senior special assistant (Media and Publicity) was not consistent with the verbalisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration to do things differently.
Critics also believe that the proposed appointment of 15 special advisers which
has been confirmed by the Senate did not also deviate from what transpired in the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, and wondered why PDP’s Jonathan was “demonised”.
Seven days after the swearing in ceremony, there has been no policy statement on the direction of the economy. And against the expectations of many Nigerians that Buhari would abruptly end the petrol scarcity across the country which has negatively impacted the economy, the situation remains the same with no solution in sight.
Some observers who spoke with BD SUNDAY expressed disappointment that Buhari, for now, has not done anything different from his predecessors.
In the first instance, our respondents pointed out that Buhari reneged on his campaign promise to declare his assets publicly, saying that the excuse of his aide that his principal will do so after 100 days is suspect.
According to them, even though they trust the modestly-converted democrat, 100 days is enough to amass so much wealth and declare same to Nigerians.
“I was shocked to hear that neither Buhari nor Osinbajo is willing to publicly declare their assets. I least expected this from them. It was some of these promises that made us to vote for them. They promised they were going to declare their assets as soon as they were sworn in, but they have reneged. I think, on this note, APC-led government is losing the confidence of many Nigerians. Let me warn that nobody should take Nigerians for granted any longer,” a legal practitioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Again, our respondents accuse Buhari of going to other African nations and the West to seek military assistance even though he himself and his party condemned Jonathan for doing same.
Ifeh Azih, public affairs commentator and biochemist, said: “What is he going to do in those countries? Is that not why Jonathan was criticised and ousted?” he queried.
“He said he has relocated the military high command to Borno, which was technically what Jonathan did, even though he did not announce it. Why is he running to America and Britain when we have a lot of problems that need urgent attention?” Azih further asked.
Azih also said the worst of the President’s early moves is the rumour that he is planning to head the petroleum ministry, which is similar to what Olusegun Obasanjo did.
“It is wrong for any leader to believe that he is the only incorruptible person among the over 170 million people to head critical ministries,” he said.
According to him, such an action breeds corruption and shroud activities of such ministries in secrecy.
Reminding the President that he must face the task of governance squarely, Sam Ohuabunwa, chairman, African Centre for Business Development Strategy and Innovation (ACBDSI), pointed out that “the work that Nigerians expect you to do is so important, urgent and Herculean that you can neither take chances nor outsource your key responsibility.”
Buhari must limit ministers
Elijah Okougbo, a former general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), is strongly opposed to the appointment of two ministers to one ministry, a practice seen in previous administrations to encourage wastage and squander-mania in government.
He believes the new political dispensation should have its eye focused on reducing cost of governance in the face of falling oil prices, Nigeria’s major foreign exchange earner.
“It makes no sense to appoint a substantive minister and minister of state in one ministry as we have had in the past. It is also a waste of public funds to have two or more advisers on the same subject matter. What would they be advising that one adviser is not enough?
“I would like to have the president visit the Capitol in the United States to see how a presidential system is run. We must stop economic squander-mania in Nigeria. That is what Buhari must focus to achieve,” Okougbo said.
Bobboi Kagaima, president of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), also cautioned against a bloated federal cabinet and the recycling of old brains. Kagaima would love to see Buhari go for fresh and competent hands that may not have held ministerial positions in the country before now.
“Nigeria has abundant pool of human resource in all fields of endeavour and as such there is no need to continue to appoint persons with antecedents that will offend the sensibility of Nigerians into strategic positions any longer.
“At this critical stage of the country’s development, it will be a tragedy for the president to recycle failed experts and expired activists either as ministers, advisers or assistants to serve in his government. If the president appoints certain individuals who spearheaded anti-people policies while serving previous governments, his pledge to change the pattern of governance, including the culture of impunity in the country, will be dead on arrival,” said Kagaima.
Too early to complain
But some analysts have disagreed with these sentiments, stating that Buhari is still studying the situation and is treading carefully.
Jezie Ekejiuba, lawyer and president of Voters Rights International, said it is too early to judge him as the time is still too short for any meaningful assessment.
“People talk about declaration of assets but fail to recognise that Buhari has done what the law requires. He has declared it in a document and that will be made public at the appropriate time,” the Onitsha-based rights activist said.
“I believe he is now planning. Obafemi Awolowo said if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Here is a disciplinarian and we should believe him. We should give him time,” he added.
Justin Onwujekwe, lawyer and human rights activist concurred, saying that one week is too early to assess Buhari.
“His vice’s visit to victims of tanker fire disaster shows he could fulfil his promises. If Buhari continues this way, he will win the hearts of many, including those who did not vote for him,” he said.
A Lagos-based retired college teacher, who asked not to be named, said: “I have always believed that all politicians are the same. In a country like Nigeria where everything is such in a shambles that putting them together would amount to reinventing the wheel, it is very easy to talk on the sideline. Talk is cheap. When you are watching a football match, it is very easy to detect mistakes of players from the sidelines. In politics, the most vocal politician is likely to be a worst leader. I think Nigerians should give the president and the APC enough time to do the needful.”
ZEBULON AGOMUO, JOSHUA BASSEY AND ODINAKA ANUDU
