2011: Atiku as Messiah for Nigeria’s System Collapse
By Magaji wilberforce
Since the commencement of the Umaru Yar’Adua Presidency in 2007, there is virtually nothing that works. The signs and symbols of decay in government is vividly written on the faces of Nigerians. No one seem to be happy with the way government is being run. Most Nigerians seem to be regretting they are citizens. Each time they drive on the roads, they get angry that the roads are bad. When they switch on light either in the house or office, there is permanently no light. The hospitals do not have drugs-they are more or less consulting centres. The taps have remained permanently dry. The costs of food in the market have soared up by over 300 percent. Unlike before, human beings now scavenge for food in the dustbins. Each time the organized labour embanks on strike to press for their welfare, Nigerians get angry, agitated and distressed.
Inspite of the government’s seven point agenda, to better the lots of Nigerians, the country’s most dangerous reality poverty, caused by lack of a purposeful leadership has driven out the youths into numerous crimes such as 419, drug abuse and all manners of shaddy deals. The country is enveloped in gloom and despondency, just as poverty is making mincemeat of Nigerians. This is simply due to the fact that, Mr. President and his so called appointed members of the Federal Cabinet have failed to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.
Despite Mr. Yar’Adua’s loud noise about the ills assorted with corruption and his pledge to stamp it out of the polity, the malaise has continued to be the inthing in the last 22 months of his government. The government which seemed to be obsessed with paying lip service to such sensitive issues has so far neither convicted any culprit nor has it frontally tackled corruption.
Unemployment is another cancerworm that the Yar’Adua regime wants Nigerians to believe it will tackle under his seven point agenda. He claimed that his government will concentrate on giving functional vocational training to job seekers and encourage the training of existing labour force to meet industry demands. But alas, this was not to be. This is because from records available at the National Directorate of Employment, and the Labour Ministry, the numerical strength of unemployed graduates for instance, has tripled the former figure of 10 million in the last two years of this administration. This is aside from the World Bank assessment which put the population of unemployed Nigerians to 40 million recently.
There is no gainsaying the fact that, these challenges are as a result of bad leadership. The leadership that lacks vision and direction. The one that alienates every other Nigerian, with the exception of the few cabals privileged to be appointed by the present administration to stir the ship of governance. It is unarguably that some of the factors responsible for this government’s inability to perform are the fundamental basis of their appointment. Most if not all of the appointees are alleged to have been appointed simply on some mundane considerations such as religious background, sectional and family relationship. It is either one is from the president’s nuclear family, a friend to his son in-laws, a business partner and or the First Lady’s relation or a political family friend. Simply, they are round pegs in square holes. Abuse of office at its best.
Infact Umaru Yar’Adua’s catalogue of failures which translated into the nation’s system collapse is legion. The restoration of railways system ear marked by the immediate past regime, apart from serving as a conduit pipe for some cronies of both regimes, it has remained as a white elephant project. Resuscitation of the ailing refineries has equally eluded the nation. In terms of comparison, the Obasanjo Presidency inspite of its several pitfalls, had to some extent fared better than this one. We cannot continue like this.
It is against background that Nigerians need to commence the search for a possible remedy of the ugly situation. The overall aim, is to rectify the problem associated with the country’s crisis of confidence in leadership in which it found itself. Consequent upon that, the person so chosen should be able to evolve a workable development agenda for sustainable socio-economic reforms and political stability.
In my opinion, the cap fits the Turaki Adamawa and immediate past Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The man, considering his wealth of experience in governance has what it takes to strengthen our democratic institution which currently has reached a near comatose level. As a man of profound wisdom, Atiku Presidency would improve the quality of life of Nigerians. This he would do, through effective concentration on priority areas like the economy, creating gainful employment and ensuring accelerated infrastructure development.
Atiku’s humility and transparent ordinariness for a man of his class is simply amazing. It could only have come from the heart, maybe, a preordained benefactor of mankind. He loves working with all categories of people irrespective of religious, sectional and other parochial considerations.
Therefore, I have no doubt in my mind that if given the chance to rule as Nigeria’s president in 2011, the man will carry everybody along in the Nigerian project. For instance, employment generation, war against corruption, democracy and good governance, education and social services are among the programmes that require immediate interventions as a matter of priority.
These initiatives are practical and attainable by any responsible government especially at the national level. Their attainment will no doubt require a paradigm shift; in a bid to make it leaner and better managed for effective result.
There is also the need to reform the nations economy unlike what obtains under the present administration. Operating a mono-product economy with some minor domestic linkages and the absence of basic services expected of government, coupled with the inability of the system to enable citizen run their businesses with minimal interference by government agencies is a major lapse. In recent years, the economic reform efforts have focused on improving the macro economy expecting that the benefits would accrue to those down the ladder. Unfortunately, that was a complete departure from the resultant income differences, joblessness and general insecurity in the country.
The Atiku Presidency if given the mandate will reengineer the current reform system in order that benefits accruable from them are targeted frontally. One of the greatest national resources of any nation is its youthful population. Nigeria has no fewer than 70% of her population below the age of 40. The Umar Yar’Adua regime’s inability to give recognition to this category of people remains central to some of the country’s endemic problems. As a lover of youths, Turaki Adamawa will make a difference in this sector. He will initiate a vibrant and strategic communication aimed to reorientate them and obtained the youth feedback for policy reforms. These policy thrusts are just to mention a few.
The nasty fate of under development facing Nigeria under the present administration is attributed to the ruling PDP’S disdain for due process and finesse. Even from its formation level, the PDP leadership enthroned the culture of impunity as epitomized by the flagrant disregard for ethics of democracy and good governance. Both Mr. President and members of his cabinet have incurred the wrath of the electorate. No amount of federal might or PDP fortress can rescue them from the impending catastrophe.
But surely, Atiku Abubakar can rescue the rest of us. His sagacity in politics and large heartedness has endeared him to the generality of Nigerians. Nigerians can never be wrong. There is something they see and sense in the man that holds them spellbound.
Magaji Wilbeforce, an admirer of The Turaki Adamawa, can be reached on 08074112992
