By Aloy Ejimakor
Barely seven months after his inauguration, President Buhari has been
reeling from one national burden to the other. Yet, the sheer enormity of
these many burdens have largely gone unnoticed in the midst of the base
politics that has formed the hallmark of the public debate on burning
national issues.
This is not to say that a few people – deep, patriotic and sensible – have
not shown some appreciation of the magnitude of the many demons the
President has had to confront since his coming; yet those few are drowned
out by the entrenched skeptical legions that have made a daily business of
haranguing the President untold. Sadly, this robs the public of a sensible
critique of public policies, geared not to browbeat but guide the President.
Having taken stock of the foregoing, I decided to do this piece as my
lone-wolf attempt to redirect the attention of Nigerians to the
unprecedented magnitude of what this President is actually dealing with.
It’s not a praise-song, as each paragraph will come with a no-bones,
hard-nosed recommendation of how the President can do better. They are:
One – Corruption – yes, corruption in its worst ramifications is what has
become of Nigeria. Never in the history of Nigeria have we witnessed mass
revelations of brazen corrupt acts as we are now witnessing, thanks to the
unique style (including the famed body-language) Buhari has brought to
bear. And to cap it all, the President has told us that a good number of
the looters are returning their loots. The President deserves kudos for
this, not taunts or some duplicitous lecture on rule of law. Plus, we all
need to encourage the toughness and gusto with which Bihari is pursuing the
money and the culprits.
My recommendation, though, is this: The President should, despite the
push-backs, escalate the ongoing hot-pursuits while rueing the merits of
his campaign-trail promises of amnesty to any looter that turned-in his
loot. Plus, the President should be mindful of the demerits of proceeding
with publication of the names of looters that made restitution. The grim
prospects of publication may discourage those still sitting on the fence
and worrying about being publicly ‘shamed’.
Two – Boko Haram. On this one, the President hit the ground running,
evidenced by the symbolic relocation of Army headquarters to the Northeast;
and the many gains security forces have made under the President’s strict
watch. Yet, it appears that a few people have made a business of looking to
any setback, no matter how minuscule, to taunt the President and deride the
sacrifices of our battle-weary security forces.
This is sad. Yet, I will recommend that the President takes a harder look
on intelligence-gathering and sources of Boko Haram funding; and bringing
to swift justice all the Boko Haram elements now custody.
Three – the federal bailout for States. This one best exemplified President
Buhari’s neo-credentials as a benevolent leader, if not a political
economist of the realist kind. And he was even-handed to boot – doling out
cash lifelines to both PDP and APC controlled States, share and share
alike. To be sure, Buhari’s swift intervention ensured that these States
were saved from the grim specter of State bankruptcy that would have stoked
social tensions in the land.
This is a first in the history of Nigeria; but the President, as the
paymaster, should immediately demand an accounting to ensure that the
bail-out funds were judiciously applied.
Four – Biafra. As regrettable and condemnable as the loss of innocent lives
is, the President must be commended for his restraint in not ordering a
‘military’ response. I say this because an otherwise lily-livered or
clannish President would have panicked and ordered a military crackdown in
the face of the unprecedented levels of the recent demonstrations. Through
his restraint, Buhari appeared to have acknowledged the right of the people
to protest, if not their right to demand self-determination peaceably.
My recommendation: Set up a presidential inquiry on the Onitsha head-bridge
killings of protesters; and quickly address the real (or perceived)
marginalization of Igbos. Following this path will surely win the
‘Biafrans’ over for now, if not for good. The resurgence of Biafra is not
personal or driven by the Buhari victory but by a rising frustration on the
part of Igbos that they are redlined from fully partaking in the Nigerian
project.
Five – the dwindling foreign exchange value of the Naira. Here, you can’t
blame the President because Naira’s value is tied to the quantum of foreign
exchange that comes from sale of our oil. It’s beyond anybody’s control as
the price of oil continues to plummet. If anybody should be blamed, it’s
the previous administrations that failed to diversify our economy despite
the ample opportunities.
Better yet, I will recommend that the President should task his economic
managers to come up with a more predictable exchange rate policy that will
be less prone to oil price shocks. For investor comfort, the President
should avoid any appearance of interference with CBN policy on the Naira.
In conclusion, let me say these: As we watch and criticize Buhari’s
policies, let us all be mindful that we are all stuck in the Nigerian
project together. Therefore, it is our collective duty to criticize
sensibly and offer creative or alternative suggestions that will best serve
the nation’s interest. Haranguing Buhari won’t cut it. Buhari is not the
issue; Nigeria is.
Aloy Ejimakor wrote in from aejimakor@gmail.com