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