Before the 2015 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari was touted as the messiah that will fix all Nigeria’s problems. He was repackaged and presented to Nigerians as the best invention since sliced bread.
Fast-forward to 2016 – Nigerians who voted for Buhari are now reawakening from the spell cast over them during the elections. There is widespread poverty in the land and the middle class may soon become extinct. As at June 2016, the President’s approval rating stood at 39 percent as against a very high rating of 80 per cent in October 2015. People want to see the President work for them. Here are 5 things President Buhari can do to endear himself to Nigerians one more time:
1. Cabinet reshuffle
The President’s cabinet is filled with professional politicians and not technocrats as expected; a little shake-up will really boost the President’s image. A lot of Nigerians will be happy to see him sack Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Agric, Minister of Finance, Minister of Interior, Minister of Education and his spokespersons. The President also needs to move a few others to ministries best suited for their skillset.
2. Visit the South-South and South East
Before the election, the President stunned Nigerians by dressing up in clothes depicting different Nigerian cultures. He did his best to show Nigerians that he wanted to be President of Nigeria and not President of his region. Today, the story is different. ‘’King of the North’’ – that is now one of President Buhari’s nicknames. Some will argue that he is more sectional than any other President Nigeria ever had. What better way to shut up critics than to pay a visit to the South-South and South-East?
3. Commence distribution of N5,000 cash
Poor Nigerians expected Buhari to make their lives better but today they’re suffering the most. Parents now exchange their kids for bags of rice and cartons of noodles – the country is experiencing a technical recession. A lot of jobs have been lost and no new ones created. Nigerians all over are waiting to see President Buhari’s magic move that will end their sufferings. What move can be more magical than distributing free money that was promised during the elections? Distribution of N5,000 to poor and vulnerable Nigerians may not solve every problem but it will sure help President Buhari regain the support of millions of Nigerians.
4. Focus on doing good rather than looking good
The Buhari administration has become one that is bent on looking good rather than doing good. We see more photos of the President doing mundane everyday things than we hear him speak. Nigerians want to see the President flag off new projects, they want to hear him roll out new policies and not pose for photos with newspapers.
5. Stop talking about the past
‘’Shut up and face front’’- is what President Buhari badly needs to hear from his advisers. Over one year into his term as President, Buhari is still talking about the previous administration. He has even managed to talk about the military coup that removed him from office in 1985. So far, Buhari has shown more interest in Nigeria’s past than her future. Young Nigerians do not want to hear the President talk about ‘what was’, they want to hear him talk about ‘what will be’.
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No Presidency is perfect but President Buhari can do better. If Nigeria must make progress under Buhari, then the President must up his game.