The victory of General Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Congress (APC) means so much to the Nigerian people. In some parts of the country, people died celebrating this historic victory. Others celebrated for days. Its significance and impact is not lost on the people and the international community. On the whole, the victory, the celebration and the anticipation of change is an affirmation and validation of the expectation that change has arrived Nigeria and the vehicle for that change is APC and the driver of the change is the man of integrity, General Muhammadu Buhari. It is a notorious fact that the “General of Change” will be sworn in on the 29th day of May, 2015 as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He will take over from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). My worry as the new President takes over the mantle of leadership is that a lot of Nigerians expect so much from the General of Change and this expectation is coming at a period when the country is adrift. But the General and his Party promised to change the way things are done in Nigeria. That is not all the story. The challenge of change is that some of the followers and supporters of the General of Change are not really interested in the party to which he belongs or the programmes of the Party. As far as these followers are concerned, the person they know and the person they have vowed to follow and the person they voted for is the man of integrity who will wipe off their tears and mend their broken hearts if the powers that be allow him to assume the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
So, to these people, the APC is only a platform and Buhari is the Party and the Party is Buhari. These groups of followers can be loosely grouped as the “Fanatical Followers or Supporters”. They have been with the General since he was the military head of State and no form of propaganda or mud could change or could have changed their opinion and support for the General. These are the groups that I am really bothered about. Most of them live on the fringe of society and see the General as the only one that understands their suffering and can alleviate it. To some of these people, the wealth and resources of the country are being and continue to be frittered away by uncaring elite.
They are convinced that the elite are so imperious to hearing and have become utterly indifferent to their plight. These people, am sure, believe that they perfectly fit the picture of the people that His Holiness Pope Francis described in His Lenten message 2015 as indifferent to the plight of the poor and the weak. His Holiness had said in the said message “Usually, when we are healthy and comfortable, we forget about others (something God the Father never does): we are unconcerned with their problems, their sufferings and the injustices they endure… Our heart grows cold. As long as I am relatively healthy and comfortable, I don’t think about those less well off. Today, this selfish attitude of indifference has taken on global proportions, to the extent that we can speak of a globalization of indifference.”
These are the ones that want instant change and they may not be patient with the niceties of governance and the whole concept of separation of powers that allows the different arms and organs of government to perform their constitutionally assigned duties. What they want is visible improvement in their conditions. The other group is the “We Want Change Group”. A substantial proportion of the members of this group supported the 2011 Presidential bid of President Jonathan. They took over the cyberspace and preached the gospel of “fresh air” and “Goodluck”. They expected so much from President Jonathan but the President appeared ineffective and ineffectual.
These persons who are not necessarily members of any Political Party decided that the message of change may be better than the fresh air that is suffocating and decided to seize the cyberspace and pounded President Jonathan to submission. This group will also demand change if the change that is promised is not forthcoming. There are those that got completely disappointed with the handling of the security situation in the country. These persons just felt that the President was incompetent and most Nigerians will become refugees and victims of insurgency if he is allowed to continue.
These are the “Anybody will be better than Jonathan” group. They want a strong leader that can protect the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These groups want a quick resolution of the specter of insurgency, kidnapping, unbridled bunkering and armed robbery in the country. The unemployed and those suffering from abject poverty are also in this group. Some patriotic businessmen and women are also in this group. They believe that the lack of stability and poor handling of the economy is a threat to their business interests. There are the “cautious optimists”.
These are those that believe that General Buhari can make a difference. They are worried that the General is assuming power at a time that a large number of public institutions have collapsed. They are worried that the General is coming to power at a time that the price of crude oil in the international market is on a free fall. They are worried that the General is coming to power at a time when teachers are owed months and months of salaries and the prospect of labour unrest is looming. They are worried that the outgoing government is planting booby traps for the new regime all aimed at presenting the message of change as hollow. They are worried that key members of the outgoing regime are tampering with the commonwealth of the Nigerian people and will definitely shout “dictator” and “we told you he cannot change” when the long arm of the law comes after them. On the whole they believe in the General and want him to succeed.
These groups expect so much from the President and the President is duty bound to deliver on some of his promises. To deliver and deliver effectively, the General of Change and the new President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must be open and transparent to the people of Nigeria. In other words, the President and his government must be upfront with information and not allow the rumour mill to define its character. More often than not, governments hardly realize that in the era of globalization, classifying some documents as “secret” and ‘confidential” is meaningless.
The regime must decide from the onset what information should be put in the public domain and be less secretive with its challenges as a government. The General and his government must also lay down achievable and deliverable milestones. It is hollow and unrealistic for the government to pretend that it can solve all the challenges of Nigeria in four years. Realistic and achievable goals are required as distinct from soap box promises. The Nigerian people will scrutinize and analyze the regimes choice of Ministers and Advisers. Nigerians would like to know whether they are change agents or rebranded members of the outgoing regime. The choice of Ministers and Advisers will be a major indication of the direction of the regime. The General should find the right balance in his appointments.
There should be a good balance between persons with the requisite competence, savvy, progressive mind and risk takers and the traditional politicians that will maintain the “constituency”. The President should also ensure a good balance between his own nominees and the nominees of the various State Governors and the Party. It is defeatist and out of sync for a President to complain that the bulk of his advisers are useless when the Constitution gives him the exclusive discretion in their nomination and dismissal. The President must bear in mind the demographic changes in the Nigerian society in making his appointments and taking key decisions.
The youth constituency is large and the disability constituency is large. Gender is also a serious demographic challenge and the President should include these groups in his choice of Ministers, Advisers and in making other key appointments. On the whole, the President is coming to power at a time that most Nigerians are without electricity. He is coming to power at a time when most Nigerians sleep and wake up in the filing stations. He is coming to power at a time when large proportions of Nigerians are internally displaced and or are refugees in other countries. He is coming to power when the country is adrift. Our hope and prayer is that the President will have the courage and the staying power to make Nigerians proud. Nigerians expect so much from the President but are ready to moderate their expectations the moment the regime shows good faith.
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