As Nigerians Wait for the Buhari Touch"
By Eddy Odivwri
Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as the 5th democratically elected president of the largest black nation in the world.
He is coming at a time so much seems to have gone wrong. The mess is much. But he has been given a mandate to clear it all and make clean the Augean stable for the benefit of Nigerians.
In the next few weeks, the depth of how low we have sunk as a people will become even clearer. But Buhari will not have to dwell in that sunken state. He will have to bail Nigeria out and nudge the nation on the path of rebirth and regeneration. That is the mandate he sought for. That is the mandate he was given on March 28. To whine endlessly on how degenerate the system is, how empty the coffers are, how decrepit the structures are, how hefty the debts are, how disenchanted the workforce is, how weak the security forces are, etc., will be akin to a lazy workman who always complains of a bad tool.
Not many of these shortcomings should really be strange to Buhari. They were part of his campaigns. They formed the basis of most of his promises.
How he is able to harness both his goodwill, the lean resources and the social momentum will determine how quickly he can change the ill narrative of the nation’s governance.
Indeed, and understandably, the expectations are as huge as they are urgent. Luckily for him, the body language he exudes is that of a no-nonsense leader. His signature attribute of being a disciplinarian is catching up. During the fuel scarcity (as if it has ended) for instance, one heard many of the people warning those who want to shunt on the fuel queues that the era of nonsense and impunity has gone, lapping it up with the reminder that Buhari is coming on board and everybody must “maintain”.
I understand some persons at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are already returning some of the money they stole. I can predict that it will be an act that will have a catch-on effect. Something that can really produce a national rebirth. All that Buhari will need to do is to reinforce his austere mien and defer to neither person nor pressure, but just the law.
Many believe there are quite a number of people who funded Buhari’s election who are not the best examples of socially upright persons, given the height of their questionable wealth.
How Buhari is able to manage such characters out of the front row of his government will send a strong signal of how far he can go in his crusade to cause a change in the country.
A few instances of his acts in recent times provide some aperture on what kind of president Nigeria will be having in the next four years.
First, his refusal to support any particular candidate for the National Assembly leadership and his subsequent declaration that he is prepared to work with anybody from any part of the country was quite on point. It resonates well with the nationalistic spirit.
Second, his refusal to bow to his party’s governors’ pressure of accepting their ministerial nominees speaks volume of how independent he can be. Yet, he cannot do away with the governors in such sweeping manner without clear socio-political consequences.
Finally, his decision to suddenly travel to the UK last weekend without a hint to his party chieftains is indicative of his own convictions.
In all, it is emerging that he will not be a push-over, contrary to the impression created around him during the campaigns that he is hardly ever in charge in the real sense, citing the prominence of his then deputy, late Brig Gen Tunde Idiagbon (while as Head of State) and the overriding control exercised by Afri-Projects Consortium (APC) ( a consulting firm) during his days as the Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund ((PTF).
This time, it is clear, Buhari is determined to be his own man.
Whatever strategy Buhari adopts, what will matter is how quickly he rises to the occasion of dealing with the immediate challenges facing Nigerians and reducing significantly the weight of suffering in the land.
This will not be the time to play to the gallery. He must have the courage to take hard and tough decisions, even though they may not be popular.
The nagging question of the subsidy on some petroleum products is one such core issue that must be dealt with early enough in the life of this administration.
The other one will be the content and character of his cabinet. Nigerians and indeed the world is waiting and watching to see Buhari’s first steps.
All said, Buhari must realize the expectations from Nigerians and even the world is high. He thus must hit the ground running. His template of operation must be freed from obfuscated bureaucratic complexities. Nigerians want to see results, almost impatiently.
Oil Marketers: Villains or Patriots?
Last week, Nigeria had the worst energy crisis ever. The nation was brought to her knees, no thanks to the greed and dubiousness of oil marketers. They simply held the nation to ransom. There is no greater show of coup d’etat. What they did was seditious. It was a blow against state, all in the name that they were owed some spurious N200 billion. Most Nigerians know that many of the marketers are deeply fraudulent. They are into sharp practices as they often connive with officials of NNPC or PPRA of even DPR to fleece the nation of huge sums by either inflating figures or simply conjuring figures of fictitious product supplies which they pass on to government for payments. They take massive advantage of Nigeria’s warped system to undo the country. Little wonders their figures are always at conflict.
And so, they crashed the nation’s economy and inflicted the deepest and harshest punishment on their fellow citizens. Many died in the process as hospitals could not even find diesel to power their plants so they could carry out urgent surgeries. What else can be more wicked?
But if the marketers were heartless and dubious, what shall we say of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke who in the wake of the crushing scarcity, fled and got ensconced in a cosy London hotel while Nigerians groaned and moaned in pain? Jonathan could not control her. As I write, she is still in London. Doing what? I don’t know! She was even absent at the valedictory FEC session held last Wednesday. And yet they claim to be servants of the people. Servant or leader my foot! We cannot wait to breath the fresh air of Change in every department of our lives.
Culled from ThisDay.
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By Eddy Odivwri
Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as the 5th democratically elected president of the largest black nation in the world.
He is coming at a time so much seems to have gone wrong. The mess is much. But he has been given a mandate to clear it all and make clean the Augean stable for the benefit of Nigerians.
In the next few weeks, the depth of how low we have sunk as a people will become even clearer. But Buhari will not have to dwell in that sunken state. He will have to bail Nigeria out and nudge the nation on the path of rebirth and regeneration. That is the mandate he sought for. That is the mandate he was given on March 28. To whine endlessly on how degenerate the system is, how empty the coffers are, how decrepit the structures are, how hefty the debts are, how disenchanted the workforce is, how weak the security forces are, etc., will be akin to a lazy workman who always complains of a bad tool.
Not many of these shortcomings should really be strange to Buhari. They were part of his campaigns. They formed the basis of most of his promises.
How he is able to harness both his goodwill, the lean resources and the social momentum will determine how quickly he can change the ill narrative of the nation’s governance.
Indeed, and understandably, the expectations are as huge as they are urgent. Luckily for him, the body language he exudes is that of a no-nonsense leader. His signature attribute of being a disciplinarian is catching up. During the fuel scarcity (as if it has ended) for instance, one heard many of the people warning those who want to shunt on the fuel queues that the era of nonsense and impunity has gone, lapping it up with the reminder that Buhari is coming on board and everybody must “maintain”.
I understand some persons at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are already returning some of the money they stole. I can predict that it will be an act that will have a catch-on effect. Something that can really produce a national rebirth. All that Buhari will need to do is to reinforce his austere mien and defer to neither person nor pressure, but just the law.
Many believe there are quite a number of people who funded Buhari’s election who are not the best examples of socially upright persons, given the height of their questionable wealth.
How Buhari is able to manage such characters out of the front row of his government will send a strong signal of how far he can go in his crusade to cause a change in the country.
A few instances of his acts in recent times provide some aperture on what kind of president Nigeria will be having in the next four years.
First, his refusal to support any particular candidate for the National Assembly leadership and his subsequent declaration that he is prepared to work with anybody from any part of the country was quite on point. It resonates well with the nationalistic spirit.
Second, his refusal to bow to his party’s governors’ pressure of accepting their ministerial nominees speaks volume of how independent he can be. Yet, he cannot do away with the governors in such sweeping manner without clear socio-political consequences.
Finally, his decision to suddenly travel to the UK last weekend without a hint to his party chieftains is indicative of his own convictions.
In all, it is emerging that he will not be a push-over, contrary to the impression created around him during the campaigns that he is hardly ever in charge in the real sense, citing the prominence of his then deputy, late Brig Gen Tunde Idiagbon (while as Head of State) and the overriding control exercised by Afri-Projects Consortium (APC) ( a consulting firm) during his days as the Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund ((PTF).
This time, it is clear, Buhari is determined to be his own man.
Whatever strategy Buhari adopts, what will matter is how quickly he rises to the occasion of dealing with the immediate challenges facing Nigerians and reducing significantly the weight of suffering in the land.
This will not be the time to play to the gallery. He must have the courage to take hard and tough decisions, even though they may not be popular.
The nagging question of the subsidy on some petroleum products is one such core issue that must be dealt with early enough in the life of this administration.
The other one will be the content and character of his cabinet. Nigerians and indeed the world is waiting and watching to see Buhari’s first steps.
All said, Buhari must realize the expectations from Nigerians and even the world is high. He thus must hit the ground running. His template of operation must be freed from obfuscated bureaucratic complexities. Nigerians want to see results, almost impatiently.
Oil Marketers: Villains or Patriots?
Last week, Nigeria had the worst energy crisis ever. The nation was brought to her knees, no thanks to the greed and dubiousness of oil marketers. They simply held the nation to ransom. There is no greater show of coup d’etat. What they did was seditious. It was a blow against state, all in the name that they were owed some spurious N200 billion. Most Nigerians know that many of the marketers are deeply fraudulent. They are into sharp practices as they often connive with officials of NNPC or PPRA of even DPR to fleece the nation of huge sums by either inflating figures or simply conjuring figures of fictitious product supplies which they pass on to government for payments. They take massive advantage of Nigeria’s warped system to undo the country. Little wonders their figures are always at conflict.
And so, they crashed the nation’s economy and inflicted the deepest and harshest punishment on their fellow citizens. Many died in the process as hospitals could not even find diesel to power their plants so they could carry out urgent surgeries. What else can be more wicked?
But if the marketers were heartless and dubious, what shall we say of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke who in the wake of the crushing scarcity, fled and got ensconced in a cosy London hotel while Nigerians groaned and moaned in pain? Jonathan could not control her. As I write, she is still in London. Doing what? I don’t know! She was even absent at the valedictory FEC session held last Wednesday. And yet they claim to be servants of the people. Servant or leader my foot! We cannot wait to breath the fresh air of Change in every department of our lives.
Culled from ThisDay.
P.S
Have you been complaining on how to manage your salary to sustain you for the next month
ends. Is a very serious case. l was there. But don't worry, there is a solution now. Take
action right away and optin for my free 5 days course on how to change that situation for
life. The course is absolutely free, no string attached. Go here and put in your name and
active email address, submit, then follow the instructions that will come after to ensure
that you won't miss the course. http://tinyurl.com/nqvtpf9
See you at the order side!
P.P.S
Have you been looking for the best marketing tools? Here is what you need.ZUKUL and its
Marketing Tools is a friendly solution to a complex online marketing world.Over 20,009
people agree.It’s your turn now.Get it here >> http://tinyurl.com/q3fjdrn
http://tinyurl.com/q3fjdrn
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