There are no problems in Nigeria that cannot be solved because they all have their roots in impunity, says Ziggy Azike, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
He told TheNiche in his office on the Marina, Lagos that the failure of the ousted Goodluck Jonathan administration was caused by the lack of political will to implement good recommendations for solving problems.
Azike – a chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and was Imo State governorship candidate of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007 – insisted that what President Muhammadu Buhari needs to fix Nigeria is to fix law and order.
His words: “Nigeria is the most fixable country on earth. There is no problem in Nigeria that is not fixable; fix law and order, and the person at the police station will no longer engage in corrupt practices, because if they do, somebody is coming to get them.”
In his view, all the problems in Nigeria can be encapsulated in one phrase: law and order. “Once you restore law and order, everything will fall into place.”
Azike disagreed with pessimists who argue that Buhari will find it difficult to fulfil his campaign promises.
“I don’t think they made any promise that is not actualisable, it is all a matter of skill. There is no problem with Nigeria that is not solvable. Is it power? Is it education? Is it food security? Is it security itself?
“All the problems Nigeria encounters are all solvable; there is no escapable problem in Nigeria. It’s a matter strategy.”
But he noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) overshot its reach during the electioneering, a caution to politicians.
“One thing that we should all learn from what is happening since the new dispensation commenced is that we should be very careful on the type of promises we make during the campaigns. We have to be very realistic.
“When you raise the hope of people, they tend to also be impatient with you when you win because they voted for you based on the promises you made and assurances you gave during your campaign. They won’t give you all time you think you might require.”