By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
On campaign stumps, and as then President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari made inspiring promises which gave Nigerians hope of a new dawn that would banish corruption, provide security, and grow the economy to create jobs and wealth.
Today is exactly one year since he took the oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
But, simply put, he has achieved little – say critics and loyalists – except in the battle against greed and graft, and even that has a question mark of unfairness.
Although he promised great change for the better, his tenure so far is riddled with economic uncertainty, policy summersaults, and a cloudy anti-graft crusade.
This is echoed in the views of the talakawas (the poor), the rich, as well as academics, politicians, lawyers, and retired military officers, according to a survey conducted by TheNiche – in which some gave him high marks, and others scored him low (see page 14).
Hardship
Edward Nnanna, an economist, told TheNiche that “If Buhari knows the implication of the delay in signing the budget and the adverse impact on our economy he would have known that the ego trip he had with the National Assembly was unnecessary. “That singular action was a big minus.”
He said all the excuses given for the delay had political undertones that cannot compare with the hardship created.
Most people who spoke to TheNiche complained that nothing tangible has been achieved in the energy sector, as electricity supply has even gone down from what obtained under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
To them, the worst thing is the recent hike in the pump price of petrol, with ripple effects that portray Buhari as insensitive to the plight of citizens.
Peaceful transition
There was a peaceful transition of political power from President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Buhari, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This raised the hope that the nation had at last begun an enduring democratic experience.
Most Nigerians felt that, for the first time in this political dispensation, their votes counted and that the tale of bad governance coupled with violence that often jinxed transition at council, state, and federal levels had ended.
There was great excitement and relief that better days were ahead given the change slogan of the APC.
The confidence of investors all over the world was boosted that a new era of great progress had finally been ushered in.
12 years of preparation
Ruling Nigeria is walking a tight rope and a president who would clean up the Augean stable must be courageous to step on toes and be detribalised without political baggage.
Buhari, seen by most Nigerians and foreigners as a man of integrity and courage, wanted to lead the country with great passion.
He got the job with the overwhelming support of the masses who voted on March 28, 2015.
He is different from his predecessors, who were unwilling individuals drafted or perhaps forced against their will to run. He wanted to be president and worked hard and forged political alliances to achieve his ambition.
However, the heat is on him as most Nigerians are divided on his performance so far.
Some wonder why Buhari laboured 12 years to get to the Villa without any agenda or policy sketch to bring Nigeria out of the woods.
Critics say he either does not have a clue on what to do beyond fighting corruption or is overwhelmed by the enormity of Nigeria’s mess.
Priority areas
As president-elect, he delivered an address at the induction of new National Assembly (NASS) members in Abuja, organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), where he listed his 10 priority areas:
Insecurity and insurgency that cause extreme hardship and destruction of lives.
Devastation and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
Decline in oil revenue due to a fall in prices which hinder Abuja’s capacity to deliver.
Corruption which has crippled human and infrastructure development for decades.
Unstable power supply which cripples small businesses and the wider economy.
Deindustrialisation that leads industries to shut down in Nigeria and relocate to other African countries.
High level unemployment, especially youth unemployment of over 40 per cent.
High cost of governance that crowds out capital and human development.
Erosion of public social services such as infrastructure, health, and education.
A lack of development in agriculture and solid minerals.
After his swearing-in and seeing the reality on the ground Buhari reduced his agenda to three major areas: security, economy, and corruption.
Yet not much has been achieved. A matter of much talk, little action.
In fact, his administration took off in a slow and sluggish start.
The composition of his cabinet took over six months, and when it was finally named, critics knocked it as nothing spectacular.
Buhari had earlier received a barrage of criticism in his appointment of close aides which was seen as lopsided, composed mainly of Northerners.
Most Nigerians also saw it as a minus that it took about a year for him to assent to the administration’s first budget.
Corruption, security
Although the country is winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency, the new terror gang, herdsmen, seem to diminish the feat.
Many believe that Buhari’s economic policy has emboldened armed robbers and kidnappers to strike with deadly efficiency, looting, killing, and maiming victims.
Although the president has received commendation for his anti-corruption crusade, critics say it is more of a platform to get back at political opponents.
Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) founder, Frederick Fasehun, accused Buhari of ruling by intimidation, and of being vindictive in his anti-corruption fight.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said the government is not yet winning the war on graft despite the overwhelming evidence at its disposal.
“Apart from the class solidarity usually extended to politically exposed persons by judges in all capitalist societies, the situation is compounded in Nigeria by judicial corruption and professional misconduct on the part of senior lawyers involved in the defence of corruption cases,” Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), fired off.
“Owing to a lack of coordination in the trial of politically exposed persons, corruption is fighting back.
“Painfully, the federal government is on the defensive as it has failed to counter the deliberate manipulation of the criminal justice system by the indicted looters of the public treasury.”
Critics of Buhari argued that he has not shown that his government is better than that of Jonathan despite propaganda.
“What I think could have happened is that there was an orchestrated attempt to make Jonathan’s administration appear incompetent and weak, now nothing clear-cut is happening,” said a commentator who did not want his name in print.
Hope Rising
Buhari has assured that there is nothing to panic about, and has, in every forum, shown great optimism that he would fix Nigeria – just that it would not happen suddenly but by painstaking decisions and sacrifices.
He has explained that the national hardship is the consequence of the misdeeds of past administrations which he is trying to put right, to usher in genuine progress.
His words: “I am not ignorant of the pains in the land but if we must get it right once again, it is a sacrifice I urge all Nigerians to make just for a little time so as to herald the genuine development we need in all sectors.
“We will diversify away from this mono-economy, thereby building a strong economy; we will tackle corruption, create a safe environment, among others, and I assure that all be will well again.”
Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, told TheNiche in a text message that “the president will build on the successes of the first year in the coming year.
“On the economy, the results will begin to show, and relief will come for the pains of the moment, which are only temporary.”
Another Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu published an article in THISDAY of May 27 on “Nine Key Milestones in President Buhari’s First Year.”
In it, he said Buhari promised transparency and accountability, and has delivered on that count, the evidence of which could be seen in the screening of ministers and passing the budget without the usual bribery allegations of the past.
Other achievements he credited to the president include:
Implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Trimming the cost of governance by reducing the number of ministers and ministries.
Tackling insecurity.
Improving the image of Nigeria abroad.
Liberalising fuel importation.
Attracting foreign investors.
Providing social welfare for the poorest one million citizens.
Walk the talk
However, the impression in most political quarters is that there have been many speeches but little or no clear-cut policy, and the consequence is uncertainty and excuses rather than solution to Nigeria’s problems.
Many insisted that all the contradictions in the system still remain, with Buhari’s stance to abandon the National Conference report which contains extensive recommendations on the way forward for the country.
For a government that came in with massive public goodwill, political watchers say welfare and economy have not received enough attention.
• More on page 14.
