Nigerians make demand on the New President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, beginning with the quality of appointees, quality of policies and delivery of results. ISHAYA IBRAHIM collates some of these demands.
Appoint experts
Retired professor of sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, advised the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to place service as a priority consideration rather than settling party loyalists.
Olurode asked Tinubu to consider certain critical factors in making nominations, among which is the readiness to serve.
He also asked Tinubu to put into consideration the health conditions of those to be appointed.
He said: “Political appointments should not be for those who are driven by a desperate desire for the perquisites and fame that such positions confer on occupants.
“There must be a burning desire that recognises that Nigeria is in an emergency in all spheres and that life needs to be restored to all sectors. Good governance is indeed imperative.”
Don’t increase the price of petrol
Farooq Kperogi, a professor of Journalism at Kennesaw State University in the United States, warned Tinubu against the removal fuel subsidy.
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He said: “Don’t increase petrol prices by other names. I know that there is now an artfully manufactured consent, particularly among the gilded classes in Nigeria, about the undesirability of ‘fuel subsidy.’ I don’t care what it’s called, but any policy (call it deregulation, subsidy removal, appropriate pricing, etc.) that results in an arbitrary and unbearable hike in the price of petrol without a corresponding increase in the salaries of workers and an improvement in the living conditions of everyday people will sink Tinubu.
“Resuscitating existing refineries and creating conditions for robust private sector investment in building new ones are obvious, well-worn solutions to the existing order, which have been floating around for years. Any serious government would make this happen.
“No responsible government shies away from subsidising the production and consumption of essential commodities for its people. I have lived in the United States, the belly of the capitalist beast, for nearly two decades, and I can tell you that governments at both federal and state levels heavily subsidise petrol consumption—in addition to agriculture.
“When gas prices increased dramatically a few months ago here, both Joe Biden and state governors granted tax holidays to oil companies so they could lower the cost of petrol. Biden tweeted daily about the reduction in gas prices that his policies enabled. Americans call high petrol prices ‘pain at the pump’ for a reason.
“The surest way for a government to lose legitimacy here is to allow petrol prices to go up without doing anything about it. That’s why America’s 50 states collectively spend $10 billion a year to subsidise petrol consumption.
“I know Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi said they would ‘remove fuel subsidy’ —a code for they’ll increase petrol prices— if they’re elected president, but I can assure Tinubu that if petrol price hikes deepen people’s misery, he’ll have a tough time governing.”
End ASUU strikes
Vice-Chancellor of Trinity University, Lagos, Prof. Charles Ayo, advised Tinubu to develop a robust educational system to end incessant strikes in tertiary institutions.
According to him, no nation will be able to develop without a robust educational system to back up its national development.
He commended Tinubu for the proposed plan to grant universities autonomy and education loans to students, as these have never happened before in the country’s education system.
Ayo said that granting autonomy to universities was a good step because the money you paid at the University of Ibadan would not be the same as the one paid at the University of Lagos.
He added that each university would be purely responsible for the management of its resources as well as remunerations is concerned.
“Why on earth then will the University go on strike for resources,” saying: “They will get enough money to grow at their own pace.”
The vice-chancellor said that students whose parents could not afford private universities would be able to do so with the introduction of the proposed education loan by the incoming government.
Overhaul healthcare sector
Members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) said they want Tinubu to give quality healthcare delivery to Nigerians by overhauling the sector.
Gbolagade Iyiola, the chairman, advised Tinubu to critically appraise the Charter of Demands PSN submitted to him in November 2023, which highlighted some demands including a change in the procedure for appointing the ministers of health and heads of MDAs in the health sector and better funding.
The association demanded ‘’improvement on the welfare of public sector health workers in our country’’ to stem the tide of brain drain as well as instituting an ‘’Executive Bill for a Bank of Health.’’
PSN also recommended ‘’Universal Health Coverage and proper implementation of National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022, also enabling Local manufacturing of drugs and active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), excipients and related matters.’’
Prioritise security, economy
Gbenga Akinwande, an APC chieftain, said Tinubu must find a way of resolving the two major challenging issues of insecurity and despondency among the population.
He specifically noted that in his first year in office, the president-elect must find a way to improve the economy through programmes and projects that will create jobs across the country.
He said: “Most central to this economic development is improvement in the power and energy sector. Industries and domestic users should be able to enjoy a minimum of 18 hours of uninterrupted power supply daily. He should also roll out massive road and infrastructure projects, which will create both temporary and permanent jobs for all ages all over the country.
“When he runs Nigeria as a socio-economic enterprise, citizens’ engagement will be encouraged, with equity and fairness to both the rich and the poor.”
“He should focus greater attention on agriculture for both domestic consumption and export. Farm machinery implements, land, fertilisers, and loans at a low single-digit interest rate should be made available to farmers, particularly young people who should be encouraged to go into crop farming, livestock and animal husbandry,” he said.