By Mohammed Ajah
Unless President Muhammadu Buhari does not re-contest or it is the will of God, nothing human can stop the post of the president from him. I simply mean that no wishful thinker, the sycophant or enemy of progress can stop the will of the Nigerian people from re-electing Buhari. This is because, despite efforts by presumed opposition and independent selfish politicians, over 80 percent of Nigerians are overwhelmed by Buhari’s personality, incorruptibility and patriotism. His status as shown in his recent reception of APC stalwarts in London is evident that he will come back in the next few days to Nigeria stronger, determined, inspirited and invigorated to drive the economy and governance forward.
For many Nigerians, the name of the president is enough threat to corruption and enough beckon to development. Though it is unarguable that governance has been slow, very slow to some extent, many indices point to the fact that his presidency will require till 2023 to stabilize the ongoing reforms in all sectors of the economy: the military and paramilitary, Customs, immigration, education, power, health, agriculture and infrastructure. I strongly believe that it is better to be slow and get it right than to rush and continue to fail or digress from targets.
An attempt to gather the opinions of Nigerians within my vicinity on the state of the nation and over the 2019 political projections was fruitful. I was surprised that despite the controversies staged by political gladiators in the system, Nigerians are still love President Buhari. Some people say they have been disappointed in his government for two main reasons: inflation and the lack of cash flow amongst the citizenry.
To them, things are not normal. In short, one of my respondents claimed that though he hated corruption of the previous governments, he loved the way the past federal administrations allowed money to circulate for petty traders and contractors to benefit. 2019 means nothing to him as voters never had their choices at the end of voting.
Respondents were unanimous that the revelations from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were enough evidence that the country was bound to experience recession because of looted funds that brought the nation down by persons who were at the corridors of power.
“Nigeria was in bondage”, Mrs. Julie exclaimed. Many said two years were not enough for the Buhari’s anti-corruption war and other economic plans to begin to yield fruits because it was like starting afresh. Some said two years were enough time for any prepared government to make a difference. “Nothing seems to be working well”, another citizen opined.
There was the enigmatic question on how stainless many of the politicians in the present government are. Ezinne bluntly opined that the same people who have not found suitable solutions to Nigeria’s problems have been recycling themselves in the government. For her, Nigeria needs a very young Nigerian president and a federal cabinet made up of at least 45 percent Nigerian youth. Buhari stands the chance of winning the 2019 presidential elections, if he gets well and fit to contest.
Most people who are criticizing his government are core plotters who are not interested in the overall development of the country but out for their parochial, ethnocentric and individualistic gains. They have lost control of the commonwealth which they milked without recourse for posterity. The free flow of raw cash into their stores, moneypits, soak pits, warehouses, toilets, farms and forests is no more.
All the politicians who are crying out against Buhari are basically the treasury looters who are afraid of being exposed and controlled. But the patriots are aware of these and it is hoped they should use their votes to cleanse the rots in the executive and the legislative arms. It is the wish of many compatriots that the judiciary positions be also elective so that the rots in the arm can equally be sanitized with votes.
In the south, which is presumably the opposition bloc, Buhari will pull votes more than he did in 2015. In these areas, farmers are very happy with the current administration. Voices from them say they have never enjoyed any previous administration like the present one primarily because of the great opportunities they have been exposed to in the agricultural sector. On youth empowerment, Mr. Ugwu Chukwu exploded: “I am a graduate without a job, but the N-Power is keeping me and my colleagues within.
It is a very laudable initiative by this government.” As for the northern part of Nigeria, the name of Buhari is an intoxicant. And even if the President decides not to recontest but blesses a successor who must be like him in some aspects, then it will pass that way. Besides, people who criticize the president without basis have begun to receive the waves of recall or castigation from their constituencies, preparatory to the 2019 general polls.
Cases of politicians being lynched by their people are recurring. 2019, it is hoped, should be a sharp departure from the past when politicians abandon their and remain in Abuja or their state capitals only to come back to base in their hometowns with bags of rice and salt cum intimidations seeking reelections. How does one juxtapose the treasury looting and the amnesty for the heinous crime?
How does one explain a report which claimed that the former Nigerian oil minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, returned billions of dollars stolen from the nation’s treasury which is just one of many cases alleged against the past administration? A nongovernmental organization, Hope for Nigeria, made more allegations on such senseless massive looting of the commonwealth.
My wish is for Mr. President to recover, come back and restrategize governance. He has to reclaim the confidence of Nigerians who are solidly with him with prayers and are ready to do their best to salvage Nigeria from the hands of antiNigeria. Ajah wrote from Abuja. E-mail: [email protected].
