Efio-Ita Nyok|21 December 2015| 6:23am
The former Major General Muhammadu Buhari(Rtd) stood tall on a tripod stand of campaign promises, namely,
*to fix Nigeria's comatose economy,
*to deal a deadly blow on insecurity and
*to collide head on with the nation's greatest on doing -corruption. This tripod stand projected him taller in the nation's electioneering horizon much more beyond his arch rival, Goodluck Jonathan, despite the latter's control of state infrastructure so much so that we now refer to him as President Muhammadu Buhari.
With well over five months (now six months) into government, the eight democratically elected President of Nigeria is yet to evolve an official administrative template via which he intends to pilot the affairs of the Nigerian state in view of materialising the tripod-of-a-campaign promise. Expressly stated, how does Buhari intend to deliver Nigeria's dwindling economy from the abyss it is plunging deep into? Secondly, with what strategy does PMB, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, intends to quell the insurgency in the north, the resurrection of the Niger Delta militancy and the evolution of the IPoD/MASSOB unrest in the South East of the country? Finally, in what way will Mr. President address the immanent and ubiquitous presence of corruption in the very fabric of the Nigerian society? In essence, I am asking: what is the policy framework of the present federal administration?
While the Nigerian body-politic patiently(a patience that is waning speedily) awaits the policy statement of the Buhari administration, it should be noted that the more significant thing the present federal government has accomplished is the appointments of presidential aides, submission of 2015 supplementary budget and paying of international diplomatic visits. This jolly executive trend is not speaking well of Mr. President. In fact, President Muhammadu Buhari has been variously and, I think rightfully, tagged 'Baba-go-slow'. That meteoric rise to fame that preceded his election has waned drastically but unsurprisingly too. Buhari is becoming unpopular by the day! It's reported that the highly enthusiastic fan who trekked from Jalingo to Abuja to celebrate Buhari's victory at the poll has resorted to taking his life out of frustration that his messiah has failed!
Given the above background, one is compelled to inquire into how/why President Buhari is this slow to fulfil campaign promises. Why is he this sluggish in fashioning out an official policy template let alone execute his varied promises? Methink, the reason is perception -the perception of the 'salvage route' to addressing Nigeria's palava. President Muhammadu Buhari did not need to be a Harvard graduate of economics to know that Nigeria's economy was in doldrums despite what official figures say; neither did the President needed to be a security expert to know that the BH insurgency has the potentiality to incite unrest in other political climes in the country; nor did he need a degree in Law to understand the profoundly destructive effect of corruption. However, the President was wrong to have thought that the solution to Nigeria's varied challenges was 'a Strong man'. Nigerians were also wrong to have voted into power, Buhari, on the grounds of his personality in this regard: being an alleged corrupt less man/woman does not translate into being an effective corruption crusading president. At least with well over five months into power, this later position cannot be logically and honestly jettisoned.
A strong man in this context may refer to a man/woman of integrity and courage; and no doubt, Nigeria needs such credentials in her leader. But beyond this, Nigeria needs an institutional framework to aid a 'strong man' actualise related aspirations. And Buhari seem not to buy into this idea. For instance, in his recent trip to Iran to attend the gas exporting countries summit organised by Iran, Mr. President is alleged to have made a statement to the effect that he can't address corruption as a civilian president as he would have as a military head of state. Earlier, in South Africa he articulated a similar sentiment of his youthful military days vis-a-vis his elderly democratic days and the impact of these realities to his presidency: you see his idea of the most potent instrument harnessed to address corruption, etc? He is evidently a proponent of the strong man and not the strong institution approach.
An institutional framework would suggest that Buhari should consider making the judiciary more independent. The Nigerian judiciary shouldn't be perceived to be an appendage of the Executive arm of government. The same idea goes to the Police. Again, anti-graft agencies should be made to be viable. Other agencies of the government shouldn't be seen to serve the bidding of the man at the helms of affairs.
Beyond this, if my idea of the strong man is anything to go by, Buhari doesn't fit into the mould of an Nigerian that is a man of integrity and courage. If Buhari was passionate about dealing with insecurity he would have insisted on being the Minister of Defence. Again, if he wanted to address the ills of our monotonous economy he would have chosen to be the Minister of Finance, Agriculture and Solid Minerals. Finally, since he wanted to deal corruption a deadly blow, he would have chosen to be the Minister of Justice. Alas! Buhari insisted on Ministry of Petroleum the present cash cow of Nigeria's monotonous economy. To what intent? The answer are the readers'.
While the thesis of this paper is to discountenance the idea of a strong man as the powerful instrument in addressing Nigeria's varied challenges, it doesn't, however refuses the idea of a strong man totally, but rather opines that Nigeria's complex problems can only be redressed through the interplay of 'strong man' and 'strong institution'.
How I wish that President Muhammadu Buhari will reduce the jolly executive oversees travels, stay more in Nigeria, and do the needful. We need you now than ever before.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Writer, Blogger & the Editor of Negroidhaven.com (Negroid Haven Blog)
