The change that we need

FIRST, I want to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the last election. I have always believed in you and voted for you, albeit more enthusiastically in 2015 than in 2019. I have been a close watcher of events in your administration since you came on board, and I can declare straightaway there have been some areas where I hoped and expected your administration to have done much better. Thankfully, most of these had been highlighted by the press, various commentators and your political opponents. By and large, I feel that you deliberately or inadvertently opened yourself to these criticisms. For example, how else does one explain the apparent lopsidedness in the appointment of political officeholders, particularly the heads of the security establishments in the country? Another is the apparent delay in constituting your cabinet in 2015 and your penchant for making pronouncements on topical issues on the country in foreign lands. I only hope and pray that you will make necessary adjustments in this your second and last term.

Nigeria will continue to promote democracy in West Africa and beyond ―…

I want to declare that I am an unrepentant believer in the oneness of this country and I consider that whatever we may be passing through now can still be put right if the appropriate policies are put in place and diligently and effectively implemented. The seeming disunity in the country is the handiwork of our political leaders, most of whom are in office to feather their own nests. Very many Nigerian are comfortable to live in any part of the country which they faithfully regard as their ‘second’ homes. In essence, Nigerians are far more united than our political leaders want us to believe. They merely exploit our cultural, religious and other differences to ensure that they retain power at all cost; a case of divide and rule. Most of them only love themselves and really do not care about what happens to the country. Mr. President, as a former military General, you served in various parts of the country and I believe that from your experience, you will confirm that the assertions I am making are germane. For example, there is hardly any state in Nigeria where you will not find the Igbo as traders.

Also, the Hausa ‘kings’ in the various states of the southern zones are likely to have been born in those states. A glaring example which I experienced sometime ago when I attended a national conference in Yola, Adamawa State convinced me that Nigerians are more united and tolerant of each other than our political leaders are trying to portray. While in Yola at that time, I was introduced to a ‘Buka’ where I could take pounded yam. While I was at the eatery, I got to know that the owner was a Yoruba lady who was married to an Ibo man both of whom have been living in Yola for many years. Mr. President, your party, the APC, came into power on the mantra of “Change” i.e. your party promised to bring about changes in the polity that will aid the overall development of country. However, many are disillusioned because they can’t even see the positive changes which your party promised. I am of the opinion that your administration, in putting forward this change mantra, has made the public to be waiting for a phenomenal “change”. However, Mr. President, changes can be and need to be effected in many simple aspects of our live. For example, we, as a people need to change our ways to bring about more orderliness in the polity. While one may not advocate another “War Against Indiscipline,” we need to reintroduce some aspects of that ‘war’ and bring about a change in our way of life.

Two examples of this are: (i) our attitude to work (punctuality) and the orderliness in taking our turn in queue at service delivery points. (ii) Another area where we can benefit from a change in the drastic reduction of the public holidays in the country. No doubt, there are far too many holidays resulting in work free days in this Country for reasons/occasions that may not have any meaning to sizeable portions of the country. It is even disturbing that we so love work-free days that when the events for which a public holiday is being declared falls on a Saturday or Sunday (which are work-free days on their own) we declare the following working day(s) work free. These work-free days are far too many and it portrays our country as lazy where we enjoy idling away. These holidays which are, at times, meant for the public sector also adversely affect the private sector, thus resulting in losses in the wealth that would have accrued to the nation.

There are also many other ‘changes’ that need to be effected to make our country a much-better place. Some of these are: cancellation of road blocks on our roads by so many military/paramilitary agencies e.g. police, Customs, NDLEA officials etc; recognition of competence, merit as against ethnicity and other considerations in appointments to public offices; replacing “State of Origin” with “State of Abode” in consideration for public appointments and placements. It is appropriate to mention that in recent times, your administration has initiated some spectacular actions which, a few years ago, would have been considered improbable. In the fight against corruption, your administration had “exposed” some public officers for what they really are. Such were untouchable before the advent of your administration. They were afraid that if you could be so bold during the first term, you will likely go for broke and deal with those who had looted us dry during your second term. Now that God has granted you a second term, I plead with you not to relent in this fight against corruption in Nigeria as you have a date with destiny.  If you follow this path, which, I honestly counsel that you do, by the time you finish your tenure, Nigeria will have been primed to expose and frown at corruption being perpetrated by our leaders. In a way, I believe that God is using you to forestall a revolution in this country. At the same time you are assisting the ‘looters’ to defend themselves in courts of law instead of being exposed to illegal sanctions by aggrieved Nigerians. At the rate we have been going in recent years and the rate at which people are cornering our common wealth for personal use, a bloody upheaval is daily becoming a possibility.

(No doubt, more and more Nigerians are daily been impoverished through the actions/inactions of our political leaders and whether they know it or not, people are being pushed to the end of their wits. Now, it is “enough is enough” (“O to ge” in Yoruba) being mouthed in slogans. If the trend of looting continues unchecked, people may soon resort to upheavals to bring the culprits to book. How does one explain the underlisted phenomena rampart among political leaders.

(i)                some public officers, particularly from the military sector, who started their careers at very young ages and had been in paid employment since then, are now some of richest in the land who own universities, private jets etc. (ii)              some people who served in the public sectors and are not known to have inherited any fortune from their forbearers are now flaunting their wealth and are united with others of their ilk in opulent display of wealth. They all spend money, foreign and local denominations, as if they mint them.

(iii)            whenever a public officer is accused of corruption, his/her “partners in crime” promptly allege persecution, without giving a mention or thought to whether or not the allegations are true. In essence, there is a gang-up of the “oppressors” to defend any of their own charged with corruption.

My advice to these “looters” who cannot account for the source(s) of their stupendous wealth is to avail themselves of the opportunity of subjecting themselves to legal system and not wait until they are subjected to public opprobrium. The clock is ticking and the day of reckoning is fast approaching.

My President, go on with the move of sanitizing this Country and also use the opportunity of this second term, to put in a place a more effective government for this country. In this regard, I want to counsel that you take note of the following:

(i)                effect a devolution of powers to cede more powers and resources to the States to make our Country a True Federation. The system which we are presently running, can never bring about the desired development however much we try.

(ii)              put an end to and correct the apparent lopsidedness in the appointment to public positions at the Federal level. You should be true to your word “that you are for everybody and for nobody.”

(iii)            put more competent people in positions and allow them to operate in their respective positions for the overall development of the Country.

(iv)            if you must have a ‘kitchen cabinet’, let it compose of knowledgeable and selfless Nigerians from various sections of the Country who can add value to your administration.

(v)              finally, please endeavor to put “right pegs in right holes”, in all areas of your Administration and in good time too.

Mr. President, you have a date with destiny and if you can take the foregoing advice into consideration and act on them you have a very unique opportunity of leaving a lasting legacy and writing your name in gold in the annals of this Country. I sincerely wish you a very successful tenure.

• Adetunji lives in Ibadan, Oyo State.