What President Buhari needs to do

As President Muhammadu Buhari commences his second term in office, some issues need to be visited. While the government has been busy blowing its trumpet over the successful implementation of social intervention programmes such as N-power, school feeding, Anchor borrowers and conditional cash transfer, it should note that these programmes have failed to impact positively on the lives of Nigerians.

No wonder the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, is reported to have said social intervention programmes have failed the people of Northern Nigeria.

Guns found on us were to protect our faction of NURTW, suspects say

However, it would have been more appropriate if the first lady said the policies have failed to bring the desired impacts for the target population across the country. His first tenure has battled the menace of Boko Haram that it inherited from the last administration; there is no gainsaying the fact that the government recorded great or considerable success in the war against Boko Haram. It has been able to tame or downgrade the activities of the murderous group.

It is however sad to note that the insecurity that bedevil the country goes beyond the Boko Haram insurgency. In the last four years of the Buhari admnistration, killer herdsmen have taken the North-central states while kidnapping and banditry have become the order of the day in Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina states. The ungodly activities of these killer groups have resulted in the death of thousands of poor farmers and Nigerians. These criminals disguised as bandits have gradually transformed to terrorists, maiming, killing and abducting innocent Nigerians at will.

Buhari’s second term should change the narrative from being Go slow to the fast lane. Unlike in the last dispensation where Buhari spent good six months without cabinets, it is hoped this time, he would quickly form his ministers who are competent enough to run the affairs of their respective ministries.

The much talked social intervention programmes should be reviewed to address the persistent raise of poverty in the country. It seems the billions of naira channeled to these programmes are usually ended in the hands of some corrupt government officials. This has indeed, become an apro-string or cog in the wheel of successful implementation of these lovely programes.

In the area of insecurity, there is the need for massive security shake up. Some officers have over stayed and outlived their usefulness, some are aiding or abetting the deterioration of insecurity across the country. Buhari’s second term should as a matter of urgency weed out those security chiefs who have stayed long and could not add value to the current war against insecurity in the country.

The defence budget should also be properly monitored to ensure funds meant for the procurement of arms and ammunitions are judiciously used.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua,

Kaduna state.