Congratulations to all Nigerians home and abroad and may I also say special congratulations to the president elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his hard won victory. Truly, regardless of what anybody might think or say, he emerged as a widely acclaimed candidate as he was voted on his individual merit and not on the clout of his party. The whole world felicitates with Nigeria for the emergence of the duo Tinubu and Shettima in power.
From the Americas to Europe, Middle East to the far East including Australia, and the entirety of the African continent messages of good tidings, love and re-assurances have not stopped pouring into Nigeria.
The country truly occupies a strategic position both in Africa and world affairs. Blessed with fairly huge population of about two hundred and thirty million (estimated), a land size that is three times that of Japan and prominently positioned in the organization of petroleum exporting countries (OPEC) as a major exporter of crude oil, her non-oil producing industries also featured broadly in the country’s GDP in recent years. The country has all that are necessary to advance to the next level of socio-economic and scientific development.
Her major problems have largely been mainly misplacement of priorities, mismanagement and intractable corruption. Most agencies entrusted with anti-graft power are struggling to break even in terms of successful execution of their mandate. Perhaps, like experts have opined, lack of special courts and tribunals to prosecute offenders have been their bane.
Since the country gained independence in 1960, no single individuals could be identified as the architect of her woes rather, ethnic and tribal problems, religions crises, and lack of well defined policies that can nail the country’s multifaceted problems on the head have been the major setback. For example, the last general elections that produced the president elect, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice presidential candidate Senator Kashim Shettima featured echoes of dissents, discrimination and accusations by several christians against the rulership of the country by two Muslims or what is popularly known as Muslim-Muslim Ticket.
The last time Nigeria tried it was 1993 when the military junta did not allow the experiment to reach a conclusive end despite the fact that Late Chief M.K.O Abiola was reputed to be the acclaimed winner of the elections in company of his then vice president designate Babagana Kingibe, also a Muslim.
Enormous challenges lie ahead of the president elect including meeting up to the people’s expectations. There are no hard and fast rules to governance except tenacity of purpose, open door administration and transparency. Leaders of governments and businesses in the west have tried over several decades to encourage African leaders to imbibe these principles to no avail. For quite a long while, African countries are mostly under military dictatorship.
This made several world leaders think that they were not accessible to the people they were governing; a reason that made them call for the outlaw of military governments throughout the whole world. It’s is also unfortunate these days that this problem is more pronounced in democratic/civilian governance than in the military era.
Several policies are foisted on the populace overnight even without the consent of the local populace. Good and progressive policies that emanates from the grassroots are swept under the carpet or delayed and they never see the light of the day.
I am not a member of the president elect’s think tank nor am I routing for membership of his kitchen cabinets.
I feel I owe it a duty to chip in some few words that may serve as pointers to the grey areas in the social and political life of the country. Safety and security needs are the most paramount in the order of needs in Nigeria today.
Restating it is like rehearsing the obvious with unwholesome totology. Power and employment as well will rank next to the aforementioned need. The nation Nigeria needs to re-order her priorities in terms of programmes, projects and policy execution. Enough of the endless days of trial and error when we placed our carts before the horses.
In similar manner, there is the need for a review of some existing policies that have stunted our socio-economic development and growth. The era when Nigeria kow-tow with other nations because of primordial reasons should be done away with once and for all. Nigeria belongs to all. We should foster relationship with countries in all parts of the world for the sake of our prosperity.
How I wish the new president will disabuse the minds of several pundits who believe that the Muslim-Muslim ticket will work against Christians? Appointments into core government positions should be strictly based on merit while ambassadorial appointments should be dispassionate. For the first time in the political history of Nigeria, how lovely will it be if christians are appointed as ambassadors to core Muslim and Islamic countries while Muslims are as well sent to core christian nations as ambassadors.
The advances in modern agricultural practices especially as it is in western world are yet to become wholesale practices in all the parts of Nigeria despite the fact that over seventy percent (70%) of the population earn the their living through agriculture. The only thing that is common is the use of fertilizer.
Farming with less stress and multiple yield should be widespread. Gains in agriculture and microbiological researches on food preservation should be projected and spread through all the cranies of the nation to stem the tide of price fluctuations of the products in non-farming season. Most salary earners these days spend more than seventy percent (70%) of their income on food alone, leaving almost nothing for other needs.
Nigeria has reviewed her laws several times through the Nigerian law review commission. Yet, nobody flows with the law except, perhaps legal practitioners. It is often said that the law is not a respecter of person.
How I wish this will translate into reality for the first time in the history of post independent Nigeria. The first person or group who supposed to respect and obey the law is the government. From the Federal to the State and Local governments, no one should be above the law.
How many Nigerians whose rights have been trampled upon by different tiers of government and their agencies will stand in positions where they will cooperate with government? Several people have won cases against both the Federal and State governments and their agencies in the supreme court yet the contents of the judgment could not be executed.
For example, how do you redeem those claims against the Armed forces and the Police? Who is the sergeant at arms that will serve as baliffs ? Several Nigerians long ago have surrendered their fates to God over this matter.
A country where there are different methods of summons, warrants, arrest, prosecution/trial, judgement and execution for different categories, classes and cadres of people? Is there equality and justice in such an environment? The correction officers themselves know that the rich and urbane inmates need special treatments, that is if they are incarcerated at all. I believe the new government will be pro-active in every area. Even these correction centres need rejuvenation and re-orientation.
How many inmates come out better than they went. They even experience injustice in the various centres and are further embittered. A college graduate or university graduate who was caught in the act of stealing (not armed robbery) stays in confinement for more than a year before being finally sentenced to a term of four (4) years imprisonment if found guilty and may never be eligible for state pardon his entire life.
whereas, a politician, government official (Civil servant) and office worker will be the first to be eligible for bail no matter the amount he/she stole, then can trade in money for a fine or settlement out of court without seeing the four corners of prison house ! Yet he or she is instrumental to societal unemployment.
Nigerians generally need re-orientation in order to realize that public appointments are not for their personal enrichment but for service. How I wish a fresh legal manual will be prepared that will state the offences, the culpability and the length of imprisonment without an option of the fine and sale of the property of such an officer or levy to be paid if found guilty before being given such appointments. The documents should be read by them and signed and re-read to their hearing.
With all sense of humility, I will like to advice that the in-coming administration should pay special attention to the control of urbanization and make urban renewal priority projects throughout all the state of the federation. Only few state’s capital can boast of good roads with well paved pedestrian lanes. Less than half of them can assure citizens of controlled drains even when the lightest of drizzles fall.
Based on my knowledge of urban and regional development, no city in Nigeria can boast of attaining the status New York City was a hundred (100) years ago ! I believe it will not be out of place to suggest that the president elect constitutes a committee on each state of the federation (excluding members of their cabinet and houses of assembly) who will be autonomous to select a sub-urban community, next to the state capital where some beautiful scenes/structures in the Federal Capital Territory can be replicated no matter how small they may be.
Nothing prevents the Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the armed forces from declaring a state of emergency on the state of the government’s purse and earnings. Budget deficit could be as well be financed through cutbacks in the fabulous salaries and perks of both Federal and State legislators, top Civil servants and other political appointees.
The country is at the moment wading through terrible storms of financial impairment that hold both economic growth and development hostage. All hands must be on deck to salvage the tottering economy. For this reason everybody will need to be called upon to sacrifice at one frontier or the other. From the most corrupt, who have pillaged the economy to the most innocent who wish to see the good days of the country’s future.
I have no doubt about the competency, capability and determination of the president elect and his vice. They have been appointed and ordained for this herculean task right before they were born and I know they are both endowed with wit and the acumen to fulfill the great tasks ahead. Everybody domiciled in Nigeria knows that all the odds were against them to prevent them from winning the election. From abrupt fuel shortage to overnight change of currency, just to make the electorates suffer and vote out the party in power with baleful hatred. When God says Yes, nobody can say no. One with God is majority.
Dear President elect, as you take your oath and begins the arduous task of steering the ship of this God’s own nation called Nigeria, I pray that He shall supply you with all enablement that everything within and outside the country including the global economy shall be to your favour. They shall answer to your beck and call and dance to your whims and caprices.
I pray that a new lease of life shall be supplied into your person from the crown of your head to the nails on your toes. You shall surely excel and lead the country to the Promised Land and afterwards enjoy the fruit of your labour and be recognized as the father of the modern day Nigeria in Jesus name, Amen.
Your Excellency the President, man with midas touch Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu we wish you good health and prosperity at the helms of affairs. God bless you sir.
Prophet Omitade is the founder of Holy Trinity Authority Prophetic Church Ado Ekiti.