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Things Buhari must not overlook...

                                                                                                                                         

With just two weeks to the swearing in of president-elect, Muhammadu Bu­hari, it has become per­tinent to highlight the need for the incoming administration to look into the increasing reports of unbridled looting of public funds in various Min­istries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government. Reports com­ing out from different government of­fices indicate that the raids on the pub­lic treasury that began in the run-up to the 2015 presidential election are con­tinuing unabated and with impunity. If found to be true, this massive stealing of money from public organisations will not augur well for the country. The in­coming government must, therefore, not shy away from saying a decisive No to the alleged illegal movement of public funds and bringing those responsible for it to book.
While we do not advise full-scale, time wasting probes, we nevertheless believe it will be a great disservice to the nation for Buhari not to ask questions where they become necessary to ensure that those involved in the last-minute bazaars in the MDAs do not get away with the people’s commonwealth.
Reports of the uncontrolled misappro­priation of public funds, which began as mere suspicions and came in trickles are now attaining a crescendo. It is im­perative that the new administration comes out clearly and unmistakably on its stance on the matter of corrup­tion in the public service. It must not be swayed by accusations that it is embark­ing on a witchhunt. What is required now is an administrative enquiry into the claims of illegal movement of huge sums of money out of the accounts of public organisations, with the provision of a period of grace for those who have skeletons in their cupboards in this re­gard to refund any illegally withdrawn sum, or be ready to account for itCorruption in the public service has gone beyond what Nigeria can shy away from or treat with kid gloves. It is the reason that Nigeria has failed to meet up with the expectations of the people in many sectors of national life. It is the reason why we are still wast­ing many man-hours on fuel queues in spite of being the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world. It is also the reason for the dilapidation of public road, health and edu­cational infrastructure.
Beyond the matter of recovery of the looted public funds is the need for the re­form of the electoral system to make our elections more credible. Although the 2015 elections have come and gone, the contests left a sour taste in the mouth in many parts of the country. This is especially so in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones, where some of the polls were widely said not to have held at all or were brazenly manipulated to produce pre-determined results. It is necessary that the incoming government does whatever is necessary to institute a new culture of respect for the ballot. Leaders at all levels of governance in the country should be able to emerge through credible elections, instead of the flagrant marching on the will of the people as witnessed in some of the elections.
Buhari will do well to pay attention to the restructuring of the country, which has been a sore point in the polity for many years now. Happily, this is one of the rec­ommendations of the National Conference held in Abuja. Again, there can never be justice without equity. The coming gov­ernment should ensure equity among the country’s geo-political zones on the all-important issue of the number of states in each of them. Another state should be created in the South-East zone as recom­mended by the National Conference to cor­rect the age-long imbalance which left the zone as the only one that has five states among the nation’s six zones. Four of the other zones have six states each, while one has seven.
The matter of the second Niger Bridge, which has been a campaign issue for suc­ceeding political office holders for well over a decade now, should be laid to rest. Although the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan regime has awarded the contract for the project and preliminary work is beginning, we enjoin Buhari to ensure that it is com­pleted to send a strong message on the commitment of his administration to fulfill­ing the yearnings of the people in that part of the country. As it has been said sever­ally, Buhari must be president of the entire country and not of a part of it.
The problem of insecurity has to be dealt with decisively. Nigerians ought to be able to feel secure in the country. Let the police and all other security agencies be strength­ened to fulfill their statutory obligation of protecting people wherever they may be in Nigeria.
In the North, the problem of Boko Haram must be laid to rest, while the over 200 ab­ducted Chibok girls should be found. All the people rescued from Boko Haram enclave should be rehabilitated. Efforts must also be made to guard against infiltration of the country by the fleeing insurgents who may hide under the umbrella of Boko Haram vic­tims to seek rehabilitation by the govern­ment. Buhari’s government must be able to say “Never Again” to the kind of bloody attacks that Boko Haram unleashed on the country. It should strengthen the military and intelligence agencies to ensure that Nigerians never have to experience such a horrible uprising again.
In addition to the peculiar problems of people in different parts of the country, the general problems of epileptic electric­ity supply and the incessant hiccups in fuel supply at the filling stations must be solved. The fuel subsidy issue is one big challenge that the incoming government must re­solve. Buhari must take a firm decision on the subsidy imbroglio and be committed to effecting it.
Nigerians also expect action from the government on the problem of high cost of governance and the high number of po­litical appointees that is worsened by their humongous emoluments. With the crash in the price of crude oil from over a $100 per barrel to just over $50, there is no arguing the fact that the time has come for some serious belt-tightening. The government must be able to prune down its expenditure profile, especially its recurrent expenditure. In this regard, the 2015 Budget which pro­vides for N2.607 trillion recurrent expendi­ture and N556 billion capital expenditure deserves a review.
The new government should also begin to think out of the box with regard to the diversification of the economy to increase the country’s revenue base. Unemployment is a time bomb in the country as millions of our citizens, especially youths, have no credible source of livelihood. The inclement economic condition has made many indus­trial concerns to either close shop or move to neighbouring countries, with adverse im­pact on job creation efforts in the country. Many of our university graduates are idle and frustrated.
Buhari must kickstart the change that will end their unemployment woes. He will need to institute a think-tank of core profession­als who can design sustainable strategies for creation of real jobs, not employment that is only read about on the pages of newspapers. In this regard, the government must lay great stock by the agriculture and Information Communication Technology (ICT) sectors that have huge potentials for massive employment. He should empower women and appoint them to positions of re­sponsibility as done by the outgoing Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Above all, Buhari should realise that he carries on his shoulders the burden of the high expectations of millions of belea­guered Nigerians. He must, therefore, be careful to select people who can help him to realise his vision for the country into his team. He will be wise to recognise that his greatest responsibility is to Nigeria and Ni­gerians. He cannot afford to disappoint the people.