by Arthur Nwankwo
On Sunday, September 6th 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari marked one hundred days in office. As is customary on such landmark existence of a new administration, Nigerians are desirous of knowing what the government has achieved in its first 100 days in office against the background of the change mantra that ushered in the administration.
In 100 days, any visionary and focused government would have achieved certain quick wins and set the direction and agenda of governance. In the first 100 days, a government desirous of change would have, through solid examples, set the pace in enthroning the new order of change.
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During the campaigns, there were issues the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) promised strongly that it will tackle within the first three months in office.
For instance, Buhari and APC promised that within one week in power, the government will declare free education at all levels in Nigerian public schools. This is the third month of the Buhari’s presidency. We are yet to see or hear any policy statement on the education sector not in the least a declaration of intention to make good of his promise of free education at all levels.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the education sector in Nigeria is in dire straits requiring a declaration of state of emergency. More than three months, Buhari is yet to address this all-important sector despite his campaign promise.
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Buhari also promised strongly that within one week of his administration, Boko Haram will be a thing of the past. Nigerians are witnesses to the fact that in Buhari’s first 100 days in office, exactly 14 weeks three days, Boko Haram has become more daring, reckless, and brutal in its attack on innocent Nigerians.
Buhari also promised that no corrupt politician or technocrat will be in his administration. This promise has not been kept going by the pedigree of those he has so far appointed.
The promise by Buhari that in the first 30 days of his administration Nigeria would no longer import petrol is still sourced from outside Nigeria.
Buhari promised Nigerians in his inaugural address that he would be Nigeria’s president; and would be for everyone and for nobody. In 100 days, Buhari has bared his fangs and unapologetically demonstrated through his appointments that he is indeed for some people and not for others.
It is clear beyond doubt that the Buhari presidency has in its infancy, become an albatross; a masquerade that has turned against his courtiers.
In 100 days, Buhari has run the federal government without a cabinet in total disrespect to the constitution of the country.
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In 100 days, Buhari has shown that he is mentally incapable of managing Nigeria; that in all these years he had contested and lost the presidency three times before, he has no blueprint for Nigeria’s development.
Would it not be proper to say that Buhari is not prepared for leadership; that he was muscled into the presidential contest against his wish by rapacious political shivs who saw in him a perfect mole to achieve their hidden agenda.
Is it not obvious that Buhari, in deference to the change ideology of APC and its pontification of inclusive governance, is pursuing a Northern agenda, to in the words of Alhaji Daura, “restore to the North what 16 years of Southern leadership had denied them”. In three months, Buhari could grant 63 refinery licenses-all to persons of Northern extraction, without even a single person from the Niger-Delta is an indication of the foregoing assertion.
What does all this tell us?
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They point to the same old problem of Nigeria’s structural deformity. They signify the mortal truth that Nigeria is sick. These are indicators of a country on the highway to self-destruction.
That a sitting president of a heterogeneous country like Nigeria could declare that he would not treat equal those who gave him 95% with those who gave him 5%, and has gone ahead to implement such declaration within the first 100 days indicates that Nigeria’s Armageddon is fast approaching.
When a country president could make such a vain declaration and implement them; when a section of the country could be marginalized and alienated on account of their republicanism and political convictions; when media houses are censored and penalised for standing by the truth, then we are a pagan country.
There is a cancer on the soul of Nigeria. You are watching the death of a country and it is time the patriots in this land stand up and firm for the truth.
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That truth is contained in the 2005 NPRC recommendations as well as that convoked by the past Jonathan administration. Nigeria’s safety valves are embedded in those recommendation.
Any person or group of persons encouraging Buhari to ignore those recommendations is setting the tone for Nigeria’s nunc-dimittis. The solution to Boko Haram, exclusion of the Igbos, the despoliation of the Niger-Delta, war against corruption lies in those recommendations.
We really do not have an alternative to this.
Arthur Nwankwo is chancellor of Eastern Mandate Union (EMU), chairman, Fourth Dimension Publishing Company and vice chairman of NADECO. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
