by Richard Chilee
Last week, a friend and avid supporter of the Change mantra cried and whined about this administration. ‘This is not what we fought for. This is not the Change we clamoured for. I am really disappointed.’ He said. I smiled.
Last year, many Nigerians all over the world welcomed President Buhari with immense fanfare. For these Nigerians, all the problems plaguing Nigeria since independence would disappear with the speed of light. Simple needs like bad roads and scarce water provisions would all be fixed, irregular electricity would become a thing of the past, sound economic polices would spring up from a strategic economic team, better infrastructures and other basic amenities would be put in place. And corruption, the theme of the Change party, would no longer exist in the Nigerian context. In a flight from Abuja to Port-Harcourt, a young lady excitedly shook my hands and said ‘welcome to a new Nigeria. Very soon the price of plane tickets will fall so drastically that even the poorest Nigerian can fly.’ Now, I wonder how many of those expectations have become a near reality 10 months after President Buhari was elected into office.
Today, more than a few Nigerians will graciously agree with me that the Buhari administration has brought Nigeria in a worse state than it was handed over by the Jonathan administration. Almost all their catchy and mind-boggling campaign promises have been blatantly denied and the economy is in the precipice of collapse.
I don’t need to give us tangible statistics of where and how much this government has failed but a look in the eyes of a trader that complains about the increase in the price of ‘pure water’ and other goods in the market says a lot. The increased cries of babies that cannot sleep at night because of the irregularity of power tells us plenty. The gestures of workers that have been sacked from different companies because they could no longer be paid speak volumes. The sigh of resignation from a new father because of the hike in hospital bill tells us everything we need to know about how low we have come.
This treatise is not to certify that Jonathan’s administration was without faults. The past administration has many faults that one can easily refer to but the worst minister in that administration can easily and effectively complete with the best of this administration. Diezani Alison-Madueke, if compared with the current petroleum minister, would come out in flying colours. And we are yet to see anyone that dazzles like the economic and financial strategist, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.
There are two school of thoughts to the Change mantra that brought this administration to power. One believes that the Change inherently means Chains. Others believe that the Change is about bringing us down from the world of progression to the world of retrogression. I, like a serving senator, believe in the former.
Sometimes I think this Chain is what has kept many young activists, that wildly supported this administration to power, from speaking up against it. And like Asa perfectly puts in her beautiful song Jailer: we are all in chains.
However, I think there’s still time for this administration to live up to its expectation. It still has years in its coffers to make up for its faulty baby steps. But this thought is easily shattered when I remember that President Buhari never enjoys staying at home. My APC friend calls him a visiting president. To make matters worse, he enjoys telling Nigerians about his plans from a foreign country – a deep sign of governmental aloofness, carelessness and utter disdain for its citizens.
I believe there’s always a chance for transformation – sincere transformation. This belief is what has transformed many countries for the better. But if this administration can’t take us out of this present economic and financial quagmire, that its ignorance has placed us in, we have to boldly, intelligently and consciously make use of the huge opportunity 2019 will offer us and do the needful.
In 2019, we have to be careful about who we choose to lead us. We have to choose a president based on credible records, not because we are compelled to do so. We have to choose someone that understands the many problems of Nigeria and has strategic economic and political blueprints on how to solve them. We also have to be careful about, and look beneath, the many mantras that’ll be flying around then. Finally, we have to understand that being experienced doesn’t always mean having good political and economic judgements. Experience thrives in an atmosphere of good judgement.
As darkness is a mystery that announces the beauty of light, so Buhari is a mystery that announces the beauty of Jonathan. Look around you, the intangible statistics are everywhere.
Richard Chilee is a thinker, writer, and entrepreneur. Connect with him on Twitter @richardchilee.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
