Naija Political Blog

Most Nigerians were elated by the results of the recent presidential election that ushered in retired General Mohammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s next president. Like we say in the US, the man deserves an A plus for effort after succeeding in his third bid to become a civilian president.  Nigerians will agree that he was the only presidential candidate that inspired confidence that change will at last come to Nigeria with him as president. They have been disappointed over and over watching 16 years of democracy squandered by an inept and corrupt cadre of leaders. 16 years of civilian rule and three successive administrations and yet the government had to depend on generators to power the recent inauguration ceremonies in Abuja in which General Buhari was sworn in as President. Nigerians are truly lucky to have this man as president. Well known as a man of unimpeachable character whose tenure as both Petroleum Minister and Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund in the past were so exemplary that, he continues to receive praises for his work at that time.  In addition, he is probably the poorest former president in the history of Nigeria and it is hoped that he will bring that same level of discipline to the presidency this time around in order to transform the country. There is a lot wrong with Nigeria but credit should be given to where credit is due. The outgoing president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and INEC should be commended for conducting an impressive election. Dr. Jonathan should especially be commended for conceding early and not challenging the results of the election which could have plunged the country into post election violence and turmoil like we witnessed during the last presidential elections in 2011. The new president has a lot on his plate…from the current gasoline shortages plaguing the country, to endemic corruption, to Boko Haram and many other challenges. We are confident that he and his team are up to the task. We wish them all the best. It is safe to say that millions of Nigerians at home and abroad see the new president as the last best hope for Nigeria. 16 years of return to democracy has brought very little or no democracy dividend to the vast majority of Nigerians.  Ideas and Solutions that can help transform Nigeria crafted by this writer in a previous blog post are being reposted here for the benefit of the new administration.

• The oil sector including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is well known as the epicenter of waste, abuses and corruption. The new administration must embark on a thorough house cleaning to bring some sanity to this sector. How can a major oil producer like Nigeria continue to import petrol for domestic use? Blame this on the very powerful cartel that is benefitting from the importation of petrol. It should be noted that during General Buhari’s tenure as Petroleum Minister, he ensured that all the refineries in Nigeria were operational and we did not have to import petrol at that time. The federal government is losing billions of naira everyday due to the criminal activities of the oil cartel. Regrettably, the outgoing president turned blind eyes to the corruption in this sector and others while looters had a field day during his tenure. And with a legislature in Abuja that is absolutely clueless about its constitutional role in a democracy, the new president must find a way to vigorously push through his agenda. The Federal Government should fix all the refineries and put an end to the importation of gasoline. It must develop the will to break the back of the cartel that is benefiting from the importation of gasoline and other petroleum products. This will save the country billions of naira that could be used for various projects such as revamping the ailing electrical infrastructure, making massive road construction and repairs, improve the transportation infrastructure, water purification and others. These projects will invariably spur the economy; create employment while addressing the issue of youth unemployment.

•    The federal government should rain in the cartel that is benefitting from the importation of electric generators into the country. This cartel has also been responsible for sabotaging government efforts to rehabilitate the electricity sector.

• Since corruption remains a cancer that is eating away at the destiny of Nigeria and robbing it of its potential to be a great nation, the new administration should initiate the revamping of the EFCC and appoint someone with a pedigree similar to that of General Buhari as Chairman. The revamped EFCC must go after all looters in the public and private sector. For example, all those governors in states where salaries of civil servants have not been paid for months and yet own properties in Europe and North America should be subpoenaed to account for the source of their wealth.

• The President working with the National Assembly should introduce a safety net program or social insurance program that would provide a stipend for the millions of students who graduate from Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics and remain unemployed years after completing their National Youth Service. This should also apply to other unemployed youths. This has the potential of reducing criminal activities in which the youths are driven to out of desperation.

• The Federal government can also create micro lending institutions around the country. These institutions would be created to provide small loans to potential entrepreneurs. For example, loans can be given to people looking to start a small business; it could give loans to people interested in buying motorcycle to be used as “okada” or tricycle known as “maruwa” both of which are modes of public transportation used to augment the grossly inadequate public transportation system in the country. Loans can also be given to university or polytechnic graduates with backgrounds in computer technology who are interested in going into the ever expanding telecommunications industry and the growing social media platforms in Nigeria. This will spur entrepreneurship while also addressing the issue of youth unemployment.

• The new administration should institute some sort of a truth and reconciliation commission or a “stolen funds return program.” This program could be run by the EFCC. The goal will be to encourage looters to return some of the stolen funds in their possession or risk prosecution for corruption. Such a program should be operated behind closed doors in order to protect the privacy of the looters and also to protect them from harm by irate citizens. This will encourage looters to come forward knowing they will not be exposed.