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. More…

The recent announcement by President’s GEJ’s to seek reelection for another term in office has left one scratching his head looking for some justification as to why the Nigerian people should entrust him with another four years in office. Unfortunately, looking for achievements that could help justify his deserving of another term is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The one and only achievement that stands out is the government’s impressive handling of the Ebola crisis for which it received praises from the World Health Organization (WHO) and members of the international community. While the government performed admirably in fighting the Ebola crisis, it has failed miserably in other areas. Mr. GEJ who succeeded the late President Umaru Yar’Adua  in May 2010 has been an utter disappointment to say the least. His government has been beset with one failure after the other which under normal circumstances would have been sufficient to derail the chances of most politicians from being reelected but not in Nigeria where elections do not matter. The winner of the next presidential election is often preordained and the electioneering process is just a charade. After all, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is controlled by the federal government. INEC is known for its’ history of manipulating the votes to favor the incumbents.  Two significant failures of the GEJ administration are its mishandling for the case of the Chibok girls and his inability to stop Boko Haram. After the kidnapping of the girls were first announced in April, the president failed to act for over 2 weeks. He was silent and failed to come out and make a nationwide broadcast to the country to at least try to reassure the parents of these children, citizens of Nigeria at home and abroad and the international community who were aggrieved and in agony over the abduction of the girls. It’s now eight months after the kidnapping and the government is yet to account for the whereabouts of the girls and unable to rescue them. In a dramatic move on October 17^th the Chief of Defense staff Alex Badeh announced a ceasefire with Boko Haram with the imminent release of the kidnapped girls. This announcement was greeted with a huge sigh of relief by the parents of the girls, families and members of the “Bring Back of our Girls” campaign. In fact even the former minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili who is leader in the Bring back Our Girls campaign was interviewed on National Public Radio to get her reaction over the ceasefire announcement and imminent release of the girls. She spoke eloquently about how elated she was that the girls would finally be released. I wish she had known that the announcement was a big fat lie….a cruel and cynical hoax concocted by the government to garner support for the president’s reelection bid. It was a rather strange and unusual move by the government as this type of cease fire announcement is seldom made by governments around the world until the hostages are about to the released. You never hear European governments making announcements about their indigents being released by terrorist unless the release is very imminent. This is a despicable act on the part of the GEJ administration. They not only added salt into injury, they further traumatized the parents, families and the entire country who had endured immense agony over the kidnapping. The role of the first lady in this saga was also hugely embarrassing. Her bizarre behavior and response in the early stages of the kidnapping helped to further cast aspersion on the country. Her cries and lamentation of “there is God o!” has made her fodder for u-tube enthusiasts. More…

• 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, President Goodluck Jonathan should introduce legislation to reform the EFCC and appoint retired General Buhari as the Chairman or someone with similar anti-corruption credential and credibility. Symbolically, this will send a strong message to Nigerians and the international community that the president is serious about attacking the issue of corruption head on. More…