It is
sickening when the apologists of the Buhari’s presidency keep on asking
Nigerians for more time to address the mess which they accuse the PDP of
creating. Honestly, this is a lazy man’s excuse. Nigeria’s backlog of
problems did not start with the PDP in 1999. The putrid nature of the Nigerian
State should be located within its proper context.
But even at
that, history has thought us that bemoaning the past does not solve the
present. In all sincerely 12 months is enough for any visionary government to
change the direction of the country.
As a matter of fact, Muhammadu Buhari
and APC made, by the last count, a total of 81 electoral promises in the run in
to his presidency. These promises include the public declaration of assets and
liabilities by Buhari and his team, introduction of state and community
policing, ban on all government officials from seeking medical care abroad,
implementation of the National Gender Policy, including 35% of appointive
positions for women, revival of Ajaokuta steel company, generation,
transmission and distribution of at least 20,000 MW of electricity, including assuring
Nigerians that in under one year in office, his government would reduce pump price of fuel from N87 to N45 per
litre, among others.
For the avoidance of doubt, Buhari
inherited the naira at a black market rate of N195.00 but in 12 months; the
naira has depreciated to an all-time low of N385.00 to one US Dollar. Today,
the cost of almost every commodity in the market has skyrocketed.
Is it not ridiculous that in 12 months’
contradictory social forces in Nigeria have become irredeemably
sharpened more than ever before? That Nigeriapresently is tottering at the
edge of the precipice; that the events of the past twelve months are
threatening to suffocate the country with a sharp rise in ethnic separatism,
incandescent ethnic nationalism and collapsed economy?
Incidentally and regretfully, the
Buhari administration in the last 12 months has not only lacked vision but has
demonstrated rabid cluelessness. Twelve months of waste is a tragedy we can
ill-afford and time is of essence in resolving Nigeria’s many
contradictions. Time is the currency of the earth; given by God in the
resolution of issues. Time should not be wasted. It should be invested.
Curiously, we have wasted 12 precious months in the pursuit of trivia instead
of substance. This is a very sad commentary for a government that promised so
much and has delivered so little.
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