I’ll trek to Daura if…

As far as I am concerned, electoral victories and defeats are not significant enough events in themselves for anyone to trek a long distance to make any point about them. Why do I feel so? It is said that Nigeria is populated by about 170 million people. Out of this number, about 15 millions are […]

As far as I am concerned, electoral victories and defeats are not significant enough events in themselves for anyone to trek a long distance to make any point about them. Why do I feel so? It is said that Nigeria is populated by about 170 million people. Out of this number, about 15 millions are said to have voted for Buhari to be president. If you look critically at this figure, only about 5 million voters actually voted FOR Buhari and the other 10 million voted, for various reasons, AGAINST his main opponent which according to the principle of electoral democracy, is appropriated to Buhari. Even more sobering and humbling is the fact that out of the 170 million Nigerians that live, a staggering 155 are either indifferent to Buhari or may not even like him!
Again, in electoral democracy, a candidate can be defeated for various reasons such as the foolishness of the electorate, the anger of the electorate gone too far and the woeful performance or the expert de-marketing of his opponents, which may have nothing to do with his actual performance or the lack of character and competence on his part.
Victory in an election should be celebrated with cautious optimism and not rewarded with an arduous trek because we have too many examples of election heroes who become despised villains sometime as early as three months down the line. And as for defeat, I do not see any much point in celebrating a defeat no matter how gracious the loser took it for anyone to want to trek over 800 kilometres to make any point about it.
In a typical Nigerian fashion of copycatting any innovative or reigning idea, I hereby pledge to join the trekkers. And my own vow is that I will trek from Abuja, where I live, to Daura, Buhari’s home local government area, if within his first term in office he is able to accomplish the following ten important things for Nigeria:
One, if his cabinet is made up of men and women who are bright, competent and honest people of integrity. If he can get Nigerians of these traits only from Daura, or Otuoke or Bekwarra (where yours sincerely hails from) to help him run Nigeria, I will not mind. This slumbering giant can only be awakened to its responsibilities if we have the right kind of people to drive her.
Two, if he takes a bold step to drastically cut down the cost of governance. It is simply scandalous and grossly irresponsible that this nation spends about 80 per cent of its resources annually on administration.
Three, if he takes another bold step to ban all frivolous imports. The list is too long to attempt mentioning the bannable things here. But he can begin by saying that any food or drink not produced in Nigeria here should not be found on our dining tables. He can also insist that anything that has to do with dresses and dressing that is not produced here cannot be allowed in. If he has the courage to do these two alone, he will solve Nigeria’s unemployment problem by about 50 per cent.
Four, if he has the courage to tackle the crisis of education in Nigeria. He can make education become joint priority with insecurity and unemployment which he has identified as his main challenges.
Five, if he is able to wage a sustained national war against guns in private hands, and wins it within the next one year. Nigeria is unsafe to live in simply because there are too many guns in unauthorized hands.
Six, if as a Fulani man he is the one who is able to fix the Fulani Herdsmen Problem in Nigeria which seems to have defied all administrations since independence and has to me become the number one security challenge in Nigeria. When many see our main insecurity problems in terms of Boko Haram, armed robbery and cult activities, I see it as the destabilizing effect of the activities of the nomadic Fulani herdsman.
Seven, if he disbands the present Nigeria Police and re-establishes a brand new police force that can serve a modern democratic society which Nigeria aspires to be.
Eight, if he exercises courage by deregulating the price of petroleum products and abolishing subsidy. It is grossly irresponsible for our government to in one year spend about a quarter of our annual budget in subsidizing petrol consumption.
Nine, if he exhibits uncommon courage by disappointing all those powerful and not so powerful Nigerians who helped him to victory by insisting on doing only what is right, proper and good for Nigeria.
Ten, if he fixes public power supply in Nigeria. And so help Buhari, God. Amen.