PMB, please let’s go

For many of us, getting rid of the corrupt and clueless cabal that controlled Nigeria under the Jonathan administration was a satisfying achievement in itself, and we still believe that the change, personified by Buhari, offers a new hope and a new beginning. That we can even remove a group that were fed up with, […]

For many of us, getting rid of the corrupt and clueless cabal that controlled Nigeria under the Jonathan administration was a satisfying achievement in itself, and we still believe that the change, personified by Buhari, offers a new hope and a new beginning. That we can even remove a group that were fed up with, and give others a chance to run our affairs better, is no mean achievement especially for a tired, dispirited and battered people. We truly were at risk of being turned into slaves in our own motherland. A few weeks into the new regime however, Nigerians are understandably anxious, and those who never believed that change was possible or even desirable are gleefully starting to tickle themselves. What exactly is the problem, and should we, who still believe in PMB, be worried?
In fairness to the President and his party, the full extent of the mess they are inheriting is only now becoming clearer and Nigerians should be a little more patient. Which is not to say that ALL the teething problems were not foreseeable; they were staring us right in the face. Additionally, Buhari needs to open up, and own up, to Nigerians about the true state of affairs and how he intends to tackle things. He needs to keep us on-board and better informed.
Cobbling together a rather rickety party was alright as a means of circumventing the huge war-chest and the “incumbency factor” of a PDP shamelessly using even state institutions to remain in power. The APC leadership should have spared some effort, resources and brain-power to think out how to start building the party into something more cohesive, something beyond an election-winning machine. Even after Buhari won the elections and we all had to endure a very long wait, they should have used the interregnum to prepare an interim, short-term, action plan (for the first one week, one month and 100 days, for example). Besides seminars, sensitization workshops and disparate committees meetings that seemed to be reporting to everyone and no one in particular, there appeared to have been so much sound and motion, and very little action. It is now becoming clear that these steps were either not taken, or not agreed to collectively. It appeared the various groups and interests were slugging it out, jostling for influence or positions. That period was clearly not well utilised.
Now we have entered a new phase. The President is now on seat, and seems focused on the fights against insecurity and corruption. He is trying to put together a working team to deliver on these and other promises. But he is not talking much; and this is becoming a problem. He missed the opportunity to inaugurate the new National Assembly and give us even an inkling of where he is heading. And like everything else in nature, the vacuum that is left is being filled with rumours, speculations and some outright falsehood.
Besides everything else, politics is about ideas, agreements and persuasion. Take just three examples of missed opportunities. After visiting Niger, Cameroon and Chad (with his VP’s visit to the Sudan), or after coming back from the G8 Meeting, he should have given a brief press conference on his new direction in the fight against Boko Haram. Then there is the NNPC Board dissolution; a perfect time to talk about accountability, and the need to be self-reliant in refined products, or whatever. The Directorate of State Security: another chance for sensitizing Nigerians on the importance of professionalism in service and adherence to the rule of law, was lost. Modern communication is not just about The Big Speech, where every new policy direction and initiative is revealed. It is about gradually shaping public opinion, at opportune and/or engineered moments, with small changes, short announcements and sound-bites which gradually unveils the quality of the new product or service being offered. We cannot keep on waiting for the perfect plan and the perfect team. He can still use incomplete date, and the people he can work with, imperfect though they may be.
Worse still, other drivers on the CHANGE fleet are also complaining of lack of fuel, spare parts and even the states of their vehicles. Some are revving their engines, ready to go, but most are just grumbling. Specifically they are saying that their state are broke and cannot even pay salaries? The federal Government should bail them out they all insist. They even sat with Osinbajo at the National Economic Council and bulldozed that agenda, in direct contradiction to what Buhari initially said. Which is ok; but how should we go about that? Just because the CBN bailed those greedy lots that looted our banks with public funds are we to repeat this with the state governments? Who is next? Is it the Dangotes and the Odetolas, when they too get into a fix? Though the provisions of the CBN Act allow it to get governments out of trouble the money must first be appropriated by the National Assembly. Secondly, what guarantees would be put in place to make sure that these same banks that recklessly lent the money to these governments will not, after the CBN pay them these funds, would not turn-around and lend them again to these same state governments again? How can we make sure that even the new governors prioritise payments of salaries and gratuities rather than contacts? Why should banks be encouraged to make stupid and reckless loans and not be penalised as a deterrent against future occurrences? Should the new governors not try to recover the huge up-front payments of pensions and gratuities, as well as the other looted funds, the former governors paid themselves? How can we make sure that these new governors do net end up getting their states heavily indebted again? Where were the CBN, the National Assembly, the DMO and the various state houses of assembly when the mess was being created? Who were the accounting officers that looked-on when the debts were being recklessly accumulated? Should we not ban all those responsible for the mess from ever holding political office again? The problems are many, and we do not fully know what is causing the delay, but the journey needs to begin in earnest or we should be informed about the cause(s) of this disturbing delay.