Can the change Nigerians expect now begin?

Now that President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet ministers have been sworn in after four months of waiting, plus another month of Senate screening, and then another week of anticipation and ministerial retreat before official inauguration, can the change Nigerians yearn for now begin to be delivered?

Can the betterment of our lives and country now begin to manifest please? I ask these questions because much time has been lost already. Surprisingly, however, it doesn’t appear the All Progressives Congress (APC) government fully realises that every moment counts, or that it really has no time to waste, or that Nigerians may soon run out of patience with it!

Back in July, President Buhari had announced he would not appoint ministers until September, saying that such appointments “cannot and should not be rushed.” He made this known in an article he authored titled“Nigeria committed to good governance and fighting terror”, which was published by the Washington Post on Monday, July 20, 2015, shortly before he met President Barack Obama during his well-publicised visit to the US.

Then, President Buhari maintained that it was pertinent for him to take his time to select the right persons who would work for him even as it was also necessary for him to put in place rules of conduct and good governance.

“When cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. It is worth noting that Obama himself did not have his full Cabinet in place for several months after first taking office; the United States did not cease to function in the interim. In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead, Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place,” he stated.

To further buttress his point, President Buhari mentioned that the examples of previous governments for which it can be said that good management and governance were instituted at a national level since Nigeria’s independence are few. He informed Nigerians it was this lack of governance framework that allowed many of the former political office holders in charge, devoid of any real checks and balances, to plunder.

He said the fact that he was seeking President Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former corrupt officials, is testament to how badly Nigeria has been run, accounts for the prevalence of corrupt practices, and why the fight against Boko Haram insurgency had not yielded much result.

Of course, public reactions were varied. While some expressed disappointment at the long delay and felt Nigerians ‘had entered one chance with the APC’ because the President, through the way he carried on, didn’t come across as someone who really prepared for governance despite having contested for the office on three previous occasions before his success at the fourth attempt, others said it wasn’t too long a time to wait for. They explained that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, which had been in power for 16 years, and which Nigerians had justly punished for its impunity, seeming tolerance for corruption, and under-performance by voting out, created a huge mess that would take some time to clear up.

Despite the arguments and counter arguments, however, it was Nigerians and the country’s economy that suffered for it on many fronts while the waiting game lasted. The hitherto tough living conditions of the average Nigerian got further battered. You hear many complaining of how difficult it is to make ends meet. Even the rich and generally well-to-do were not left out in the “bandwagon of complainants.” There have been several job losses especially in the construction and banking industry as well. Foreign investors also adopted a ‘let’s-wait-and-see’ posture.

And so, it is assumed that before he inaugurated the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, the President and his kitchen cabinet already put in place such necessary framework and rules of engagement necessary for good governance which he pinpointed as one of the reasons for delaying the formation of his cabinet.  It’s thus expected that Nigeria and Nigerians will be getting better value from these new ministers and others who will be assigned to run the affairs of government than we’ve ever gotten. That would be awesome. Fantastic. Great.

Truth be told, at no other time has the expectations of Nigerians from any government at the federal level been higher than that of this administration. Nigerians, from Sokoto to Port Harcourt and from Lagos to Maiduguri, expect a better deal under the Buhari government. That’s why the President and his party cannot continue to take the patience Nigerians have exercised so far for granted. Before long, the government will be rigorously taken to task on many of its campaign promises.

Already, PDP senators have demanded that the APC government starts paying N5, 000 monthly stipends to unemployed Nigerian youths according to its campaign promises. While there are those who feel the PDP should rather keep its mouth shut, asking if the party itself paid any kobo to unemployed Nigerians while in office, a fact which cannot be faulted is that the APC indeed made such promise. And the party has no one but itself to blame if it failed to do its homework well before making such promises.

Moreover, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), through its National President Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, on Thursday said that five months after President Buhari assumed office; Nigerians were yet to feel the change mantra. Kaigama spoke while addressing construction workers at the 10th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association, CCESSA, in Abuja. The TUC wants the government to know that the change mantra of its ruling party was not just going after corrupt officials. This came as construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc announced plans to downsize its workforce due to government’s indebtedness to construction companies in the country.

It’s November already. The government must therefore commence serious work in all sectors of our national life. It must get ready to present its scorecard in relation to its covenant with Nigerians via its party manifesto. By May 29, 2016, the government would be one year in office. What would it list as its achievements? Some explanations as to how it might not be able to deliver on some promises may be understood with the grim reality of dwindling oil revenues. But excuses that are not excusable will not be tolerated.

The party must remember that if it fails to live up to expectations after raising the hopes of the people, it would, in one way or the other, pay dearly for it even if it feels Nigerians won’t be ready to give the PDP another chance at the federal level so soon in 2019 when the next Presidential elections hold.

Therefore, if the President failed to hit the ground running immediately he came into office, I believe his ministers should not miss the opportunity of making first impressions and quick impact. Like President Buhari charged them after they were sworn-in, they must proceed to work speedily. Nigerians have loads of expectations.

They want the revamping of the economy, the strengthening of security across the country, the expansion of roads and infrastructure, fixing power, addressing youth employment, and curbing corruption from these team that includes distinguished leaders like Babatunde Raji Fashola, who is now Minister for Power, Works and Housing; Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; Rotimi Amaechi, New Transportation Minister; and Prof. Isaac Adewole, former Vice Chancellor of Universitty of Ibadan who is now Health Minister.

I believe these new ministers generally have what it takes to take Nigeria to the next level and give citizens a cheery new story of governance in our country if they put their minds to it. My prayer is that they deliver and move our country forward. Nigerians have been misgoverned and traumatised long enough. This should be the time for our country to change. Change for the better. It’s what the APC promised. It’s what Nigerians expect. That’s why failure cannot be an option.