SECOND
Republic politician and one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Chief Guy Ike Ikokwu, wants all Nigerians to rally round President
Muhammadu Buhari, to actualise his change agenda or the country will pay direly
for it.
Assessing
the performance of the president since he took over the reins of power 38 days
ago, the lawyer and former Anambra State chairman of the defunct Nigerian
Peoples Party (NPP), said Buhari’s wind change could be made to blow good
tidings for Nigerians within 100 days, if the needful is done. His words: \
By
Clifford Ndujihe, Deputy Political Editor
Nigerians
enamoured by Buhari’s change mantra
The whole of Nigerian nationalities in the last five months
of this year have been enormously enamoured by the change mantra of the
Buhari’s and the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign ideology, which was
vividly summarized on issues of insecurity, economy and corruption, gross
unemployment and electricity.
Since
President Buhari’s inauguration a month ago, he has been engrossed on the
resolution of these issues and his ruling political party, APC, has also been
engrossed in the issues of governance and the objective rather than the
subjective criteria for the implementation of the mantra.
Brewing
impatience
The
Nigerian public is in some way becoming impatient with the seeming lack of
progress as had been expected for the wind of change.
In view of
the fact that our constitution, supposedly federal in character enshrines the
doctrine of the separation of powers and democratic principles and processes,
one must not be tempted as had been in the distant past to believe that a
departure from the above principles would legitimize the diverse methods for
the actualization of the mantra.
Buhari’s
initial good steps
Although
President Buhari’s constituency covers the whole country, it does not necessary
guarantee that his style of governance should be unitary rather than federal.
At the presidential level, it is his duty to tackle the issue of insecurity
which requires both military, political and international solutions. He
realizes these facts and has to the delight of Nigerians and with his
background as a former military personnel of the rank of a general and astute
administrator of the areas in the North East zone of six states, Borno,
Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, has taken on the challenge by visiting
our neighbouring West African states, attending a meeting in Britain, the G7
meeting of major powers, and scheduled a visit to Cameroon and the United
States of America for the urgent resolution of the insurrection of the Boko
Haram.
President
Buhari on the issue of the economy and corruption has begun the probe of the
NNPC and the recovery of several trillions of Naira looted by previous
administrations and public and private moguls. It should be understood that
many public servants and civil servants are indeed richer in wealth and style
of living than some who are still serving or may have retired or opted out of
service with their stolen billions, including ministers and commissioners.
Pervasive
graft, economic depravity
It is also
known and admitted that corruption pervades the very fabric of the Nigerian
nation in both private and public sectors, and among all classes of individuals
and professions and trade and among the various federal, states and local
government structures of all the existing and previous political parties and
colorations.
Restructuring
the polity: This economic depravity is systemic
in nature which is why President Buhari should vigorously, on the basis of the
separation of powers, hand over to the legislature at the national and states
levels, the urgent and immediate task of restructuring the nation.
President
Jonathan had handed over to President Buhari and the National Assembly the 2014
reports of the Abuja National Conference on the issue of restructuring the
nation into a viable fiscal federal culture. The National Assembly has spent
some billions of Naira like the Jonathan administration in discussing and
enumerating several constitutional issues which have to be corrected as a
result of the immense lapses of the 1999 constitution, which was more unitary
than federal in character.
The 1999
constitution was enthroned by the previous military regime rather than the
people of Nigeria.
Diversification
of economy
For the
diversification of the economy which was part of the change mantra there must
be an immediate devolution of powers from the central Abuja level to the zones
and states. Several issues which are exclusive to the central government today
should really be concurrent to enable the Nigerian economy grow at a greater
pace than it is now.
It will
also enable our economy to stop being a mono oil product economy to a
diversified macro and multiple product economy which with discipline and zonal
competition can grow at a rate of not less than 12 per cent per annum as China
had done.
For
instance, the federal government should no longer be the sole authority in the
oil and power sectors of the economy. Local governments should no longer be
sustained by the federal government but should be organized and funded were
necessary by the state governments.
Cultural ambience
The system
of government best suitable to our cultural ambiance is the parliamentary
system where the state governor or premier or administrator is elected by his
own constituency and has a seat in the legislature. Most Nigerians do not like
the present system of executive governance in the states whereby the governors
of all political parties are financially reckless and absolutely abusing their
powers which has personalized the system of governance without any mode of
accountability. In a parliamentary system a governor who is unable to pay the
wages of its statutory workers would certainly lose his seat in a vote of no
confidence and be replaced by another commissioner. This system strengthens the
position of the political parties during and after elections.
It reduces
the evil of corruption which was enhanced by the military which abolished our
parliamentary democracy into the executive personalized unitary system.
Virtually
all the previous and present governors of the states in Nigeria are guilty of
financial recklessness and indictment by the EFCC and have used the false
doctrine of immunity to shroud their economic misdeeds. The 2014 Abuja confab
decisions have certainly taken care of most of these problems.
Reducing
cost of governance
The other
crucial issue on the economy which Buhari and the APC should immediately
address is the issue of the cost of governance across the country. It should be
reduced by 50 per cent and it should be made a constitutional issue that the
capital expenditure ratio should not be less than 60 per cent while the
recurrent expenditure should never be more than 40 per cent. The national and
state legislative expenditure as well as those of the Executive and
administration should be reduced by half and their number should also be
trimmed down. Constituency projects, wardrobe allowance, bogus travelling
allowances and too many vehicles should be reduced or scrapped. Imagine the
recent case of where over 20 vehicles were retrieved from the wives of a state
governor.
Indeed the
recurrent expenditure in most cases should be 30 per cent so that privatization
and governance of the economy should be the mode rather than the exception.
Actualising
change in 100 days
The
yearning of the majority of Nigerians can be achieved this year within the next
100 days if President Buhari’s administration takes the bull by the horn. The
reduction of the ministerial appointees at the central and state levels should
be guaranteed constitutionally.
Imagine
the smallest state in the South-East recently appointing more commissioners
than other states. This state is one of those wallowing in huge public debt,
unfinished projects and unpaid salaries and pensions. A state in the South-West
is guilty of this enormous profligacy of unpaid salaries, while financial
recklessness and abuse of powers is dominant and the governor is one of those
chanting the change mantra.
The
resultant change will be manifest and the issue of patience will endear itself
to the majority of Nigerians who are prepared to make sacrifices today for a
better future for their children born and unborn and for the new Nigerian
Nation.
Both the
presidency and the legislature at the National Assembly have 100 days each for
the transformation agenda in their change mantra. If the Boko Haram
insurrection is not suppressed in the Northern Region, to make way for the
economic transformation of the North East zone, in particular, Nigerians will
become disillusioned.
On the
other hand, the National Assembly can within the next 100 days achieve the
constitutional restructuring of the nation into a truly federal nation with a
truly fiscal federal structure in other to pave the way for the diversification
of the economy, enhancement of education and employment and a rapid increase in
the electrification of the urban and rural areas of the country.
The time
is now and Nigerians have the capacity to claim the above areas of
transformation and change mantra. This change can come but if it doesn’t, it
would lead to total disillusionment, disenfranchisement, apathy, inequities and
separatist tendencies of all sorts to our own political, economic, social and
cultural detriment.
