In this report, TOPE SUNDAY writes about the citizens’ agenda for the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The 2023 presidential election has been lost and won despite its alleged irregularities. However, regardless of the divergent views over the process, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emerged as the 16th president of Nigeria. Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is also a former governor of Lagos state, was declared as the winner of the February 25 Presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and subsequently presented with the certificate of return.
Expectations
Nigerians have high hopes for his government and subsequently set an agenda for him.
35% youth affirmative action
While reacting to Tinubu’s emergence as the president-elect, the president, Nigeria Youth Congress (NYC), Comrade Blessing Akinlosotu, who noted that the election process was an improvement over the previous ones, called on him to work closely with the youth.
Akinlosotu also told Blueprint Weekend that the next president should give the Nigerian youth 35 per cent affirmative action in his government, which would give them a sense of belonging.
He said: “I believe that the Presidential and the National Assembly elections have been won and lost. Though the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections will be held on March 11, I strongly believe that we can consolidate what we have. So in terms of law, we have to move forward in trying to see how to catch up with the Western world.
“However, this is the best time he (Tinubu) should sit with all the youth stakeholders to formulate policies that will be beneficial to the youth. I will keep repeating that youths should be given 35 per cent youth affirmative action in the next government. Women are given 35 or 40 per cent affirmative action, and we as youths are also calling for it. We can’t continue to be appointed as SAs and PAs, all the time. We need to manage the leadership positions in the federal government agencies such as managing directors, executive secretaries, and directorship positions.
“He should work closely with the youth. He needs to tap into the potential of the younger generation who are all ready to give their best. They should be integrated into government programmes and policies. His government should convoke a youth stakeholders’ summit where issues that will be beneficial to the youth will be discussed. As a matter of urgency, he should constitute a youth policy drafting committee to guide him on the programmes and policies that will encourage youths’ active involvement and engagement.”
Govt of national unity
On his part, a lecturer at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Mr. Femi Fayomi, who said despite all odds, Tinubu became the president-elect, advised him to form a government of national unity to assuage his political camps.
Fayomi said that he should unite the country because according to him, 35 percent of Nigeria’s population voted for him, and urged him to be magnanimous in victory.
He said: Well, against all odds, Mr. Timubu is the President-elect. Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu should be magnanimous and humble in victory because the number of the electorate against his choice was far more than the 35% that voted for him. He should reach out to all the leading contestants with him, he needs to desist from the euphoria that he won convincingly because of his political dexterity.
“He needs to put in place measures and strategies towards uniting the nations as 2/3 of the states in Nigeria expressed their overwhelming support for his opponents. He must quickly hit the ground running from day one. He should not repeat the mistakes made by President Buhari who used almost six months before forming his cabinet.
“The government of national unity will not be a bad idea for the smooth take-off of his administration. He also needs to maintain a cordial relationship with the National Assembly, it is expedient for him to know that Nigeria is more bigger and complex to administer than Lagos state where he governed for eight years”.
He should also ensure that the lingering issue of strike action which has been responsible for the ASUU face-off with the federal government is quickly attended to. It will not be out of place if he approves the request of ASUU as soon as he assumes office.
The task ahead of Mr. President-elect is daunting. He should jettison all primordial tendencies and sentiments that will derail his actions toward providing purposive and impactful governance. I wish him good luck.
New leadership style
However, an Abuja resident, Mr. Stephen Oyebola, a painter, urged him to employ a different leadership style that would differentiate him from his predecessor. He also called on the president-elect to make ‘money available’, and address the shortcomings of the Naira redesign, which he said had crippled Nigeria’s economy.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the new president and this has been confirmed by INEC, he is just waiting for his inauguration. He should not be like his predecessor. He should make money available for Nigerians. Also, I am expecting him to re-address the Naira Redesign policy which is giving us a problem. As he did in Lagos, he should create more jobs for our teeming youths. If he does this, Nigerians will be happy with his government,” he said.
Security architecture
In his view, an Abuja-based journalist, Mr. Mathew Dennis, called on the in-coming president to quickly fix the country’s security architecture, clear the bandits’ no-go-area, and as well provide solutions to the naira crunch challenges.
“The new president-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, should, as a matter of priority, fix the security architecture of this country. He should clear the bandits in the ‘no- go -area ‘ so that Nigerians can move and conduct their activities freely with rancour. He should provide lasting solutions to the non-availability of the new Naira notes which has been crippling the economy and the high inflation,” he said.
A don’s admonition
However, a lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Dr. Oniye Ridwanullahi Kolapo, advised Tinubu to overhaul the country’s education system, adding that he separated governance from politics.
He said: “Well, any country that really means the business of growth and development will not joke with education. So, the new President should not treat education with levity. In fact, our education should not only be restructured, but overhauled. Take, for instance, a person studying economics or political science in Nigeria will be taught topics like Socialism, Communism, the definition and brief meaning of capitalism, and all sorts of trash that are not relevant to modern-day economic and socio-political realities.
“In a nutshell, our education is nothing to write home about and it must be urgently looked into by taking practical and brave decisions that will lead to educational reform. Another saddening and highly nauseating thing I have observed about this nation is that we play politics with almost everything. So, I will urge the new President to separate politics from governance.
“Take for instance; I believe some political appointments should only be given to technocrats and bureaucrats, not necessarily politicians. Ministers of Health, Petroleum, Finance, Education, and some other key technically strategic positions should not be used to settle political scores, but be given to experts with or without political affiliation(s).
“What about religious chauvinism and tribal jingoism? All these are pointers to the fact that we are sitting on gun power which may soon explode until and unless something is done about it. So, politics should be treated as politics while governance should be treated as governance.
“Let me take one more, the agitations of youths should not be taken lightly. I am not a prophet of doom, but if care is not taken, a more brutal protest than ENDSARS which may soon lead to outrageous revolution may sooner or later take place in this country. Why? An average youth in this country battles with one problem or the other which is directly caused by the actions and inactions of our leaders, hence, sees our leaders as his enemies.”
