God in his infinite power has offered Bola Ahmed Tinubu an opportunity to make a difference, especially to those people that don’t believe in his capacity to deliver due to their political reasons. Bola Tinubu is indeed taking over a government that is complex and complicated to handle, with humongous financial debt, increased population, unemployment, fear of disintegration, and corruption, among other stumbling blocks and perturbing factors.
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration had accomplished a lot, especially in the areas of infrastructure; agriculture, security, and social investment programmes but scored so low in the areas of education and proper management of public resources. The outlook of many Nigerian states has improved significantly as the federal government in synergy with state governments recorded gigantic projects, involving the construction of good road networks, bridges, housing estates, schools, and hospitals across state capitals and rural areas, among others.
Unexpectedly, Nigerians have experienced an unprecedented case of corrupt practices under the Buhari administration, meaning the mechanism and strategies put in place by the administration were not sufficient and had little or no effect on such practices which are the core impediment to the country’s growth and development. It’s crystal clear that the fight against corruption in Nigeria’s public offices has not been as successful as the administration has claimed. Since Buhari has failed in that aspect, President Tinubu’s new administration should re-strategise on how to fight corruption to a standstill, which if not done immediately, the country’s resources will continue to be embezzled and shared between few insincere and greedy politicians who perceive Nigeria’s resources as a national cake.
Nonchalantly, the Buhari administration had undoubtedly paid little or no attention to the educational sector. The education sector has experienced the highest level of deterioration as schools from the basic to the tertiary level experienced setbacks as a result of poor or improper funding from the government. Worse still, the federal government failed to honour the agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which led to the incessant industrial actions carried out by the union that posed a great setback to Nigerian universities. Consequently, both lecturers and students in Nigerian universities have continued to experience a lot; in coping with poor infrastructure or an inconducive learning environment. Tinubu being a Yoruba man from the South-west is believed to have value for education and has a particular package and lots to offer to Nigeria’s deteriorated education system.
Fortunately, the Buhari administration has done an excellent job in the area of security as peace returned to Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, among other North-eastern states that were highly bedeviled by the Boko Haram insurgency. Besides, the issue of kidnapping and armed banditry in mostly North-western states has escalated. However, measures have been taken and the crime rate has dropped drastically to a convincing level. The new government should redouble such efforts to make sure that peace finally returns to our land, which will enable people to carry out their farming and other day-to-day activities.
Lastly, another herculean task ahead of the newly elected president is the appointment of his cabinet. Those people have a significant role to play in making or marring the administration. This is because many political appointees have disappointed Buhari even despite the truest bestowed on them. Squandering unimaginable amounts of public funds and the poor justice system ended up setting them free. Therefore, great individuals with an undiluted spirit of patriotism and corruption-free records should be appointed regardless of religion, region, or political party.
Mubarak Shuaybu Shelleng, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, Borno state.
 | ReplyForward |
