By Ayobamiji Komolafe
Nothing beats the new hopes, increased expectations and greater aspirations that usher in new administrations.
May 29th, 2015 was a day millions of Nigerians earnestly looked forward to as Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in alongside his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo by Chief Justice Mahmud Mohammed as the 15th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Fourth President in the Fourth Republic after taking the oath of office.
The Buhari/Osinbajo administration was launched with the ‘CHANGE’ Mantra. This shifted the focus and energy of expectant Nigerians from fighting the old to building a new Nigeria. This expectation of newness was solidified as the Millennials recall from history the attributes of Buhari in waging war against corruption and his capacity to end insecurity as a former military head of state between 1983 to 1985.
A record which sent shivers down the spines of political rogues and uniformed cankerworms who have milked the country dry of it fortunes.
Customary is the appointment of kitchen cabinet members to kickstart the administration. A process that largely defines the success or failure an administration will record.
In the two term tenure which commenced in 2015 to 2023, Nigeria witnessed the good,bad and ugly dished out by different political appointees and administrators under the watch of Mohammadu Buhari.
Every cloud has a silver lining and so does Buhari’s administration. The major leaps recorded can be seen in; Infrastructure (Rails, Roads, Sea and Airports. Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 8, 352.94km of roads were constructed or rehabilitated, 1.6km second Niger Bridge amongst others).
Job Creation: Establishment of N-Power on 8 June 2016, 339, 955 jobs directly related to road construction project, 2, 990 technical staff hired for the 130 contractors laboratories spread across the six geo-political zones, others created through the various Federal ministries.
Education and Health: 94 more universities were licensed taking the total number of registered universities to 222 from 1128 tho with no appropriate funding system.
Social Investment and Poverty Alleviation: National social Investment Programme in 2016, conditional cash transfer (CCT), grants, survival funds, National Youth Investment Fund.
Housing, Water Resources, Digital Economy (Launch of the 5G policy in 2021).
It’ll be worthy of note that Nigeria experienced the first private refinery built by Aliko Dangote at the cost of 19billion Dollars and with the refining capacity of 650000 barrels per day. A boom to the petroleum sector, economy and employment system of the country.
The hopes of many Nigerians were dashed with the activities of some high-handed political warlords and Aso Rock Mafias who operated under Buhari’s watch despite his seeming detestation for corruption.
According to the International Centre for Investment Rep, here are some few names available in the public domain. Babachir Lawal, Former Secretary of the Federation was involved in a grass cutting scandal, Kemi Adeosun, former Finance Minister who presented a forged NYSC Exemption Letter for her screening into office, Ibrahim Magu, Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was involved in corruption scandal, Ahmed Idris, former Accountant General of the Federation got himself in the web of 170billion naira fraud, Usman Yusuf amongst others who will be getting away with their various fraudulent practices and corruption crimes.
Also, it will be on record that the Buhari Administration experienced a heavy wave of youth migration-(the JAPA Syndrome) from the country in search of safety and greener pasture. This threatened the country’s labour market and left the skilled labour sector especially health sector understaffed with staggering number of professionals left.
Sadly, the security architecture of the country and wealth of knowledge one would think President Buhari has garnered being a former Military Officer failed him in curbing insecurities in the country especially the notorious activities of the Boko Haram, kidnappers as they rampage every nook and cranny of the country rendering people hopeless and rendering the good citizens of Nigeria destitutes. The Nigerian Police Force who could have provided a shield shifted from their major responsibilities of providing safety to victimizing and brutalizing young Nigerians. The barbaric act which metamorphosed into the ‘Endsars Protest’ by concerned youths aiming it would bring an end to these unprincipled ethics of these uniformed security men but if the protest achieved its aim or not is a story for another day but it is a historic activity Nigerian Youths will never forget.
No thanks to the global Covid19 outbreak in the year 2020 that exposed the rotten and shameful health sector a country with over 200million population relies upon in providing medical services to its citizens. Many prominent Nigerians who couldn’t escape abroad in their usual manner to seek medical help due to the ban placed on foreign travels got caught in the web of the deadly virus and lost their lives. The country’s neglected health sector failed many other Nigerians who lost their lives cheaply to the cold hands of death because there were no reliable medical resources and facilities to salvage their lives.
The likes of Leah Sharibu of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi and other school children struggling in the nest of kidnappers till date is another quiet burden heavy in the hearts of Nigerians and most especially their parents, daily hoping to reunite with their children someday.
Another disaster by Buhari’s administration was the 8months strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to press home their demands for better welfare package and university revitalisation fund. During this period, the education sector was thrown into confusion and students who are the major victims are yet to recover fully from the numerous setbacks created in the academic calendar.
The last straw that broke Nigerians back and rendered them totally hopeless was the fuel scarcity that surged late 2022 and early months of 2023. Coupled with the unstructured Naira Redesign Policy introduced by the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele in the wake of 2023 General Elections, Nigerians were subjected to untold hardships to access their heard earned funds . These acts threw many businesses into a state of comatose while some survived this ugly trend, others couldn’t make it to the end of the saga.
On the rising of this day, May 29th 2023 where the Government transitions and teeming Nigerians welcome a new administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his Vice, Kashim Shettima under the aegis of ‘RENEWED HOPE’.
We HOPE we can enjoy the adventures that comes with travelling our roads without the panic attack that comes from kidnappers who have made an abode for themselves on our main roads and highways.
We HOPE migrating youths can now be eager to return to a country they can call theirs with pride and their shoulders high.
We HOPE we wouldn’t keep nightwatch over each other for the fear of rampaging killers and herdsmen terrorizing our communities.
We HOPE the’ lazy’ Nigerian Youths will be diligently engaged in skilled and unskilled labour.
We HOPE we are bidding farewell to the convulsing power sector.
We HOPE our HOPES will not be dashed again.
Written by Ayobamiji Komolafe, a Public Affairs Analyst on the occasion of the 16th Presidential Inauguration.