(46): Now Nigerians Need Patience; Good Luck to Buhari

Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim

@muhsin234

I read and heard that no fewer than 100 souls were lost and dozens of others injured in celebrations over General Buhari’s victory in the 28^th March Nigerian presidential election. How sad and unfortunate! While telling my wife that people were euphoric to that extent, she inadvertently said to me that when we returned to Nigeria in the middle of the year, there would be no more electricity outages, no more Boko Haram terror attacks, and no more unpleasantness. That unrealistic wish left me transfixed, for I have heard and read many others expressing the same or similar expectations, as, to them, the ‘Messiah’ has attained power.

So much has been written about the election and the manner in which President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat. I have, however, yet to see any piece on that hankering of the 15 million plus electorates, most of whom are masses, who voted for Buhari. People yearn for Change—the slogan of his party, APC—in the country. They want a transformed Nigeria where the lives and property of its populace are secured, its economy blossoms, its military might is restored, its public office holders are corruption-free, and, as a whole, its worth and esteem are revived. But I think, in fact, I believe that only a miracle can do that within the four-year tenure provided for Buhari by the constitution.

General Buhari & his deputy, Prof. Osinbajo (left)

The destruction caused by the outgoing government and the previous ones under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is well known. Imagine the country as a house. It will take only a minute or less to demolish it with, for instance, a bomb, but rebuilding the same house will take no less than a week, no matter the technology. This is the condition of Nigeria today.

The President-Elect should carefully and conscientiously use the two months of the transition to organise his government; to ponder and focus; and do everything in no time, for he’s just returning to the office he was once in. We have seen how the current governor of Kano state, Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso did when he came back to power in 2011 after his defeat in 2003. The second tenure was, by all parameters, far more systematised, focused and purposeful. That’s why he’s able to perform well and achieve remarkably.

The General, amidst the usual crowd, during a campaign 

Evidently enough, most of us were only endeared to Buhari after hearing how well he led Nigeria as a military Head of State in the 1980s. A few knew him as head of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) during the General Abacha regime and saw how astutely and efficiently he ran the office. But the Nigeria of today is not of those days. Likewise, the people he governed and with whom he governed are not the same. Although we cherish seeing similar, if not surpassing, achievements, witnessing the contrary is possible for many reasons.

General Buhari now lacks the power he had then, and the country is very, though regrettably, divided mainly along regional and religious lines. Thus, executing many projects and policies will be tougher.

Moreover, the country’s economy is in poor shape, though it’s often described as the largest in Africa. Where, for instance, the US dollar was reportedly equivalent to naira during his leadership in 1984/85, a dollar is now worth more than 200 naira. Worse still, the price of petrol is at its lowest level in the world market, and our foreign reserves are depleted because, as exposed by the former apex bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, billions of dollars are literally missing. Nothing moves without money. Thus, Buhari needs gigantic good fortune to satiate Nigerians’ hunger, while Nigerians require enduring patience to give him space and time to govern.

As Nigerians who believe in and trust in God, we shouldn’t, therefore, forget to regularly wish and pray for the success of this incoming government. And prepare for the change we called for. General Buhari’s victory is ours, for, after all, the country is ours now and always. I believe we would be happier if he records more success than the previous governments. That will set a pace for any subsequent governments to outperform his, thereby putting themselves in the annals of history and in good light.

Long live the General! Long live Nigeria!