As Buhari prepares to take charge

On Friday May 29, 2015 history will be made in our country as Muhammadu Buhari becomes the first opposition leader to defeat an incumbent. In our checkered political history, nothing of such has ever happened. There is always a way that an incumbent wins. They call it “by hook or crook”. They also call it a “do or die”. Whatever may be the motivation truth is told, incumbents have always had their way. They always manage to leave the opposition sulking. In our case, they make it so bad that the opposition ends up in court with a faint hope. In the end, it is usually two years of frustration at the courts with the usual pronouncement of the winner won.

In the event that the process is terribly flawed like the 2007 general elections that brought in Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, the Supreme Court becomes diplomatic with their judgment. According to them, in such instance, they don't want to create chaos by removing the president. And you begin to wonder what they think of the petitioner? They should have gone ahead, not allow litigation in the first instance. But this scenario goes a long way to tell the story of how we got to where we are right now. The card reader devices, which were used for accreditation, Prof. Attahiru Jega's personality, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari's personal integrity, disaffection among the masses against the ruling party, and the birth of a widespread opposition party, combined to rout the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Yet again, are there expectations? Very well, and it should be so. Apart from the many promises made by the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, the challenges out there, especially in the last couple of months, is enormous. Again, we are back to petrol scarcity at a proportion we have never experienced before. Around the country, companies have no option but to close down operations. Reports have it that several media houses are shutting down operations. Radio and television stations are mostly affected. In the real sector, the story is even worse. Many factories just can't continue because of the dearth of diesel to power machines or petrol to get workers to work. Cost of transportation has gone up in some cases, 500 percent. Public electricity supply has embarrassingly become abysmal. Less than 1, 000 mega watts in a country in need of 30, 000; yet over $9 billion have been invested by this administration alone.

Salaries are being owed across the nation by both federal and state governments. Yes, our revenue from oil has dwindled but it is not that bad. We still sell crude at between $50-60 per barrel. There are non oil sectors that governments earn income. In the end, so many contractors are owed. These coupled with several other challenges is enough to scare the faint hearted. But what is government about?

So, beyond the euphoria of the great triumph is the task at hand. We do not envy the president-elect. His job is cut out for him already and like he admitted, he was the one that sought for and got the job, so no excuses. The only excuse we can oblige him is to plead with Nigerians for patience. However, there must be time lines of what needs to be done. There must also be public relations accomplishments within months that should be used to quench expectations. At times like this, all hands must be on deck and all thieves (and corrupt tendencies) must exit government buildings. We need all our monies to work for all our peoples. We also need our best brains and best skills to work for the in-coming administration. We are in crisis, at least for the first two years. Therefore, the regime deserves the support of all the country.

Even at the state levels, the same scenario must be replicated. It is heart warming that in Kwara, the government does not owe salaries. It shows a level of prudence in public finance management. But the government should go beyond that to look for more creative ways to double, if not triple its revenue, so that more job opportunities could be created. There are still many public works to be done. There are roads and bridges that deserve attention. There are homes yet to be built, although we recommend that the state government partners with mortgage banks or device the Lagos method to conserve public funds. That Lagos template ensures that those who need homes are the beneficiaries.

We can't wait for May 29th, especially for the hope it holds.

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