Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was marred by a series of unorthodox policies that left Nigerians frustrated and poorer, despite the current president’s visible efforts to revamp the ghastly failures of his predecessor.
Before he was elected the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the media hype surrounding Buhari got one thinking that at last, the messiah to fix Nigeria was here. So much was said about his disciplinary abilities and detribalized stance that Nigerians couldn’t wait to have him take command. Jonathan had been vilified and crucified before then and rightfully voted out of office. A sitting president was humiliated! And Jonathan left without a whimper! On assumption of office, however, Buhari began his reign by attending to his health; he stayed so long overseas in this regard to earn the name ‘Baba go-slow’. Once he returned, he kept Nigerians guessing about his ministerial lists and after what seemed like ages, he produced what had already been over-flogged in the media. From then onwards, Nigerians began to have a taste of what his government would be like.
While his ‘baba go-slow’ tag grew in leaps and bounds, Buhari began to demonstrate strange symptoms of governance that left Nigerians reeling. His government simply left Nigerians at their peril. Instead of the messiah, fear gripped Nigerians and things began to turn upside down. Outside government, Nigerians saw the reverse as demented people took over the forests and streets. Bandits and kidnappers began to ply their trade as “legitimate”. Insurgency sparked up and when Herdsmen reared their heads against farmers, blood began to flow. The nation moved from one crisis to the other with Buhari having no clue as to what to do. Videos of ravaged villages began to emerge and the race for arms build-up by foreign aliens appeared on social media. Bewildered Nigerians were too shell-shocked to ask questions. Pictures of farmers gruesomely murdered in Borno, Yobe, and Taraba soon burst into the open and the fear that had gripped Nigerians rose sharply. Within the government, repressive policies became the order of the day and everyone soon got tired and depressed. Lopsidedness in federal appointments was elevated to another angle and the spirit of nepotism was reinforced!
Despite the hue and cry from the public space, Buhari kept mute and never uttered a word. He was soon pictured with a toothpick, and watching ‘network’ news on television depicting total aloofness. With hunger and starvation threatening, news began to filter into Buhari’s extensive borrowing habit, especially from China. It was said afterward that the World Bank and IMF had gotten fed up with Nigeria’s uncontrolled appetite for borrowing which made them shut their doors! From borrowing, the news turned to the crude oil sector, where it was affirmed that Nigeria’s crude oil, up to the third ‘generations’ had been sold by Buhari and his agents. Not done yet, a new lexicon known as “ways and means” emerged. Explained, ‘ways and means’ are known as ‘methods and resources for accomplishing something and especially for defraying expenses’. Boy, what a crafty tactic for stealing! Through this strategy, the Buhari administration heartlessly swallowed trillions of naira. At the last count, when it was accounted for, over 35 trillion was said to have been stolen! Let’s not talk about ‘Loans and advances’ from banks which were tragically abused. With the lame duck National Assembly under the opaque Ahmed Lawan ‘rubber stamping’ every move!
Buhari was unstoppable and would later prove to be a total misfit. And the nation stagnated. Upon this glaring fact, insecurity assumed such a frightening proportion that rocked the nation. As if that was not enough, Buhari and his henchmen dug into their basket of sadistic agenda and yanked out the hated “Ruga Policy”. This was supposed to be a policy to reduce the raging herders-farmer’s conflicts, but was seen as a ploy by Buhari’s tribal tacticians to rob the rest of the nation of their much-priced lands! Next was the controversial National Water Resources Bill much to the chagrin of coastal states; it was rightly seen as an attempt at a power grab by the federal government as it tries to take control of waters through the ‘back door’ to give free reign to herder’s rampage in the country. First presented in 2017 and exhumed in 2020, it was traumatized Nigerians that watched as the policy resurfaced again and again; so much for the man they had been ‘elevated’ as a ’messiah’.
The Ruga Policy and the controversial Water Bill all but thrashed by stronger opposition in the National Assembly, were Buhari’s worst gamble in the history of Nigeria! Even when there arose a peaceful demonstration by youths to force government attention on their plight, it was turned into a tribal uprising, and government machinery was mobilized to suppress the demonstrators. No wonder when Buhari’s administration mercifully came to an end, Nigerians jokingly sought for ‘survival certificate’. It was sheer horror watching the eight bloody years come to an ignoble end! Poor Nigerians; they have never had it so bad! Now, enter President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, largely known as “showman”, a.k.a.” Eko for show”, within the political circles. Contrary to the lingering fears, Tinubu came in amidst heavy suspicion that he was a Buhari acolyte. But he immediately set about distancing himself from the horror that was Buhari. Like the fighter he is, Tinubu knew that he had to plug all the loopholes and leakages which he did in grand style. Next, he promptly raised the bar of governance by sending away all the bad eggs dumped on Nigerians by his predecessor.
By resisting borrowing, Tinubu now dug into the vast resources of Nigeria and began to read the riot act, setting the rules; he began to open other vistas of hope and put square pegs in round holes. Next, he set policies in place to revive the sagging infrastructures and even now people can attest to the tremendous changes in Abuja, the seat of government that was abandoned. Tinubu threw away the controversial National Water Resources Bill and Ruga Policy and immediately established the Ministry of Livestock to the admiration of every Nigerian. Not leaving any stone unturned, Tinubu swiftly granted the Local government autonomy to operate. With this striking move, it is expected that development will come to the grassroots, something that was almost an abomination in the Buhari administration. As if that wasn’t enough, Tinubu knew the vast potentials of each region if harnessed would double their revenue and create employment; that’s the reason behind the creation of the various commissions in the six geopolitical regions within 365 days!
The unnecessary fear that enveloped the country in the days of Buhari is now giving way to a friendly atmosphere with travelers relishing the peace and tranquility of road travel. The fear of bandits has abated and so of kidnapping. The law enforcement agents are now united in their course, not any more of tribal colorations. Buhari’s bloody regime that painted Nigeria as another ‘Afghanistan’ in the making has gradually receded into history. Pray, that Nigeria would never again experience such a disaster. We now have what is called a ‘sane society’ and life coming back to normal. Tinubu is showing the way how to do it; he may be hugely criticized by some elements in the ‘North’, but the results are glaring. Knowing that we are in the age of digitalization, Tinubu is wasting no time embarking on that channel; he has now zeroed in on taxes as well as compulsory collection of taxes. He is looking at payment of the various NPA Fees through established platforms just like it is with MTN and PHCN. Tinubu wants payments to come through Applications which would drastically eliminate fraud; he is looking the same way for Vehicle Registration and other processes.
The civil service is now undergoing reforms and directors who have spent eight years asked to quit. The National Grid neglected for donkey years is about to have different sets. Nigeria only has one functional Grid at the moment. Tinubu is thinking of streamlining enforcement agencies at the Ports and any moment from now we may witness the scrapping of nonfunctional or duplicate ministries! Unlike the Buhari era when safety was nonexistent, these days the case is the reverse. Though it is not yet Eldorado, the signs are encouraging. Bandits have been arrested as did Kidnappers; insurgency has greatly ebbed and the military is up and doing. There are still grounds for improvement though; the encouraging news is that the impunity that reigned during the herders-farmer’s clashes has long vanished. No longer were gunmen emerging from the hills of Benue to unleash violence as was the hallmark in the Buhari era. Today, Nigerians can see for themselves the difference between Buhari and Tinubu. They dare not lose this freedom; it is a treasure that should be nurtured!
