BUHARI'S FIRST TERM: THE REAL CHANGE NIGERIANS NEED

"Vision without Action is merely a dream. Action without Vision just passes the time. Vision with Action can change the world - Joel Barker"

It is no longer news that after three failed and agonising attempts, retired Army General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2015 Presidential election with a victory over the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We offer him our congratulations, and wish him well in his new assignment as the democratic president of the most populous black nation in the world.

The celebrative victory party for Muhammadu Buhari and the APC will be over by May 29, 2015 when he is sworn in as President. Once General Buhari assumes office, the clock will begin to tick in this defining period of his presidency. Nigerians would be on the lookout to see the key policy plan and direction, as well as the basis of prioritization which the new government intends to implement towards achieving its political objectives.

This is expedient because as soon as the defining period is over, political opponents and the people will get curious and judgemental, making it difficult for the incoming government to execute acute policy shifts.

It is very important during this period that General Buhari and the APC pick their "moves" and decide their battles carefully, in order to sustain their momentum throughout their term in office.

Nevertheless, the President-elect has to contend with a legacy of grave economic and social problems, such as the prevailing massive public corruption; the mass unemployment particularly of university graduates; the fall in the price of oil and the consequences of this for the national revenue that has declined by nearly 50 percent; the Boko Haram insurgency; the continuing threat to public safety, law and order; the rising cost of public administration and the decaying infrastructure; all of which constitute major impediments to Nigeria's overall economic growth.

Nigerians will expect the new APC Federal Government to vigorously pursue their campaign promises anchored on three main pillars of eliminating corruption, eradicating Boko Haram and reforming the economy. It is a tall and formidable order.

Whether Buhari can solve all these economic and social problems in the first term of his administration will largely depend on the priorities of his government. Of these, stemming the tide of corruption, strengthening the judiciary and the anti-graft agencies, ensuring public order and security; remains the most critical for political stability.

Next to this is a massive review of our current economic strategy that has grown the economy but has failed to create adequate jobs. Nigeria's efforts to diversify the structure of the economy away from the mainstay of oil exports have not yielded much fruits, leaving us still utterly dependent on the vagaries of an economy based largely on oil exports and revenue.

To achieve this economic revival and growth, public corruption must be stamped out ruthlessly. Without doing so, no economic strategy will work in Nigeria.

It is worthy of note that the President-elect has accurately identified demons of corruption and insecurity as the twin evils bedeviling Nigeria which must be wrestled down. The wellspring of political support to tackle political corruption and mismanagement in Nigeria will never run dry throughout General Buhari's entire term in office.

Nigerians are sick and tired of the graft and mismanagement that has plagued the country for over half a century. Therefore, they are hopeful that this time, there will be change for the better.

It is commendable that the President-elect has laid down the marker for his government, with his affirmation that prospective political appointees must publicly declare their assets and liabilities. Buhari's government must consolidate on this by ensuring it remains fiscally responsible and that all of its activities are carefully monitored and sustained in the long term.

It is instructive to remind the President-elect that corruption issues in Nigeria needs to be dealt with through institutional approach to avoid people branding it as political.

General Buhari should understand that he cannot fight graft alone, but could by strengthening watchdog institutions - Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) - with financial and freedom muscle to perform; deploy credible and capable people to run the agencies. With specialized court to deal with corruption cases, specialized judges will be able to deal with such cases as quickly as possible.

To support the fight against corruption, the new government needs to initiate a complete socio-political rebirth that cuts across all spectrum of the society.

Sadly, discipline, integrity, hard work, honesty, and selflessness among other hitherto revered virtues in our society have taken the back seat. Nigerians are now inclined to materialism and primitive wealth accumulation, which is partly responsible for the rot in our socio-political system.

It is surprising that many public servants whose salary cap are around N1 million would build state-of-the-art mansions, ride the most current SUVs and live in luxury; and nobody raises an eye.

The rippling effect created by this unchecked practice is also responsible for the rot in our civil service. Governments across the land will have a vital role to play in this reorientation process. There is a need to put in place, a culture that rewards honesty, integrity and discipline. Take, for instance, the issue of national honours.

A look at those who had been honoured in the past smells money and power, save for the 2013/2014 national honours awards where an honest taxi driver, Mr Umeh Usuah, who returned N18 million and other documents an expatriate forgot in his cab; the designer of the national flag, Pa Michael Akinkunmi, who was rewarded for his efforts more than 5 decades after he stitched together the green-white-green colours of Nigeria; a hardworking traffic warden, Police Corporal Solomon Dauda; and the chief steward in the presidency, Mr Michael Onuh, who had served nine presidents, were recipients of the MON.

General Buhari, ahead of the presidential poll, promised in a public letter titled "My Covenant with Nigerians" to ensure among other things, that acts of heroism and valour in the service to the nation are publicly recognized and celebrated. Nigerians would cling to this promise.

One other vital key to changing our value system is good governance. Governance is about service. It is about selflessness. We implore the incoming government to reduce the cost and spending of governance and the remunerations of legislators. Salaries and emoluments voted to our legislators by themselves is about 25 percent of our national budget. This is unconstitutional because it is not approved by the Revenue Fiscal and Mobilisation Commission. A very lean government, in line with the Steve Oronsaye Presidential Committee report, should be the focus. This will involve resolving overlapping and redundant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

In addition, the fundamental responsibility of a government is the security of lives and properties and maintenance of national security. Nigerians would want the Buhari-led government to fashion a new security architecture that will be better trained, equipped, motivated, more professional and ready to confront today's challenges proactively. The entire security apparatus of the Nigerian state needs a gradual, smart and systemic overhaul rather than a surface make-over.

The multitude of security and intelligence organisations currently in existence today should be given clear-cut mandate on what aspect of the country's intelligence and security duties falls within their purview.

As the military continues to win the war against insurgency in the North-East part of Nigeria where the terrorist group Boko Haram operates, a sophisticated internal security plan that involves intellectual intelligence and security community which functions effectively should be structured to root out the seed of terrorism which will continue to germinate if the country remains vulnerable to the sort of maniac demagoguery that keeps fertilising various insurgent attacks.

More so, Nigerians would hold onto the pledge made by the incoming President to deliver a marshal plan on insurgency, terrorism, ethnic and religious violence, kidnapping, rural banditry, oil theft, piracy and criminality. The successful mitigations of these ills in our society will usher in a new era that will propagate our economy.

No doubt, the overwhelming majority of Nigerian government revenue is derived from oil exports. Since oil prices have fallen from 115 dollars a barrel, economic indicators in Nigeria have taken a downward spiral.

The naira has fallen to record lows of around 230 to 1 dollar, and Nigerian capital markets have had a dismal performance in recent months. Following the relative calm and peace which took most observers by surprise, capital markets surged in Nigeria with the peaceful polls as investors flocked back, allowing the market to recover some of the ground stocks had lost before the election.

Despite the bounce in the stock market, the naira is still flat, hovering at around 200 to 1 dollar, with a devaluation seemingly imminent. The first responsibility of the new APC-led administration is to arrest the current economic slide and prevent the naira from sliding further. The only way to do that is to increase government revenue, immediately. Throughout the campaign, General Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as well as other APC political associates articulated that their plan to do this was by plugging the holes of mismanagement and political corruption, particularly in the petroleum sector and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Nigerians would expect the actual implementation of this.

The fact is that despite our current economic difficulties, Nigeria is still the largest economy in Africa with far greater economic potential than any other African country, with growth prospects of 4-5 percent in 2015. The non-oil sector which accounts for more than 85 percent of GDP has helped the country grow by 8.3 percent annually over the last 10 years in real terms. Nigeria is the first destination in Africa for Foreign Direct Investments. Its middle class is growing faster than that of any other African country as its population, the largest in Africa. Its work force is one of the best in Africa and the entrepreneurial spirit of its people is unmatched in Africa.

The President-elect can make faster progress if he takes a cursory look at the economic reforms that are underway under the Jonathan administration with impressive results. The rebasing of the economy that showed Nigeria as having the largest economy in Africa - with 2013 nominal GDP standing at $510 billion, 80 percent higher than previously reported - was more than just a statistical exercise. It showed how much more diversified and broad based our economy has become since 1990 and also where targeted government intervention can be most effective at stimulating additional growth. It makes Nigeria the 26th largest economy in the world, surpassing not just South Africa (with a GDP of $356 billion as of 2013) but also Austria, Venezuela, Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. This was a thorough exercise which the Buhari Presidency may find useful for possible inclusion or adoption in their plans.

It is gladdening to hear Dr. Kayode Fayemi, APC's Director of Policies, affirming the resolve of the Buhari Presidency to continue with some of the programmes in the President Jonathan's administration, which were successful, for example agriculture, which will need a stronger collaboration between the Federal government and the states; and power reform, which will need a change in approach. He also maintained that subsidy on petroleum products will certainly go, while the industry will be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments.

It is imperative the incoming government maintains the standards it had already set for itself. They must never lower the bars. Nigerians would want to encourage them to stick and implement those promises made during the campaign season. This is obviously the reason the party won at the poll.

Now that Buhari has reached the top of the greasy pole, he must know that Nigeria is gripped by high and rising expectations. Time is therefore of the essence. He must hit the ground running immediately. But he will need to prioritise his reconstruction agenda and concentrate on those problems that he can best solve in the time frame of four years.