Notwithstanding President Muhammadu
Buhari’s claim in his New Year’s message that Nigerians’ sufferings were
temporary, some observers have said that the challenges may still be
key issues this year unless the government re-adjusts its policies, FISAYO FALODI writes
Insecurity by the violent Boko Haram
insurgents, abduction for ransoms by kidnappers, unemployment caused by
the poor state of the economy, erratic power supply, corruption in high
places by public officials, preparation for and the election of a new
President were some of the issues that dominated the polity in 2015.
It was a year majority of the citizens
prayed fervently against the disintegration of the country due to the
tension that had built up ahead of the last general elections won by the
opposition All Progressives Congress. No week hardly passed without at
least two devastating occurrences in the polity. There was none among
the 36 states of the federation that did not have one sad story or the
other to tell. In fact, it was a year many commentators described as
most challenging in the country’s political history as a result of the
economic and socio-political impasse that nearly brought the country to
its knees.
President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged
in his New Year’s message that the citizens actually went through tough
time in 2015, but assured them that the challenges were temporary. The
President himself identified some of the challenges to include long
queues in filling stations and the difficulties in acquiring foreign
exchanges for businesses, among others. He therefore urged Nigerians to
be expectant in 2016 as he said that there would be continuation of the
implementation of the change agenda his administration promised.
“I am aware that Nigerians have
experienced a number of significant hardships over the past months.
Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily
sufferings.
“I am aware of the lengthy queues at
fuel stations and of the difficulties businesses have faced in acquiring
foreign exchange. These challenges are only temporary; we are working
to make things better,” Buhari had said in his New Year message.
However, Buhari’s optimism to turn the
country around this year may not be easy after all as watchers of
political events have said. They claimed that unless serious and
concerted efforts were taken by the leaders, including senior public
officials to “kill nepotism and depoliticise the administration of
public institutions,” as well as strengthening such institutions for
optimum service delivery, the challenges that the citizens went through
last year might still live with them.
A social commentator, Mr. Victor Iyoho,
foresees suffering among the citizens. According to him, the current
fiscal year will be tough as all sectors of the nation’s economy will
not fear better unless the government readjusts its policies.
Iyoho said, “Beginning from the
evaluation of the President’s N6.08trn budget, one tends to believe that
the government is over-ambitious in its projection. I do not see the
government getting N6.08trn to fund the budget.
“The anti-corruption war will continue
to dominate the polity as the government will seek to continue to use it
to divert the people’s attention from their pains.
“On the economic front, quite a lot of
businesses will go under, especially in non-formal sector because of the
difficulty in getting Forex. However, whoever survives the next 24
months will do well much later.”
Apart from strikes by various categories
of workers that Iyoho said would be among the issues that the
government would battle with this year, he also foresees the likelihood
of a lot of job cut across several sectors which will have negative
impact on the economy.
He also said unemployment among youths
said to be a time bomb by some people in the past might still be a key
issue this year, in spite of the President’s courageous plan to employ
500,000 graduates as teachers.
He, however, advised government at all
levels to put machinery in place for quick response where there is need
for policy readjustment.
President Buhari had presented a budget
of N6.08trn for the 2016 fiscal year to the joint session of the
National Assembly. The budget proposal, the President said, sought to
stimulate the economy and make it more competitive by focusing on
infrastructural development, delivering inclusive growth and
prioritising the welfare of the citizens.
Buhari added that the budget was
designed to “revive our economy, deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians
and create a significant number of jobs.”
According to him, the budget proposal,
while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a
matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment
and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable
Nigerians.
On the anti-corruption war started not
long after the inauguration of Buhari’s administration last year, Iyoho
said the crusade would continue, but with the sole aim to decimate key
members of the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party in preparation
for the 2019 general elections.
To the President, Rights Monitoring
Group and the Executive Director, Centre for Convention on Democratic
Integrity, Mr. Olufemi Aduwo, killings, injustice, lack, poverty,
repression and greed, among others that gave the country bad image in
the comity of nations should be of upmost concern to the current
government, if the country must move forward.
He wants the government to effectively treat the causes, rather than the symptoms of the failure of past administrations.
Aduwo said, “We must recognise that as
important as democracy is, however, defined, it can only deliver
stability through social and economic justice. Both are necessary to
guarantee that the dark forces of repression and greed shall never again
rear their ugly heads in Nigeria and be permanently replaced by an era
of tolerance for dissent and equal opportunities for all.”
On the joblessness among the youth, he
canvassed sound implementation of the budget. He believes that the
government will achieve more in the area of job creation if investors
are encouraged to participate in some critical areas of the economy.
Aduwo said, “Huge amount of money is
required in the power sector; the government should encourage investors
in the transmission area of the power sector. With investors’
participation, the government may not have a reason to borrow as
stipulated in the budget proposal.
“The World Bank or any development banks
only borrow for infrastructural development; the government should
allow 100 per cent participation of private sector/foreign investors in
those critical areas of economy, especially in rail, power, agriculture
and manufacturing.”
Like governorship elections conducted
last year in Kogi and Bayelsa states though fraught with many
constitutional controversies, the Independent National Electoral
Commission will again hold governorship polls in both Ondo and Edo
states later this year.
Aduwo said for the outcome of the two
governorship polls to be acceptable to the people, the processes should
be significantly transparent.
He said, “Majority of Nigerians voted
for change not because of ideological niceties, but because they
expected that the assumed change would bring about some economic
benefits. The APC-led Federal Government should not forget it may not
have the 16 years the PDP spent in power unless the party brings about
change and rapid development across the country.”
The analyst also pushed for strict adherence to the rule of law, no matter how imperfect the nation’s legal system is.
He said, “No matter how disgusted we are
as citizens of this great country about those who have plundered our
treasury and betrayed our trust both in the APC and the PDP, the rule of
law must be strictly observed in trying them.
“Granting bail to an accused person is
in consonance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The
danger inherent in demonising the granting of bail by our courts is far
reaching in a country where people are framed up with offence they may
not be guilty of at the end of the trial which can last for several
years. If it is democracy, it must be rule of law and if it is
authoritarian, then rule of men may take over.”
In the view of a foremost economist, Dr.
Ayo Teriba, Buhari’s claim that Nigerians’ woes will be temporary will
be just a political statement unless the President shuns his proposed
plan to fund this year’s appropriation by borrowing.
Teriba said the budget might not be
signed by the President let alone being implemented to create jobs and
open the business space as the President promised.
The economist based his assumption on
the fact that a large part of the money budgeted for spending in the
current fiscal year would be borrowed.
He said instead, the President should entice investors to the build infrastructure such as rail system and roads, among others.
“Enticing investors to build road and
rail system will indirectly create jobs for the youth, thus contributing
significantly to the government’s efforts to develop the economy,”
Teriba said.
On security, particularly killings in
the North-East by the Boko Haram terrorist group, a political observer,
Mr. Dare Adeiya, saw improved efforts by the government to competently
defeat the sect’s activities, but cautioned security agents fighting the
insurgency against extra-judicial killings.
He also asked the government to show sincerity in its pledge to rehabilitate the violence-ravaged North-East.
Adeiya said, “While the rehabilitation
of the North-East destroyed by the Boko Haram is necessary, the
government must also ensure that the assistance sought from the G7 for
the affected region is appropriately channelled.
“All the materials, including money that
will be mobilised to the crisis-ravaged region should be prevented from
being diverted by unscrupulous public officials.”
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