ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Columns Ralph Egbu

Buhari:12 months after (3)

5th June 2016
in Ralph Egbu
1
run
6
SHARES
89
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

 

THIS is the third and conclusive part of a three-part series to mark one year in office of the Buhari administration. The two editions published earlier re­ceived huge response from my read­ers, some of them very controversial and angry. I anticipated that because the topic itself is both controversial and contentious. Assessing leaders, like I noted in the first discourse, is always a difficult task in our kind of environment and this is for the sim­ple reason that we hardly have yard­sticks. Besides, issues of religion, ethnicity and political partisan inter­est are still very strong influences in whatever we do. People don’t go for the thoughts being espoused. They are only interested in knowing who you are, and if you are a member of a political party. I have learnt not to be angry, otherwise I would have been with some of my respondents, who would always leave the argument to chase shadows. I know that talking about Buhari’s attitude, policies and processes at a time the administration touched the wrong side of Nigerians can be a very herculean task, but I know that the best way to deal with a difficult problem or situation is not to run away or be emotional; rather you confront it with high level of positive rationalization devoid of sentiments.

It is true that the Buhari adminis­tration stirred the hornets’ nest by the way it raised the price of petrol, a commodity that is at the centre of economic activity and personal sur­vival and by so doing has caused some discomforting level of disloca­tion among the citizens, particularly the vulnerable groups. As would be expected, everybody is angry, this fact does not remove the truth that in the last one year since the govern­ment came to power that other activi­ties have been going on; the outrage does not downplay the truth that what is important is not to cry over one bad situation, but rather to take advantage of these times of adversity to find out the good paths embedded in the cir­cumstances confronting us. Would it be true to say that the coming of Buhari into power does not offer us any lessons? Would it be correct to say that the administration’s actions began and ended with issue of fuel pricing? The problem with us is that we discard reason especially when it should matter most and hold tight to emotions. Many of us are so fix­ated about a particular direction and if it is not so, whatever else is wrong and bad. My essays on the Buhari’s one year and indeed other write ups of mine are exactly designed to cure this malady and am sure my readers would’ve seen this in my write ups. I prefer to enlighten, most of the time drawing from what I know practi­cally covering politics as a journal­ist for many years and participating in government at very top level of a state for over 18 years, and of course from books on other nations. I don’t believe in the criticism option, we have abused ourselves for too long and that has not taken us anywhere. What is required now is to suggest strategies that can take us away from the mess we walked ourselves into. It is a contradiction to want people to respect us and to come over and help us, yet the story we tell about ourselves and our nation is a story of a people that are subhuman and a nation that would never work. No nation grows dealing with itself that way!

This is why in the part two of this series I made allusions to dealing with the people and not just the gov­ernment as an institution. In one of my write ups I joined Chief Eyibo, a former member of the House of Rep­resentatives from Akwa Ibom, to ad­vocate for a change in the leadership recruitment process and this is the is­sue at the root of bad governance af­flicting our nation and those who are shouting today “kill Buhari” have forgotten what the issues were and why we had to vote for a change of government. They are advocating for the return of the same people whose supposed ineptitude brought the na­tion to its knees. Some even say it is better to enact the corruption era so long as they feed and enjoy their lives. From what I know only peo­ple in Black nations react this way to what should be a very serious matter requiring the best of intellectualism and of course wisdom.

Last Monday on Channels Televi­sion, I saw Dr. Doyin Okupe former Senior Special Assistant to former President Jonathan, who recently went to beg former president Oluse­gun Obasanjo for abusing him while serving former president Goodluck Jonathan talk about a third force, meaning a new political party that would replace APC and PDP, to of­fer Nigeria the “needed leadership.” I asked myself leadership from who to whom? Who will be members of the new party? This is the kind of thing Nigerians hear and take them serious. When did they become born again? Why are we not hearing new programs and strategies? Why are the issues not about transportation, railway for instance, sea transporta­tion, agriculture and how to link agri­culture to industrialization, economic diplomacy, credit facilities to develop small businesses? Why is the issue of a new party or matters of failure more paramount than emphasis on new ways to progress?

Before the price hike one of my friends insisted that the people are the major problem of this nation and I asked him how: he said govern­ment supplies fuel but the big stations would never have it, yet the small that sell above pump price would always have it and the question was, how do they get it? Subsidy for an unproduc­tive nation is a tragedy on its own and doing subsidy without honest men to administer it is more than tragedy on its own. By now we should be ashamed that the reason we sell off government property is because we can’t find honest Nigerians to do the jobs efficiently and effectively. By now this nation ought to be refining her crude. I think Buhari was right to remove subsidy – if that is what he did. The only problem is with the manner. Forex has linkage to consumption: what do you do when banal consumption comes between supply and demand? Buhari has also done well with the insurgency war even though he allowed the gains to slip by through the rise of herdsmen and some not well framed comments that tended to convey sectional sym­pathies. The war on corruption is excellent except I would wish it to be more expansive than it currently is; corruption is very pervasive and war against indiscipline should be on the cards. The administration has had rough edges – delay in mak­ing ministerial and other appointees subtracted especially for a change government that needed the first few months to record a very excel­lent first impression; the fight against Saraki is denting, it would’ve been avoided if the president realized he ought to play politics, the same for the controversy that followed the budget. Buhari means well, is dis­ciplined and has the political will. He still has time to consolidate his position on the front line and all he has to do is to act more like a states­man, roll out the projects and hasten their execution and of course play the politics of governance. He has the men like Tinubu and others with deep political sagacity and above all his support base the APC ought to be very active. If even elections were to be held today, Buhari still remains a strong political force, all he needs is political connectivity and knowing when to do what. This time is not about force, it is more about gather­ing together.

This concluding part was sched­uled for last Sunday

sunnews

sunnews

Related Posts

Barbaric, uncivilized, unreligious
Columns

Barbaric, uncivilized, unreligious

22nd May 2022
Message for Pinnick, Eguavoen, Amunike
Columns

Message for Pinnick, Eguavoen, Amunike

13th March 2022
Mission of the media now
Columns

Mission of the media now

6th March 2022
Next Post
Investors forum urges Rivers Govt to create investment friendly environment

The clean-up of Ogoni land

PRINCESS BUKOLA ADENIRAN: MY LIFE AS AN IKOGOSI PRINCESS

PRINCESS BUKOLA ADENIRAN: MY LIFE AS AN IKOGOSI PRINCESS

Most shocking child sexual abuse case I’ve witnessed -Tricia Eseigbe, actress

Most shocking child sexual abuse case I’ve witnessed -Tricia Eseigbe, actress

Comments 1

  1. Okoro John Friday says:
    6 years ago

    The whole write ups is absolutely trash, guy must have been paid to come this far.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

…Security operatives descend on Izombe community, injure 10, raze property

You’re shameless mole, Abia group berates Emenike for attacking Orji Kalu

My inability to pass JAMB pushed me into Nollywood –Chioma Ezem, actress

Made Kuti preaches No More Wars in new single

Macaroni, Gloria Anozie, others share cuisine moments in Smoke Eat

Just 5% Nigerians living ethical lives can make country better –Anyanwu, Lions Club Governor

Trending

4 construction workers kidnapped,  9 bandits killed in Niger
National

Kogi: Again, bandits kill 1 Indian, their 2 police escorts, 2 coy staff, abduct 3 others

7th August 2022
0

From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja  Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State has come under serious threat again...

Army Cadets 69 Regular Course to fight insecurity–Director, Military Training

Army Cadets 69 Regular Course to fight insecurity–Director, Military Training

7th August 2022
Gunmen invade Imo police station, kill 4 officers, Okada rider

Gunmen invade Imo police station, kill 4 officers, Okada rider

7th August 2022
Tension in Imo as soldiers allegedly kill 2 vigilantes

…Security operatives descend on Izombe community, injure 10, raze property

7th August 2022
You’re shameless mole, Abia group berates Emenike for attacking Orji Kalu

You’re shameless mole, Abia group berates Emenike for attacking Orji Kalu

7th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Kogi: Again, bandits kill 1 Indian, their 2 police escorts, 2 coy staff, abduct 3 others
  • Army Cadets 69 Regular Course to fight insecurity–Director, Military Training
  • Gunmen invade Imo police station, kill 4 officers, Okada rider
  • …Security operatives descend on Izombe community, injure 10, raze property
  • You’re shameless mole, Abia group berates Emenike for attacking Orji Kalu
  • My inability to pass JAMB pushed me into Nollywood –Chioma Ezem, actress
  • Made Kuti preaches No More Wars in new single
  • Macaroni, Gloria Anozie, others share cuisine moments in Smoke Eat
  • Just 5% Nigerians living ethical lives can make country better –Anyanwu, Lions Club Governor
  • The conquerors game
  • INEC registration figures and desperation to disenfranchise Southeast in 2023
  • Hear from God before taking decisions
  • Scents of love
  • 2023 presidency: Arewa makes U-turn on Atiku
  • NASS: Threat to impeach Buhari real –Senator Bassey Gershom
  • Our plan for Diaspora party in 2027 –Adedamola Aminu, former Mayor of Lambeth, UK
  • Tension in Ekiti community as gunmen kidnap 4-year-old boy, machetes father
  • President Buhari is due for impeachment
  • Abia guber: PDP aspirant opposes Ikpeazu’s stance on zoning
  • Abia suspends revenue firm’s contract over breach of regulation

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • Change of Name
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.