President Goodluck Jonathan will today officially handover the rein of power to General Muhammad Buhari who was elected as President by Nigerians in the March 28, 2015 general election.
Jonathan has been in office for six years having before he got the four-year mandate that ends Friday completed two years outstanding on the mandate of late Umaru Yar’Adua.
Buhari is coming into office with a lot of expectations from Nigerians who have literarily packed all their hopes of a national renaissance on the shoulders of the lanky 72-old retired General from Katsina State.
Many Nigerians are expecting close to miracles from the new president, that even the man himself has tried to douse expectations.
In the course of the electioneering campaigns, the All Progressives Congress, the party that is coming to power, through a well-mastered acts of communications, presented the image of a party of wonder workers. And that is what the people will be expecting from them.
Incidentally, situations and circumstances appear to be against such unbridled enthusiasm. With dwindling oil revenues, the incoming government will have less resources to achieve its key objectives.
But Buhari can still make a mark by applying himself to curbing corruption, fighting insecurity and instituting policies that unite Nigeria. Even more than corruption, lack of patriotism is a key factor that constrain development in Nigeria. Nigerians are wont to break along ethnic or tribal interests that have made it well-nigh impossible the make best decisions and hire the best men on the job.
One of the first issues that he has to contend with is whether or not to implement the recommendations of the National Conference, which have espoused some measures that could redefine Nigeria’s political structure. One of the main recommendations is a true federation that would remove much powers from the central administration and domicile it at the sub national levels.
Pundits believe the ability of the General to make a difference would depend on how far he is able to keep at bare the wolves in the party who are masquerading as true progressives. Buhari has already given indications that it will not be business as usual as he has told APC governors not to meddle with his choice of ministers. Under the Peoples Democratic Party administration the governors wielded so much powers that they sometimes held the central government hostage on certain policy implementations. Besides, they recommend the ministers for the president from the coterie of politicians, most of the time based on their selfish motives and not for the over all interest of the country.
