Goodluck Jonathan’s journey to the presidency which started some five years ago came to an end yesterday, although not an abrupt end. He was clear with how much time he had to make do with although renewable. Those who hired him have also fired him. They refused to renew his term and aggressively shut the door at him with apparent disappointment, both in terms of capacity and competence.
Like a favoured child, Jonathan assumed office with a lot of goodwill and general acceptance that was anew in the annals of the system. The goodwill also cut across. He came up on the power stage with a story an average, if not every Nigerian could relate with – that because of his humble upbringing, he had no shoes going to school. The empathy yielded resounding campaign result and suddenly, he became a brand. No one saw through his inadequacies and he mounted the seat of his forefathers with intimidating popularity.
But he had barely spent a year in office when his demonstrable shortcomings started to manifest. No thanks to the subsidy removal of January 1, 2012. He soon became a coin being tossed around by all. Lack of competence, capacity, political will and inability to make hard choices – being a mark of inspiring leadership – combined to define his days in office. The moment these gained ground, the consequences started to manifest – corruption, insecurity and a hemorrhaging economy.
It was bad enough that these consequences had assumed stations in the system, government too showed no sign or ability to contain them. Rather, its body language encouraged most of the obnoxious situations. From government to family, the president exhibited laxity, either in their management or balancing of both and soon, his cup was full and the burden became a collective responsibility shared with his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an awesome political machine bequeathed to him by his predecessors. But he killed it at exit.
And then, the change mantra crept in. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), although with its own peculiar challenges as a merger of strange bedfellows, was better organised and structured and seized the opportunity provided by the moment. The opposition was quick to identifying a weak president and an inept administration. It listed the failures of the Jonathan administration, dismissed its successes and consequently, forfeited its chances of a re-election through bloodcurdling warnings.
Put forward as the face of change is a former dictator, Muhammadu Buhari, who ruled the country between 1983 and 1985 before it was toppled in another military coup led by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Although a former military ruler, Buhari came on stage with a fairly better resume as a democratic convert, Nigeria still could have done better than the duo of Jonathan and Buhari, had the space not been technically shut at others.
Habitually rigid fellow with zero tolerance for corruption and capacity to make hard choices, especially at a time the country was faced with decimating security challenges, the Buhari story was in sync with the prevailing reality of the moment – insecurity, corruption and the economy – and so, he flew with enthralling acceptance the world over.
Whilst Buhari is evidently not grounded on the economy, his perceived ability to tame corruption and tackle insecurity is generally believed would suffice, hoping also that a few of his cabinet members can hold strong on the economy for him. With that combination already worked out in the minds of the electorate, Buhari came on stronger as some messiah of sort.
The Buhari victory is largely believed to transcend the physical, perhaps. Many see the hand of God. This is because a majority of those who supported the outgoing president even though they were not proud of the kind of leadership he offered and often complained about his capacity and competence in secret, could not do otherwise because they thought it was impossible to unseat an incumbent, more so in a third world country.
They’d rather deal with the devil they knew and not end up blacklisted in case he won. But a smart few invested in both sides as good businessmen that they are. It was no wonder they all besieged Buhari’s residence the moment he was sure to clinch the presidency.
But such a lesson should be sufficient for Buhari. Like Jonathan, he is also coming in with a lot of goodwill and expectations, surrounded by roguish sycophants, who seek no collective good. Still, the expectations seem to outweigh the goodwill that saw him through to power. And if he must shore up his goodwill and sustain it, he must then catch up with the expectations, considerably.
A few months down the life of his administration, Buhari cannot come up with stories about how bad things are in the government. It is presumed that he had ample clue what was at stake before electing to take up the job. In any case, such an excuse would not suffice after attempting at the presidency four different times. He had better hit the ground running.
Taken together, it is not the best of time for anybody to be Nigeria’s president. But the choice of Buhari is equally not a bad one. At 73 and having reached the peak of all that he ever dreamt of, Buhari does not come across as one who would pander to any interest for whatever consideration or quiver at the sight of anyone except he is being overrated all along. It is for this reason that the expectations are incredibly high, often premised on the hopes and promises of the administration itself.
Buhari must know that Nigerians have not hired him to manage the country with its poor condition but improve her lot. The issues are commonplace. That his party, the APC also boasts an impressive manifesto is an added advantage. The people are divided, the economy is bad, corruption has become a lifestyle and insecurity has assumed a life of its own. Therefore, the issues are not far-fetched.
With the right team and leadership provided, it is the belief of many that things may begin to turn around for the good of the country and her people. Buhari is certainly not a miracle worker and Nigerians are no crusade audience looking forward to one. All they seek is leadership and as Buhari takes over the leadership mantle today, every minute counts. Again, for emphasis, he must hit the ground running.
The term is a fleeting four years and in no time, he would be standing before the people with hands behind him to give account of his stewardship. Nigerians at this time will entertain no excuses. Result is all they seek and Buhari must be able to give it in four years.
Welcome onboard the change era.
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