Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Changing the state of the nation

By Raymond Oise-Oghaede
04 July 2016   |   1:32 am
However, in as much as I want to commend Mr. President and his team for their relentless efforts so far in trying to make things work out, it is also pertinent to draw their attention to the fact that the process of change...
President Muhammadu Buhari Photo credit: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images)

President Muhammadu Buhari Photo credit: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images)<br />

It is obvious that the country is currently facing serious challenges, which could result in the emergence of a stronger and more vibrant nation or a total distortion of its corporate existence depending on how the government and people handle or tackle the crises. From whichever angle we view the situation, the fact remains that the country needs the quick intervention and contributions of all well meaning people to come together and support the government in this race against time and survival. We can only be deceiving ourselves by pretending that all is well with the polity.

However, in as much as I want to commend Mr. President and his team for their relentless efforts so far in trying to make things work out, it is also pertinent to draw their attention to the fact that the process of change should not be suicidal to the people no matter how long and in whichever form it will take.

Though, it is agreeable and acceptable that some pains, discomfort, sufferings and sacrifices might be inevitable in the process of transforming the socio-political and economic fortune of this country for the better, it becomes unacceptable if the sufferings are becoming unbearably limitless without timeline. Government should be able to educate and convince the masses about its policies and their short/long term effects, rather than feeding them with excuses and confusing information that will aggravate their already high blood pressure.

Also, the anti-graft war which is one bold step taken by this administration is not being properly and tactically handled.Rather than concentrating on other key areas of governance, the issue of corruption is overstretched. The war is being fought but with too much noise so much that, it is now attracting uncomplimentary commentaries from the international community.

Agreed, it will take some time to convince the outside world that Nigerians could be trusted again, if the amount and calibre of people involved in the unfolding cases of corruption are anything to go by.

The government should, however, face the task of proving to the people that, even if all the stolen funds from the time of independence to date are recovered, same will be judiciously utilised. At this juncture, it does not really matter how, where and from whom the monies are recovered; but, how it will translate to changing the lots of the people.

Thus, my advice to the government is to work on putting more preventive measures in place to curtail the menace; empower and allow relevant and appropriate agencies to pursue recovery and prosecute those found guilty while ensuring that the recovered funds are ploughed into vital areas of the polity for optimal returns. Corruption is not something that can be eradicated in a flash because it has eaten deep into the system. It is present in every facet of our life and it will require a lot of hard work, intelligence and co-operation of well-meaning members of the society to curtail. The war should be total and not selective or limited to a particular sector or section of the system, otherwise, it will barely achieve any meaningful results.

Expectedly, ‘the monster’s agents’ will fight back and do everything possible to distract and derail the government in order to remain in business. Since the present government is widely believed to be people-oriented, the easiest and most lethal weapon that the enemies will capitalise on is to infiltrate and crack the smooth relationship between the government and the people. Unfortunately, the government has been outsmarted because, instead of making the people feel a sense of belonging by delivering the ‘Dividends of Change’ as quickly as possible, they are pushing the ‘Bitter Pills of Change’ down their throats.Therefore, it is not surprising that a lot of unwholesome activities are springing up from every nook and cranny of the polity to cause disaffection amongst the people. Consequently, the innocent masses are at the receiving end of the imbroglio.

It is also worrisome that the government is not yielding to the candid advice to re-strategise and prioritise its activities. Presently, despite the fact that some states are finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries, the masses are already subjected to paying higher fares for transport as a result of increased price of petrol. To rub pepper and salt on the injuries, the government is presently talking of launching ‘First Class Train Services’ from Kaduna to Abuja.

The question is, who are the targeted beneficiaries and, how will this alleviate the immediate transport needs of the masses? In the face of minimal supply of electricity, the government is persistent about increasing the tariffs. The prices of essential commodities have sky-rocketed and almost squeezing lives out of the masses. Even the so-called palliative measures put in place are only good on paper because things are not getting better. Some organisations are already, either downsizing or completely folding-up as a result of the economic downturn. The herdsmen palaver, the agitations for secession and self-governance as well as other issues are now gathering momentum because the government is gradually losing the loyalty and full support of the masses.

From the aforementioned, it is obvious that despite a lot of positives that has been achieved by the government in its one year in the saddle, the present state of the nation is taking away the shine from it. My advice to our leaders is to ‘make hay while the sun shines’. Putting machinery in place to make the people feel a sense of belonging by reducing their burdens rather than compounding their pains is sacrosanct.

All these so called ‘necessary pains/hardships’ being inflicted upon the people are capable of breaking the nation beyond redemption, no matter how less-harmful and inconsequential they are made to appear. As the old saying goes, ‘there is a limit to human endurance because human nature is bound to react’. It is time our leaders considered the option of re-strategising and prioritising their objectives.
Raymond Oise-Oghaede is a public affairs analyst/commentator

0 Comments