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By Emmanuel Umohinyang
Slowly but surely what started like a ship leaving the harbour now appears like one bound for the shore, as President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration gets set to anchor, having served the constitutionally approved two terms of eight years.
For an administration that set sail in very turbulent waters when it took charge of affairs at that very perilous period when things were no doubt far from rosy, the administration, like that of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), inherited an empty treasury and armoury even as most states of the federation were owing salaries.
Worse still, earnings from petroleum, which remains the nation’s major revenue earner, had dipped to an all-time low.
National security was in tatters, as even Abuja, the seat of power, had been overrun by criminal elements and yearly national parades only took place in a well-guarded Aso Rock.
This was not helped by the fact that the morale of officers and men of the security forces was at an all-time low. Given the scenario of that period, only a few leaders could face the challenges wrought on the nation by 16 years of PDP misrule. So terrible was the situation that billions of naira meant for arms purchases for the armed forces was squandered by the PDP apparatchik and their hirelings.
But with an uncommon sense of character, President Buhari braved the odds, tackling the challenges from day one.
A man who is not at home with pretense is not somebody who patronises people or doublespeaks. Even when you disagree with him, you are assured that he is not doing anyone’s bidding. He does things on the basis of conviction. I must admit that he is difficult to please but rewards hard work and excellence. He has the power to persuade and inspire others to heights they might have thought unattainable, and there is honesty in all he does. He left no one in doubt from the beginning that his goal was to right the wrongs of the past.
Even the media was stunned when the President quietly left the party organised to welcome his administration into office.
For Buhari, the task ahead was no tea party, as it required all the seriousness needed to put the nation on the right track.
Eight years down the line, even critics of the administration will no doubt agree that the outgoing President has lived up to expectations in the midst of daunting challenges.
Unlike in 2015, Buhari’s worst critics will readily agree that Nigeria is safer today than what the administration met on the ground, thanks to the lofty heights attained in that sector. These include the record acquisition of Tucano aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters to battle Boko Haram and other elements that once held the nation by the jugular.
This is aside from procuring 160 MRAPS, 150 trucks, and 60 APCs to boost the level of troops for operational readiness and efficiency.
The same gesture was extended to the Navy, Police, Customs, Civil Defense and other security agencies, which are by far better equipped under the Buhari presidency.
Little wonder calm has been reported in most parts of the country, including the North East, where Boko Haram has since fled.
Even the farmers-herdsmen conflict has since become history, unlike the days when it was well pronounced in most affected communities.
The fact that Nigeria is producing more food today is a testament to the worthy efforts put into that venture by the government.
The nation’s economy, which was comatose, has been rejuvenated, thanks to the ingenuity of the Buhari administration. This is courtesy of the diversification of the economy as promised by the APC administration.
Unlike in past years, other critical sectors like agriculture, solid minerals and mining are today attracting huge sums of revenue to government coffers. Another major achievement is the legislative reform of his administration, which led to the successful passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law, the Electoral Act, 2022, the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the Terrorism Act, 2022, the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2022, the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, 2019, the Police Trust Act, 2019, the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, the Not Too Young to Run Act, 2018, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act, and many Executive Orders and constitutional alterations were signed under President Buhari, given their strategic importance to the nation’s economy.
The PIB was a bill that, despite its immense potential, could not be passed by successive administrations under the PDP. Closely connected is the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has now been made a true business venture contributing to the national economy for the first time in history.
Nigeria would also not forget Mr. President in a hurry, in view of his infrastructural revolution covering roads, airports, seaports, bridges, housing, oil and gas reforms, mines and steel development, agriculture, education, health, the creative industry, sports and even dead rail tracks that were revived and new ones built.
Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aminu Kano, and many other airports are sights to behold today, courtesy of the outgoing administration. Our railway stations—Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, Lagos to Ibadan, Kano to Kaduna, Abuja to Kaduna, ltakpe to Warri and over 300 wagons, coaches and locomotives were purchased, which of course have created several thousand direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians, and many others have the stamp of President Buhari.
These aside, giant strides were recorded across other critical sectors, including power by expanding generation, transmission, and distribution capabilities, information technology and more. Social investment for the poor, increases in workers’ salaries, and many more welfare packages for Nigerians would also be remembered.
Talking about roads, Nigerians are appreciative of President Buhari for establishing the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, which gave rise to the completion of over 8,352km of roads and bridges, namely, the Lagos-Ibadan motorway, the East-West road, Ilorin-Ogbomosho, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano daul carriageway, Oshodi-Oworonshoki, the Second Niger Bridge, and many others too numerous to mention.
The same feat was achieved in the fight against corruption, as the administration not only prosecuted looters but also jailed many regarded as untouchables, including ex-governors Jolly Nyame, Joshua Dariye, and many others.
Corruption in his administration was also battled, as a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation under his watch was made to face the law over alleged corruption, as was the Accountant-General of the Federation, who is still facing criminal charges.
Given Buhari’s track record as incorruptible in every office he held before now, including former military head of state, former minister of petroleum, former military administrator, and head of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), his attainments today are icing on the cake built many years ago, as no living Nigerian leader can stand on the podium of morality and declare his incorruptible nature except Buhari.
As his administration gradually grinds to a close, history will no doubt be fair to him for all the good he has done for humanity.
Though his administration might have faltered in areas like the naira redesign, which hurt many, especially the poor, some of his appointments, and the skirmish of security challenges that the government is addressing, revisionists pay passive attention to the giant strides of his administration but want us to focus only on those areas where the administration did not fair better, and they magnify and mock him over the reproach of ill health, as if Buhari, like every other human being, is beyond reproach. The good thing is that his place in history is already guaranteed. It was Gani Fawehinmi who said, “We should stand up for what is right even if it means standing alone because in the end we will be vindicated.”
I have always taken it as the rule that the President must utilise all the knowledge of politics and policy at his disposal to aid in his decisions so that he may continue to maintain the high and esteemed reputation his office demands and his prestige with the moral public. Buhari has surpassed the trademark of honesty and decency in office and has stood up for what is right, noble and of good report, and he can rest assured that Nigerians are proud of his achievements.
As the tall man from Daura takes the last flight back home after a glittering record of service to humanity, l will remain fervent in my prayer for the God of Strength to strengthen him, bless him and his family, and grant him good health in retirement.
•Umohinyang, social
commentator and political
analyst, wrote from Abuja
