THE BURDEN OF THE BUHARI SUPPORTER
Posted by Onyebuchi Ememanka | 8 years ago | 2,975 times
Forget all the braggadocio, these are not the best of times for those who supported the emergence of President Buhari.
I am one of them, so I am speaking from a position of authority.
I am not a man given to pretense. I try as much as I can to be very objective in my analysis of events. I am even bold enough to admit my shortcomings.
I expected so much from this government. I wasn't expecting magic though but there are basic things I looked forward to.
Let me start from the known to the unknown.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was sworn in on May 29, 2015. That day was a Friday. By the next day, he attended a thanksgiving service in his church and probably spent the next day being a Sunday receiving visitors.
By the next day, Monday, June 1, 2015, as early as 8am in the morning, he was on the streets of Aba flagging off the construction of 7 roads! That was his first real day in office as Governor.
He didn't wait to tell us how he met an empty treasury. He simply had to act! That's what leadership entails!
By December this year, almost all those roads were ready for commissioning. Indeed, three of them were commissioned on the same day by former President Obasanjo.
Governor Ikpeazu knew that expectations were high and he seized the moment. The symbolism of that action will never wear off.
Road projects have been flagged off in all the three senatorial zones of the state, and this is happening at a time when funds are low.
All the problems in Abia State have not been solved. All the roads have not been fixed but by the way he has carried on, a greater majority of Abia people now sincerely believe that things are getting better and will get better.
First impressions are very critical.
This was where Buhari missed it.
Imagine where Buhari had flown to visit the project site of the East West Road within the first week of his inauguration. I mean just a visit.
Imagine where he had announced three days after the inauguration that 75% of the planes in the presidential air fleet were to be sold off since we couldn't afford the luxury of maintaining them.
Imagine where he had named his cabinet within his first two weeks in office.
Imagine where he had flown in a helicopter to Agatu and assured the people that they have not been forgotten. Imagine the effect it would have had on the people.
These were what we expected him to do. You don't need to have a Phd to understand that these non financial gestures will soothe the minds of the people.
But he didn't.
These ones didn't involve spending any money.
Money is not everything!
First, Buhari did not need to have waited for six months to name his cabinet. We all had a fair idea of who and who will make the cabinet. We all knew that people like Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige, Onu, Fayemi will make the cabinet. So why wait for six whole months to tell us what we already knew?
From the developmental perspective, I had expected that Buhari would within his first month in office awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of at least one critical federal road in each of the six geo political zones of the country. That would have sent a very powerful message.
These things count in how the people see their leader.
The challenge we Buhari supporters have is that we are unable to even articulate what is the economic agenda of this government. How can one possibly defend what you don't understand?
There is no economic advisory team in place. There is no economic blueprint which can form the basis of further studies.
Take the current fuel crisis as an example.
I am yet to hear a clear cut, well thought out strategy to tackle this challenge in the long run.
Even on the issue of payment of subsidies, there doesn't appear to be any clear policy direction. Today, you hear that subsides are back, the next day you hear that it's not true but that we will have price modulation.
In my view, this is straight forward matter. It's either you deregulate the market or continue to pay subsidies.
While I agree that the economic climate isn't good now with the crash of oil prices which has affected our mono economy badly, there are certain things a leader will do and his people will at least see that he is in sync with their yearnings and aspirations.
Look at the drama from the budget.
But there is one that bothers me very well.
It is the silence, or rather, the inaction of the men who I saw as forming the intellectual foundation of this government. The Fasholas, the Ngiges, the Onus, the Fayemis.
You hardly hear them talk these days. These are men who have good grasp of what leadership is and did perform creditably when they served as governors of their states. What has happened to them?
Is that they are not given the latitude to work or what?
Please feel free to laugh but for me, elections are over and now, the business of nation building has commenced. You dont have fuel and you are laughing? Ok, kontinuu.
I shall remain hopeful that things will get better but the President and his team must give us something to hold on to as we hope.
Chai...if only Baba is performing, I would have set Facebook on fire.
Baba...
Is it me, Chief Ururuaja that you want to strip naked in public?
-Onyebuchi Ememanka wrote from Lagos
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