July 17, (THEWILL) – As Nigeria approaches the 2023 general election, President Muhammadu Buhari is also preparing to bow out of office.
Buhari’s emergence as number one citizen of the country came as a shock because of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s show of maturity and sincerity of purpose.
Jonathan’s lack of desire to hang on to power, even though he had the wherewithal to do so, should be emulated by everyone aspiring to lead the country.
President Buhari’s government had for long been battling many challenges, such as insecurity, high cost of living, inflation, hunger, extreme poverty, et cetera, while its inability to tackle these problems is being rocked by reactions from the people who are at the receiving end.
As we look forward to the general election, there is urgent need for the Federal Government to resolve its issues with the Academic Staff of Universities (ASUU) and other problems that it is having with civil servants working in the federal ministries, agencies and parastatals.
The country’s higher institutions have been under lock and keys over a little matter that could have been amicably settled without allowing it to snowball into a full-blown crisis. In the areas of agriculture, commerce and industry, transportation and employment, Nigerians have never felt any positive impact from this government.
It is not a laughable matter that fuel pump price is still high despite the cries of Nigerians. Even the cost of liquid cooking gas, kerosene and diesel has been quite unimaginably hiked. Against this backdrop it would take the grace of God for the country’s economy to bounce back to normalcy.
Now that the President is rounding-off his eighth-year tenure, what will he be remembered for? Good or bad administration, you might say. If he had succeeded in making life meaningful for most Nigerians, it would have been a feat that would remain evergreen in the collective memory, thereby writing his name on the sands of time as a leader that made positive impacts.
The endless killings in the country could be attributed to hunger and hardship on the part of the perpetrators. It is possible because a starving man can do distasteful things, which, more or less, depict transferred aggression.
Many Nigerians have lost their lives in their prime due to the collapse of the economy. From 2015 till date, it has never been easy for many Nigerians because their cost of living is on the high side.
We have not forgotten that Nigeria is endowed with enormous natural and human resources sufficient to place it among the developed countries of the world. Unfortunately, mismanagement has consistently stunted the growth of this country.
Nigeria is rated as Africa’s largest producer of oil and sixth largest oil producing country in the world, yet there is nothing to show for it. Hospitals and educational facilities are in a sham. Our professionals are massively exiting the country for greener pastures in other countries due to unemployment, non-payment of workers’ salaries, nepotism and government’s hostile attitude towards workers.
Nigerian university lecturers have been on strike for the past five months. One wonders why the Federal Government cannot and will not meet the demands of ASUU. At present, only private universities have been in session.
With an estimated population of over 200 million and more than 100 tertiary institutions producing over 200,000 graduates per year, Nigeria has all it takes to tackle some challenges facing it.
The situation has forced man people to resort to cutting corners in order to survive the excruciating hardship in the country. Continuous hikes in the prices of goods and services have thrown the citizenry into confusion.
Despite the fact that the country is generously endowed with natural and human resources, the majority of the people are wallowing in abject poverty, while unemployment and insecurity are on the rise. The economy has been dwindling. Bad leadership is a major factor why Nigeria has not been developing.
A focused leader is desperately needed to rescue Nigeria from the depth of barrenness. A better leader will change this ugly narrative. We want the seventh democratically- elected President to be a person with a firm character, integrity and determination to turn Nigeria around.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Election observers, security operatives, the mass media and other groups that play prominent roles during the exercise should avoid being used to manipulate the elections.
Furthermore, youths should shun restiveness and other vices during the forthcoming election which could trigger – off crisis thereby leading to destruction of lives and property.
Presidential candidates of the APC, LP, PDP and other political parties should conduct themselves in a responsible manner and advise their supporters to trade with caution in order to ensure that a free, fair and credible election is conducted.
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