THINGS BUHARI MUST DO TO LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY.

There is no gainsaying that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has less than 17 months to leave office since Nigerians elected him in 2015 in an election that made history in Nigeria as the only Presidential Election where an opposition candidate defeated an incumbent President.

With the hopes and expectations for a new and better Nigeria compared to the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan, one could imagine the level of frustration and disappointment of Nigerians when the Nation slipped into recession within the first two years of President Muhammadu Buhari heading the government.

The increase in inflation, interest rate, and the high cost of food not sparing the overall harsh economic realities left the government on a defensive part for the better part of the first four years of the administration.

Businesses closed, those that survived the changes in the business environment had to downsize which led to job loss and so many people thrown into the labour market in the first four years of the Change Mantra.

With the coming of “Next Level” in 2019, the majority of Nigerians assumed that the government will consolidate on some of the policies formulated and implemented in the past four years to deliver a better Nigeria to the people. This dream was however short-lived with the outbreak of the Novel Corona Virus Disease Christened Covid-19, which was later declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization WHO.

Covid-19 took the world by storm as most economies globally including Nigeria felt the impact of the dreaded virus which for the first time in recent years led to the shutdown of road, sea, and Aar transportation except for the transportation of medical supplies and other critical emergencies.

Fast forward to 2022, the stage is getting set for who will succeed the Daura Born General in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja after his eight years  tenure as the Second Military man to govern the Nation with President Olusegun Obasanjo as the first.

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With so many already showing interest in succeeding him because nature as it were does not permit vacuum, it is now expedient for President Muhammadu Buhari to take some deliberate steps to imprint his name in the history book of Nigeria (www.nigeriabookofrecords.com) and the world over again as the president that deliberately made policies and signed into law some of the critical decisions that will position Nigeria on the part of greatness.

First on the list is for the President to quickly sign the amended Electoral Bill that has just been passed by the National Assembly into law.

The amended bill which has taken care of the controversial direct primaries clause by Political parties now has the option of either a direct, indirect, or consensus candidacy option for political parties at the primaries.

The advantage of quickly signing the amended bill by Mr.  President though “watered” down will give the Electorate or better still the “Common person” a chance to be actively involved in the election of political office holders which will be a true representation of the people.

When Politicians know that the people will play a role in their election and re-election, the desire to serve the people will be more.

President Buhari in his quest for the highest political office in the land before his emergence in 2015 could boast of 12 million votes he was always getting whenever he goes to the polls. These 12 million people that continually vote for him were those in the grassroots that desired change at all costs but are not part of bigger political structures being managed by money bags. It will be unfair to them and Nigerians that the Man that is seen to be one of the highest beneficiaries of the will of the masses will deny them (the electorate) of the opportunity to make their voice heard in the selection process of credible leaders.

Potentials in early years

The second thing the President should do is to endorsed someone youthful if interested and such to a younger energetic person like the current Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

By endorsing Osinbajo, the president would have been able to make a statement by not just being the first democratically Elected President to handover to his Vice, but also give an assurance that he endorsed and mobilised for a man that played a major role in the successes recorded in this administration. Working for Osinbajo will also be a public show of continuity on the part of the President as the man he handed over to will be able to continue the policies and programs of this current administration beyond 2023, that the nation desires for implementation above any other person, he has gathered experience, skills and knows the contacts required the get the job going; calm down nerves on national agitation for equity, fairness and positioning the nation on a peaceful path. 

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Another thing that some governors of the ruling party have accused the President of, is his lacklustre attitude towards the All progressive Congress APC, a political party that brought him to power. This attitude over time has positioned the President as an opportunist that enjoys using others to get his goal and abandoning them when they need him the most. It is no longer news that a lot of people predicted the collapse of the All Progressive Congress before the 2023 general elections due to the dissenting voices that continually reverberated around the party.

The President should do everything possible to put a strong structure on the ground to make sure the party does not disintegrate either before he leaves office or immediately, he leaves office.

The President will also have his name written in Gold like the Minna Born General Abdulsalami Abubakar who willingly handed over power to a civilian government in 1999, if he President Buhari can separate the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation AGF from the Minister of Justice, a politician. Over the years the political  colouration of those that occupy that office has left much to be desired in the interpretation and execution of certain laws especially when the ruling party is involved. Many are of the view that if the AGF is a Career Lawyer or Legal practitioner different from the Minister of Justice a politician, there will be some level of sanity in the judicial system in the country. This is simply because the AGF and Minister of Justice as it is today is a member of the ruling party.

The major one as in many people’s thoughts and minds is the issue of restructuring which the party promised during the campaigning and still hold in their drawers.

Another powerful ideal legacy is the empowering of Nigerian embassies and high consulars to be driving force of attracting investment into the country rather than working in consular processing of passports and welfare as well as using them as Nation’s brand attractors such as as in England, United Kingdom with the way the High Commissioner Isola Tunji Sarafa did. Nigeria need a very strong economic stimulates and promoters. 

The welcoming 

Though the list is long but within the short time available to Mr. President before the electioneering process fully starts which will play down governance, the points above will serve as a reference point for the coming generation.

Let’s we forget and security is the call of all.

Comrade Festus