Buhari, change and its unbelievers

Mike Ikhariale

Like the Jews of old about whom Jesus Christ once complained that “except ye see signs and wonders, ye shall not believe” (John 4:48), today’s Peoples Democratic Party renegade army of bad losers have all fixed their gaze on the political firmament of Nigeria, waiting rather impatiently for signs and wonders from the new Buhari administration.

While they are still looking up to the skies for instant miracles and wonders as if national politics is about magic, honest citizens everywhere are already witnessing profound changes that are taking place within the polity.

Partisan Buhari sceptics, even when heaven and earth have passed by them, would still remain adamant in their delusional fixation that “nothing is happening.” But those who have lived through the many years of the unmitigated maladministration of the ancient regime, know quite well that the March 28, 2015 election which swept it away and brought in its wake, the new Buhari order, represents inevitable and welcome change for them, no matter the belligerent Orubebeism of the losers. From el-Rufai, Tambuwal, Ambode, Oshiomhole to others with Buhari leading by example, we can already infer into how the All Progressives Congress-led government is responding to the broken economy left behind by the PDP, i.e., through prudence, sacrifice and integrity. It may not be the best possible but it is a positive departure from the decadent past.

There has been orchestrated and unending cacophony of negative voices from the PDP corner of the emergent political divide screaming for instant miracles while conveniently ignoring the fact that how long it takes the new administration to garner traction is a direct reflection of the size and nature of the mess that they left behind.

As the ruling party, APC must however eschew misguided triumphalism on its part and learn to listen to constructive criticisms but not what the PDP is offering that is of a dismissible malicious variety.

We have to remind ourselves about the fact that what took place on May 29 was not the usual change of batons between an outgoing PDP government and an incoming PDP government as has been the case since 2003; it used to be a domestic “paddy, paddy” affair. That cannot be compared with the present situation where a different party with a different ideology and personnel composition is involved. To therefore expect that the taking-off process would be as smooth and seamless as the past, especially when the outgoing party is still in a traumatic state of political denial of the change the people have voted for, is clearly unrealistic.

First and foremost, the point should be made that the mandate for which the new administration should be held accountable did not emanate from the opposition but from the majority of the voting population of Nigeria who alone have the sovereign privilege to demand compliance. It is an abuse of both a hallowed convention and ethics of democracy for a losing party to want to undermine the mandate of an incoming regime because such would amount to an affront to the will of the electorate who have in their wisdom elected the new order.

That is why we should advise the opposition to let the new government settle down and do what it was elected to do. Opposing it baselessly is merely corrupting the essential values of competitive politics.

I concede that, in many respects, the ruling party and the opposition are both still learning the democratic ropes wherein it is usually expected that governments change hands among political parties from time to time. It is however reprehensible when the opposition thinks it can set the agenda as well as the timetable of performance for its successor. It is both naive and irresponsible to want to do so. Naive in the sense that they are not allowing the new government to make real and verifiable mistakes that could indeed benefit them electorally down the road and, irresponsible, because they do not seem to respect the choice of the majority of Nigerians expressed at the polls.

They cannot constitute themselves into day-to-day supervisors, setting illusory standards for the party in power.

Nigeria did not vote for Buhari because they expected that he would make one naira to exchange for one US dollar, neither did they vote for him because he promised them that petrol would subsequently be sold for 40 naira a litre as some sore losers are banding about. He promised to ease on their burden by pushing the wayward PDP off their backs along with corruption under the mantra of change.

There have been mischievous calls for the Buhari government to “hit the ground running.” They have even constructed an hourly glass from which a fictitious 100-day achievement calendar is being calculated. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a self-imposed timetable for achieving certain political deliverables by an incoming government. What is unheard of is for the outgoing regime to be settling the agenda. That is one logic for the constitutional maxim: “parliament cannot bind its successors.” It is plain common sense.

Is Buhari really asleep? A lot has happened if we can just look around without bias or bad faith. For example, the new government even without a cabinet has re-established dignified, credible and sustainable working relationships with our neighbours especially in the collaborative fight against Boko Haram. The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for example, has executed far more shuttle diplomacy within the sub-region in such a short time than we have seen in years.

We should also mention that the lingering problems at the National Assembly, while it has substantially undermined the ability of the new administration to proceed on the task of laying down appropriate legislative authorisations for the New Deal which the nation badly needs, it has also shown that there is a lot more to be learnt by all the parties concerned about parliamentary affairs. Whereas the President could have waded in and impose his will on the matter as we have seen in the past, he opted to stick to the constitutional path, a move which boldly underscores his commitment to the culture of democracy – a veritable booby trap which many had expected him to fall into.

On the whole, one can say without much apologies, that there is a silent revolution in the offing. Even when some chose not to see the changes already taking place across the country, honest observers are already acknowledging what they call the “Buhari Bounce” positively affecting those traditionally troubling areas such as the improved electricity supply, attitudinal changes in the police force and the relative discipline now within the civil service, the once moribund Economic and Financial Crimes Commission rediscovering its mission not to mention the unmistakable new transparency in most government businesses nowadays.

It has been observed that, previously, no accounts were rendered to the nation about the financial inflows into the federation account like we just saw with the NLNG dividends from which the recent relief to the cash-strapped states was made. Government fiscal activities were shrouded in mystery – some voodoo accounting. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, for example, has yet to account for all the billions of dollars it denied the nation under the PDP. Same with many other agencies across the country.

It is therefore malicious for those who are prematurely assailing our ears with rancorous claims of “Buhari’s inaction” by making fraudulent comparison between the darkness of yester year with the light of today. Every Nigerian is constitutionally authorised to criticise government whenever there are reasons to do so but what the PDP is doing presently is immoral, unproductive and completely uncalled for at this very early stage.