By Jamiu Ganiyu
A former gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Osun State, Prince Ayoade Adewopo, has rated the first term of president Muhammadu Buhari very low compared with his promise of transforming Nigeria.
The Ile-Ife born Prince made this known in an exclusive interview with osun.life on Wednesday on the topic “Setting Agenda for Buhari’s 2nd Term” shortly after the swearing of President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice President for another four year term.
In his words, Adewopo said “In 2015, President Buhari was voted in as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria based on the fact that the majority opinion then was that he would deliver on the promise of better governance, appease all aggrieved groups, bring succor to the suffering masses, create jobs for the teeming population of Nigerian youths; and most especially for a man with military antecedents, most Nigerians gave him their mandate with the thought that, he would ensure security of lives and property.”
“It is difficult to believe that the security situation in Nigeria is getting worse every day even when we have in the saddle, a man that majority of Nigerians had voted for with the impression that he would improve upon the state of security in the country. The killing of hapless citizens has sadly now become a daily affair. It is obvious that the Buhari first term faced awesome security challenges and that the government has not recorded a pass mark in taking concrete steps that would secure lives and properties”
“I know the Buhari government continues to insist that it did its best in this area in the first term, but the record card of the government in that area is embarrassing, to say the least. A situation where we have a retired general as a democratically elected president, one would have thought the security menace and unreasonable killings would have been overcome by now. This is more so when that was part of the three-point agenda of the Buhari campaign in 2015”
“It is difficult to live with the reality that the security situation under such a man’s watch is deteriorating and has not improved much more than what had obtained in the Jonathan era. The Kaduna to Abuja road is practically unsafe to travel to the extent that even the military prefer to travel by rail in that terrain for insecurity reasons”
“Also, look at Zamfara that is supposed to be a goldmine in the country and the shocker that Nigerians were not even aware that such level of mining was going on there until people started dying. All these are not expected from a government that enjoyed the support of the majority of the people. Something must be done in PMB’s second coming and it must ensure that Nigerians across the divide are secure and can move around any part of the country. President Buhari must change the entire security high command and bring in new ones and order them to rise to the challenge of security of the citizens”
“Whatever policies the new administration wants to put in place must be those that would touch the larger majority of the citizens, most especially the poor and downtrodden. One such measure is for the administration to ensure full and speedy implementation of the new minimum wage”
“The president must also ensure that steps are taken to revive the energy sector. This is the driver of our economy and it would facilitate investment which would also create employment opportunities. The energy sector is very crucial to our economic development as a country. Without this, small scale enterprises cannot run at optimal levels”
“Another area that the incoming administration should focus on in its second term is the transport sector. Nigerian roads most especially need total overhauling. We need a more durable and motorable road network if the government actually wants to succeed with the diversification to an agro-economy. Without good roads, that effort would just remain as mere government rhetoric”
“The assessment scorecard of the administration’s first term shows much disappointment from a government that much was given. The first term has left the country in a near situation of hopelessness, given the abysmal performances recorded in the past four years”
“I urge the administration to wake up from slumber and face the reality of governance. It is alarming that the cheapest commodity in our society today is ‘life’. Every day we record killings and the administration has not taken considerable steps to arrest the situation. There is no security of life and property in Nigeria today”
“President Muhammadu Buhari, it will be recalled, was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in 2015. At that point, he had given his countrymen and women the impression that he would consider the expectations of the average Nigerian and run an administration based on the personal philosophy of one who belongs ‘to no one but belongs to everyone.’ This much he stated even as he took his Oath of Office on May 29, 2015”
“Also, the President had whilst delivering his inaugural speech promised to focus on the economy, the fight against corruption and the provision of security. But till date, the economy still remains comatose, without any pointers as to what next to do”
“On the question of corruption, there are many who insist that there is more official corruption than ever recorded in the country at the moment and that the administration seems to be stranded about what to do on it, while challenges related to the emergence and upsurge of kidnapping, terrorism and ethnic bigotry are on the increase daily”
“Besides, even if we commend President Muhammadu Buhari in view of the report that the nation’s external reserves are at higher levels, we cannot overlook the latest ranking of Nigeria as the global poverty hub or of our teeming younger generation’s alarming rate of migration in search of greener pastures abroad”.
“Thus, the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration across sectors such as- Electricity, Education, Worker’s welfare, Rule of Law, Housing, Job Creation, Security, Transportation, and Health ultimately require improvement in the new tenure”.
“The Buhari administration must in this new term rise to the challenge of governance”, he concluded.