PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to have started out well, judging by the direction of conversations in the public space. He hit the ground running from the day of inauguration and so far there are indications that he appreciates the challenges besetting the country and is focused in the right direction. Whether the tempo will be sustained in the life of his administration is a different issue entirely; but it would not be out of place to give the new administration the benefit of the doubt.
At inauguration, the President said the country will be impartially governed according to the Constitution and the Rule of Law; his government shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten its peace and stability; it shall remodel the economy to bring about growth and development through job creation and food security; it would strive to end extreme poverty; and will continue to take proactive steps to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies. On the very first day, he announced that the scam-infested fuel subsidy has become history.
In the first one month of this administration, steps and actions have been taken in the direction that shows government is trying to quickly settle down to the serious business of governance. The President directed the immediate suspension and investigation of both the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among other government functionaries, to enable thorough investigation into allegations made against them and the institutions they lead or led.
The government also set up a committee to liaise with Labour unions to work out palliatives to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal. He has successfully guided his political party through the inauguration of the National Assembly with the election of principal officers; replaced heads of the country’s military and security services, dissolved boards of government agencies, made some critical appointments to help run the government, ordered the unification of exchange rates, signed bills on Electricity, Access to Higher Education (student’s loan), Data Protection as well as Judicial Officers Law (uniformity of retirement age and pension rights of judicial officers).
The President has held meetings with critical stakeholders in the governance and business sectors, both local and foreign; and has hosted crucial economic meetings outside the country, in France. The flurry of activities in the seat of power shows the government is eager to confront the challenges of the country without much delay. The focus of attention and actions taken so far regarding monetary policy and the petroleum sector is indicative of the seriousness the administration is giving to the economy. Economic experts are already lauding his trade reforms, saying they are capable of enhancing competitiveness, productivity and attracting foreign investments.
All these put together show that the President is ready to work and walk in the expected direction. Some of the decisions required courage and he has shown uncommon ability to take tough decisions, a major characteristic of a strong leader. The question now will be: how far can he sustain the tempo?
It is still early in the day to determine that; but the prevailing feeling points in the direction that actions so far taken are already creating excitement particularly in economy circles, especially investors – both local and foreign. It has started building investor confidence in the economy, a development capable of triggering inflow of foreign direct investments. In the past few weeks some investors, including Founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates; Founder and Global Chairman of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal; and the President of Dangote Group; Aliko Dangote, among others, have visited the President in Abuja penultimate week. The President also met with some foreign investors during his recent trip to France.
It is to be expected that some of the decisions taken might be painful in the short and even medium term; but they have the potential of being beneficial in the future if sustained. The removal of the fuel subsidy which was generally seen as a scam, for instance, came like a shock therapy. Painful as the initial fallouts have been, it is advisable that we enjoy the shock therapy for now while hoping that at the end Nigeria will come out better.
That does not invalidate the argument that it should have come with some pain relievers. Unfortunately it did not. The fact that remedies are already being discussed shows sensitivity to public reaction to the issue. It must be noted, however, that President Tinubu only swiftly concluded a process that was started by the previous administration. The proper management of the process by the Tinubu administration will give the action a wider acclaim.
Also, put side by side with the immediate past administration, appointments made so far shows a good spread. The appointment of security chiefs shows the President’s ability to rightly manage our diversity. Other appointments made so far also show a good sense of fairness and consideration of capacity. We laud the initiatives displayed so far and hope that it is not the usual initial show of seriousness common with new administrations, which eventually get bogged down by the endemic malaise of the system and pervasive influence of vested interests. The expectation is that the momentum of change would continue.
As the President is tackling the challenges at home, may we suggest that the new leadership takes a strategic look at the country’s moribund foreign policy record. Given the vulnerabilities of election quality in Nigeria and other parts of the African continent, the President should increase pressure on the governments of Sierra Leone (happening now) and Zimbabwe (in August) to hold peaceful and credible elections, backing it up with concrete efforts to reform INEC at home. Similar pressure for credible, peaceful elections should be placed on Gabon, Liberia, South Sudan, Madagascar, and the DRC governments, all slated to hold election contests later this year.
In addition, Nigeria’s foreign policy needs to move quickly to address the growing sectional faith-inspired security crisis in the Sahel, with epicenter in Mali and Burkina Faso. The Tinubu administration needs to take the lead through ECOWAS and the UN to install a new security architecture to contain militant actors in Mali and Burkina, who are already in contact with banditry gangs in northwest Nigeria. If Abuja waits for UN Security Council leadership that inevitably comes too late, the consequences might be devastating.
With the opening zeal that the President has shown since assumption of office, it is hoped that the multifarious challenges facing the country would be tackled almost simultaneously. While the process of appointing his key officials is ongoing, it is necessary to advice that emphasis must be on competences and capabilities; persons with the right character and capacity to face and address the various challenges. Appointments to sensitive positions, even when considering the diversity of the country, must be based on efficiency, proficiency, ability and capability; not merely on partisan political considerations. Those given tasks to perform must be told in clear terms that Nigerians are no longer in the mood to accept business as usual.
The President has a responsibility to ensure that the needful is done because the buck stops on his table. His job is clearly cut out. He inherited a country where almost all indices of development and citizens’ welfare are trending southward. To say the challenges are multifarious and enormous would be stating the obvious. He needs the right men, resources and strategy to surmount them. His feet will be held to the fire as he marches along; but so far, so good!
