.Nigerians expect a change for the better
It is most fitting that the New Year arrives on a Monday, the first work day of the week. It is said that morning shows the day, and there is a belief around here that Monday dictates the week. If 2018 begins on a Monday, it may well be a bright augury.
Nigerians would need an ample dose of faith in the days ahead. Not less the government and the ruling party which have struggled with serious economic and socio-political challenges for over two years.
A remarkable year it is designed to be in many respects. First, it is an election year in Ekiti State and Osun State. Also, going by the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), activities leading to the 2019 general election would commence around the second quarter of 2018 with party primaries. Political campaigns are expected to reach a high point by the third and fourth quarters. We hope that political players will demonstrate a sense of fair play.
It is, thus, a year that would bear its own chapter of the nation’s history book; there are also bound to be knotty political equations to be cracked. There will be excitement and, of course, there will be a surfeit of fear and apprehension.
New seasons always come wrapped in mystery. But in a world that science and learning has made much more predictable than ever before, there are hardly any big surprises anymore. Even the elements and catastrophic forces of nature are predicted to the hour these days.
It is on this premise that we urge the government, the governed, and all those who still have some love left for Nigeria to work in concert and make 2018 a turning point in the life of this nation.
First, the 2018 Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly must be treated as a major priority by the legislature. The 2017 budget was bungled by all concerned. Apart from the fact that the 2017 budget was delayed till mid-year, it was characterised by bad faith and chicanery. Hardly any major project was finished; in fact, contractors quit many work sites. It must be stressed that legislators cannot appropriate and execute. The matter of federal lawmakers unconscionably holding the entire country to ransom over so-called constituency projects is condemnable.
If Nigeria’s infrastructure was poor, it depreciated last year. This must not be allowed to happen this year.
On the part of the Federal Executive Council, the cabinet is cold and seemingly in regression. So many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are in limbo, and a shake-up is required most urgently. In particular, we urge the government to pay more attention to agriculture.
The Presidency must rise to the challenge. There is a need to begin to steer the ship of state to the right course. This year, we expect more inspired leadership from President MohammaduBuhari. His kitchen cabinet, the engine room of any administration, must be reimagined without delay. It is simply not functioning properly. The in-fighting among his strategic team must be addressed.
We dare note that the challenges of the country for which the people voted out the last government are still with us – energy crisis, power outage, security issues, derelict infrastructure, to mention a few. Little has changed.
More troubling, however, is that the citizenry do not seem to see any light at the end of the tunnel. We do not see strategies; we do not see work in progress or people at work on our behalf.
This year, 2018, presents another opportunity for the government to improve its performance and achieve positive change in the polity.
