‘Buhari’s Government Lacks Focus’

ASSESSING President Buhari’s 100 days in office

I would not want to say whether the government lacks focus or not, but by its body language, it seems they do know what to do. The only mantra of this administration is ‘I will probe’. Who are they probing? As I speak now, Rivers State government seemed to have done better in the area of corruption crusade than the federal government. I know the reason some of us seem to like Buhari was because of his anti-corruption stance, but this issue is just one of the thousands of Nigerians’ expectations. We cannot be expecting 10 points from you and you are just battling with only one point and you want to say you are passing. What can he say he has done even in the issue of war against corruption since he assumed office? It is just pontifications, ‘I will do this, I will do that’.

Buhari should realize that he was not elected based on the anti-corruption war. In as much as we would want him to do that, corruption issue is just a fraction of expectations.  Also, the probe should begin from within. He has to clean himself before cleaning outside, if he refuses to clean himself – those surrounding him, he has not started. I can say it without any contradiction because he has accepted that some of his allies are corrupt so let him start with them. The way they are branding his party now, it is like all you need to do these days is to join the All Progressives Congress and your sins would be washed away. APC is now like a sanctuary, a sanctum that whosoever is a corrupt politician will run into it and he would be washed as white as snow. You cannot say you want to run mad and you are using 20 years to plan, when then will you start?

Unfortunately, one of his supporters said he needs honeymoon. Nigerian society is peculiar and we need peculiar solutions. Going for honeymoon means he should go and sleep while the country is burning. My anger is that those who usually speak for the masses have become silent because they are expecting political appointments. That is the major tragedy of this country now. Even if you call them, they will tell you they are watching simply because their names have been penciled down for appointments.

Implications Of The Delay In Appointing Cabinet members
I think that Mr. President needs to be advised because we all know that no one person knows everything. He needs special advisers and he needs ministers. What we are seeing now is that any side of the bed President Buhari wakes up from, that is the way he will think that day. We do not run government like that. We all know that he came to power based on his anti-corruption position and based on his principled position. We all agree with him, no one can fault him on that but he cannot do it alone, he needs advisers.

He is like a father of the house who goes to the kitchen to cook, wash the car, fuel the car and drive it. He will run aground.