Ahead of May 29: Tasks Awaiting the Incoming Administration
By Idris Umar Feta,
Over 95 million voters are expected to queue across thousands of polling units in the country this coming Saturday, to vote for Nigeria’s new President, who will pilot the nation’s affairs, as from May 29, 2023.
But whosoever, among the frontline contenders, emerges as the winner, must know that his job has already been cut out for him. This, should not expect a smooth sail.
Of course, everybody would believe this writer’s assertion if the state of security, education, health, agriculture, economy, power and energy and a host of others are critically evaluated.
The next president and his cabinet must understand Nigeria’s challenges and quickly roll out feasible measures on how to surmount them within a foreseeable future.
*Insecurity*
Nonetheless, the most intimidating and demanding problem that the citizens will look out for the next President to solve is the persistent security challenges that have been robbing Nigerians, in their own backyard, of the pleasures life has to offer.
Bandits, kidnappers, insurgents and other host of non-state actors have been holding the country by the jugulars thereby making nation building unattainable.
The next administration should make the safeguarding of lives and properties of citizens a top priority as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
*Poverty and Unemployment*
Another sector that also needs urgent attention is the problem of poverty and unemployment which pundits attributed as a reason why our security situation has been going from bad to worse.
Thus, solving this problem is directly related to ensuring security of the country, a situation regarded as “killing two birds with a single stone.”
*LG Autonomy*
Furthermore, the next administration should also strive to secure Local Government autonomy, an issue that has been dominating the public space for many years without success.
Government at the local level should have the freedom to recruit and manage its own staff as well as finances, make laws and policies within the limit of its allocated functions and powers and also award contracts among others.
*Orosanye Report*
Read Also:
Another area the next president must prioritize is the implementation of Steve Orosanye’s report aimed at reformation of the entire civil service space and cutting the cost of governance.
The era of a high cost of governance and recurrent expenditure will only send the government down an abyss of no return.
For some time, there have been sustained campaigns for cost-cutting measures in governance in Nigeria, thus, the next president should work relentlessly to implement the said report.
*ASUU Strikes*
The next president have to face the issue of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, strike that linger for a very long time. Not quite long ago, the ASUU called off its eight months strike. The point of contention between ASUU and the federal government was the issue of Integrated Payroll Personal Information System (IPPIS) and revitalisation of universities among other issues.
The incoming administration must address these issues in order to continue having an uninterrupted academic calendar in our tertiary institutions.
*Restructuring*
Restructuring is another vital issue that needs to be addressed by the next president.
The power should be decentralised from Abuja to all other geopolitical zones of the country. Although he will face resistance from the hegemony that the Abuja structure favors, he must weigh the options of continuing agitators and see how to balance things out.
*National Unity*
Also, Nigerians are more divided between ethics and religious fault lines, thus, the next president will face the challenges of uniting the country.
In the past, Muslims and Christians as well as Northerners and Southerners lived in harmony with one another without any form of discriminations among the citizens. Now there is contempt, fear, mistrust and political tactics are the principal causes of collective religious hatred.
Once the citizens are united, not finding the fault of others, the government will be easier to run.
Going by the aforementioned issues, it is crystal clear that the next president will not have a honeymoon period before he faces the response from the electorates while they begin to analyze his score card sheets with constructive critics.
The decisions that needs to be taken to reset the country to good track are really going to be painful and hard. Whooever wins the elections must take it upon himself to face these challenges courageously.