Whether in opposition or government, what we need Together as a Nation

As we prepare to launch the next phase of our democracy on May 29, we must understand where we are as a nation, how much we have progressed from where we used to be, and that our various political alliances should be focused on the development of our society, not destruction of it. We cannot survive as a nation if we have not developed our minds enough to understand that our democratic values must be protected no matter what side of polity we belong to. I am personally driven to highlight some of the areas and values we need to imbibe and protect as a nation:

Credible Elections
No matter your party affiliation or candidate of choice going into any election, we must all insist on credible elections. This is not the job of only the electoral body (INEC), we are all involved in this. Many of us encourage electoral manipulation, this is anti-democratic, this will destroy our nation. Electoral manipulation is one of the reasons our leaders have been unaccountable to the people. Electoral violence, thuggery during elections, underage voting, use of security forces to intimidate voters, condemnable act of manipulating result sheets by INEC officials are some of the electoral crimes we must work on an speak against before the next election comes. It is important that a candidate who wins, wins with majority votes and understands that not money, but popularity and acceptability, wins elections.

Police Reform
This remains one of the biggest challenges our society faces today. Police continues to use brutal force against Nigerians while everyone watches. We must start a media campaign that seeks to address the challenges faced by the Nigerian police. If a person commits an offense, that person must be arrested and not bullied or personally assaulted, policing is about maintaining law and order and it needs people with a clear and sane mind, not bullies and thugs. If we're thinking of a new place to employ professionals like health professionals, IT Professionals, Accountants, Legal professionals etc, it is definitely the Nigeria Police.

FOI and Press Freedom
Though we have passed the Freedom of Information act, we still need to do more in the form of implementation. Public offices still withhold information which should be made public, there must be legal consequences. If not for president's order to release the PWC Report, that report would not have seen the light of the day. We must encourage the FOI act to include consequences for non compliance, so that public officers understand they could be sued and punished for non compliance.
On Press Freedom, I believe the Nigeria people and opposition governments are doing a great job to ensure that the rights of the press are guaranteed, in fact, the press is one of the factors that contributed to the emergence of a strong opposition to the outgoing PDP government, and their freedom must be guaranteed. I look forward to a day when more people will be bold to challenge constituted authorities without hiding their identities. Personal Observation indicates it is due to fear of crackdown that many Nigerians limit their criticism online and rarely participate in open vocal criticisms against government.

Human Rights Protection
Whether it be crimes like murder, corruption, robbery, civil offenses etc, once apprehended, a suspect's rights must be protected till found guilty and imprisoned. People are gravely denied their rights at the police stations, detainees are still bailed with money against the law of Nigeria, people are still brutalized on the streets without recourse to legal means of prosecution by the authorities. While our laws must be implemented to the fullest without reserve, they must be done within the dictates of the law if we must advance progressively as a nation.

Job Security
The issue of "hire and fire" anytime an employer deems fit without adequate compensation and agreement to terms of compensation and employment should be reviewed. Employers still employ without letters of employment and terms of employment, and they indiscriminately fire without relevant compensation. Nigerians keep working and not getting paid, and they have nobody to complain to, people keep working like slaves till the day they get fired, without payment of arrears. The employee deserves job security in Nigeria and the government needs to guarantee that. I suggest the government sets up mini courts which should handle cases like this without needing you to hire a lawyer. If you have watched the popular "Judge Judy", then you'll understand what I am insinuating.

REFORMS in critical sectors

Nigeria Customs and Ports
The amount of monumental fraud that goes on in this sector is still a worry. Customs and Ports officials are still involved in the business of extorting money from importers. Many people who are victims of this crime do not know how to go about this. How about setting up a special access number with the EFCC that reads "If you're asked by any customs or ports official to pay any form of bribe to release your goods, please call This number with the officer's name and unit" and ensuring that it is pasted boldly at every customs office in Nigeria, failure of which the customs head of that unit is liable. Or even something like "If you're asked to pay your customs duty in the office, not at the bank, this amounts to bribery and you should call this number to report the officer" This also goes for the Police, Road Safety, and other agencies involved in bribery crimes.

The education system needs serious reforms too including learning conditions and access to facilities and higher education. lecturers still bully students with sex and money to pass exams. Well, it's not a crime to fail exams, but it's a crime to ask a student who failed an exam to bring money or engage in illicit sex to pass the exam.

Other areas which need reform which I will not cover in this article include the public sector including recruitment, working conditions and service delivery, private sector working ethics and customer service delivery and many more which may be covered in subsequent articles.

Without a whistleblower act and system in place, the fight against corruption and institutional reforms will never be effective.

As Nigerians, whether in opposition or government, we must stand together and speak with one voice to insist that these vital issues of our society are taken care of.

You may contribute your opinion. Thanks for reading and God Bless Nigeria.

- SocialMediaMan

Let us see how things go under GBM

Princecalm:
Let us see how things go under GBM

Yes I agree, but he does not have the "Solomon's wisdom" and that's why needs our vocal input to help the government succeed. Remember that he who is in heaven no longer feels the pains of those on earth where he was"

FOI is out of the window
(Ask LASG APC)

Press Freedom is already in threat
(See Baba one-chance and AIT)

Job Security
(In his last dissmal administration, the civil service was at it's lowest and the professionalism that once existed began its steady decline. For some reason to Buhari, the civil service was the problem just as he labelled politicians, journalists and the masses as indiscipline. To Buhari only him was corruption free. There were employment and promotion emnbargoes in place, salary delays, non payment of allowances and outright mass sackings)

Human Right's violations
The Buhari regime is on record to be the most brutal adminstration with the enactment of draconian laws and arbitary arrests and convictions. The Buhari regime, which lasted 20mths recorded the highest frequency and numbers of state executions.

Based on your assertions, don't you think we in the press and social media know where to direct our fight? We can preempt the government to act, not just wait for it to offend us before we act, we need these reforms and we will get them If we fight together

WombRaiders:
FOI is out of the window
(Ask LASG APC)

Press Freedom is already in threat
(See Baba one-chance and AIT)

Job Security
(In his last dissmal administration, the civil service was at it's lowest and the professionalism that once existed began its steady decline. For some reason to Buhari, the civil service was the problem just as he labelled politicians, journalists and the masses as indiscipline. To Buhari only him was corruption free. There were employment and promotion emnbargoes in place, salary delays, non payment of allowances and outright mass sackings)

Human Right's violations
The Buhari regime is on record to be the most brutal adminstration with the enactment of draconian laws and arbitary arrests and convictions. The Buhari regime, which lasted 20mths recorded the highest frequency and numbers of state executions.

There are more people who are willing to sell their freedom to Buhari who they see as a king.

I am afraid that Nigerians are more than ever poised to relinquish whatever freedom they had to Buhari.

The fantiscm that drives the Buhari support base is more than ever willing to have a civillian dictator in the 214t century.

socialmediaman:
Based on your assertions, don't you think we in the press and social media know where to direct our fight? We can preempt the government to act, not just wait for it to offend us before we act, we need these reforms and we will get them If we fight together

But I believe that majority of Nigerians, even those who voted for Buhari, did so because they believed he was better placed to address many of the ills and challenges our society faces today including the cancer work called corruption. If we keep quiet an assume he'll perform credibly without our input and pressure, we might be making another mistake

WombRaiders:
There are more people who are willing to sell their freedom to Buhari who they see as a king.

I am afraid that Nigerians are more than ever poised to relinquish whatever freedom they had to Buhari.

The fantiscm that drives the Buhari support base is more than ever willing to have a civillian dictator in the 214t century.

socialmediaman:
But I believe that majority of Nigerians, even those who voted for Buhari, did so because they believed he was better placed to address many of the ills and challenges our society faces today including the cancer work called corruption. If we keep quiet an assume he'll perform credibly without our input and pressure, we might be making another mistake

The Plebs refuse to look into the antecedants of the man, Buhari.

It took a sophisticated and savvy rebranding of an ex dictator and systematic and sustained false propaganda against GEJ to sway the populace towards Buhari.

With all the machinery of govt at his disposal you can bet that the propaganda will be taken up a notch!

The plebs will fall in line so don't expect them to revolt once Buhari begins to molt his sheep clothing.

I even foresee counter demonstrations in support of Buhari.

We are heading into the realms of 1933 Nazi Germany where the populace in their fanatic support for Hitler destroyed their own democracy and freedom.

I quite agree with your direction of thought, but you would agree with me that these also happened in GEJ's government, the problem however with the GEJ's government was badly tainted with corruption so his support base was small. The opposition has to take the lead and initiate this fight for institutional reforms

WombRaiders:


The Plebs refuse to look into the antecedants of the man, Buhari.

It took a sophisticated and savvy rebranding of an ex dictator and systematic and sustained false propaganda against GEJ to sway the populace towards Buhari.

With all the machinery of govt at his disposal you can bet that the propaganda will be taken up a notch!

The plebs will fall in line so don't expect them to revolt once Buhari begins to molt his sheep clothing.

I even foresee counter demonstrations in support of Buhari.

We are heading into the realms of 1933 Nazi Germany where the populace in their fanatic support for Hitler destroyed their own democracy and freedom.

socialmediaman:


Yes I agree, but he does not have the "Solomon's wisdom" and that's why needs our vocal input to help the government succeed. Remember that he who is in heaven no longer feels the pains of those on earth where he was"

yeah, he can't succeed without involving us.

Buhari will promote sectionalism by giving the northernization agenda a new lease of life, something that would have fizzled out if Jonathan was re elected.

The arrogance of the north will soon begin to show.

Nigeria is heading for disaster.

The fools in the south who voted Buhari forgot to see the connection between an islamic insurgency in the north and a christian minority president.
the outcome of a northern presidency in the form of an unapologetic sharia advocator and boko sympathizer like Buhari, is that the north which never wanted to renegotiate our polity as it is will rely on insurgency and terror to drive their demands henceforth

socialmediaman:
I quite agree with your direction of thought, but you would agree with me that these also happened in GEJ's government, the problem however with the GEJ's government was badly tainted with corruption so his support base was small. The opposition has to take the lead and initiate this fight for institutional reforms