We can no longer leave the business of governance in the hands of the political leadership. It doesn’t just work. It has never worked. When Goodluck Jonathan accidentally became Nigeria’s president after Yar Adua’s demise in May 2010, his ill-preparedness and unfitness for the lofty assignment associated with the Office of the Presidency was an open secret. Somehow, we excused his inadequacies and assumed that things will improve after some time. We also assumed that he will learn on the job. At worst, he will surround himself with technocrats who will get the job done. How so very wrong we were!

Six years after, those assumptions fell down flat, kpata-kpata!!! Under his watch, Nigeria has witnessed the most colourless governance in history. Each passing day, Nigeria plummets deeper into a sinkhole of corruption, unemployment, violence, ethnic fragmentation, and is incrementally gravitating towards the brink of collapse. 247 days after their horrid abduction by ruthless insurgents, Chibok School Girls remain unfound despite trillions squandered on security expenditures, and even more being borrowed. Folks that should be permanently housed in Kuje Prison, including those that ought to be perpetually confined within the thick walls of Guantanamo Bay now have unrestrained access to Aso Villa. It has officially become a crime for public and elected officials and their cronies to loot mere millions of Naira; instead, billions of dollars generate legs and wings and disappear uninhibitedly from the national treasury. And nothing happens. Nobody is questioned; nobody gets quizzed and nobody gets fired. In the last six years, Nigeria has dramatically moved from what was a semblance of constitutional democracy to what Douglas Anele aptly described as ‘agbata ekee” democracy.

Muhammadu Buhari recently won the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid widespread jubilation across the country. With the successful multiparty merger and the inter-ethnic harmony that characterized APC’s national congress, Buhari’s chances in the 2015 presidential election are very bright. My biggest grouse is that the emotive melodrama that foreshadowed the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency is about to repeat itself. Rebranding exercises, fictitious saintly profiling and slushy online Buhari-campaigns have heated up in the last few weeks across the social media, with most of them bereft of discernible issues that hint about the nature and scope of the “change” that is about to come. How can we repeat the same mistakes again?

Thus far, Buhari offers something most politicians don’t have or aspire to have: character. If there were any scandalous skeletons in his cupboard, desperate Nigerian politicians would have exposed them as far back as 2003 or 2007. By the way, Nigerians are not shopping for a leader with papal attributes. What they want is a problem solver. But beyond character, what next? Few weeks to election, what are the cards on the table? I see none. What are his main priorities? I can’t categorically tell. For example, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State made education the central theme of his gubernatorial election campaign in 2011. His post-electoral programs also maintained a special focus on education. Education therefore became a one-point agenda that provided Imo electorates a basis to assess the quality of his leadership and hold him to account. So, what is Buhari’s game plan?

I don’t expect Buhari to make too many promises, but we need to know exactly what he has in mind, and what his plans are. With the election inching so close, there is no coherent action plan detailing his order of priorities. We cannot afford a costly repeat of the Jonathanian tradition of guesswork and when-we-get-to-the-bridge leadership. Not anymore. A presidential vision is a collective vision; not a personal one. We have a right to know what that vision is, interrogate it and connect with it. There is no better time than now.

Many Nigerians share in his passion for zero tolerance against corruption with great enthusiasm. But besides cleaning the Augean stables, what next? Reducing the cost of governance and plugging the multifarious leakages mean that Nigeria would save more and have more resources to solve its manifold problems. How Buhari plans to harness and deploy these resources so as to yield a marked increase in the quality of lives, and for the benefit of all Nigerians is still a mystery.

No doubt, Buhari may likely surround himself with seasoned advisers and technocrats. His vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is one himself. There are two main reasons why Nigerians should never ever bank on this. First, Goodluck Jonathan’s administration provides compelling proof that a technocrat-filled cabinet does not necessarily translate to corruption-free and competent leadership. Right under the watch of Harvard-trained economists, the porousness of Nigeria’s financial reserves gained global notoriety, while unstoppable looting of oil revenues reached record highs never envisaged in financial transactional history. Secondly, vice-presidents have always been mere appendages under Nigeria’s democratic tradition. That is why most students of secondary school and university age don’t know the name of the vice-president Namadi Sambo. A vice-president becomes a threat to his boss if he ever exercises political power so valiantly in public. So, except with the help of force majeure as happened under Yar Adua, I have no expectation that Professor Osinbajo will break this tradition. And if he does so, it might provoke serious tensions of a scale thicker than the tribal fracturing witnessed under Goodluck’s era. I know Nigeria well enough to predict this very obvious fact.

Buhari’s military background provides reasonable basis to believe that he might draw on his wealth of experience to contain the Boko Haram insurgency if he becomes president. But how will he do this? No information. Unlike the central government, the civil society, the media, and other non-governmental organs of society need to plan, budget in advance, and key into this security agenda if it exists. His silence is deafening and distracting.

So far, Buhari has successfully run an issue-less, emotion-driven campaign. He has Goodluck Jonathan to thank for that. Nigeria is gradually drifting from a clueless to an issueless government. Goodluck’s poor leadership has created a huge void between the government and the governed, spurred anger among the populations and fuelled an unquenchable desire for change. It doesn’t matter if a mere object like a pencil runs against Goodluck in 2015, many voters frustrated by his backward-ever style of governance would cast their votes in favour of that pencil. Buhari would hopefully, fill that contemptible void. But how? I wish I know…

Victoria Ohaeri is the executive director of Spaces for Change (www.spacesforchange.org), a youth-development and policy advocacy organization based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is currently a post-graduate student of Harvard University in the United States of America.

Source: http://saharareporters.com/2014/12/18/issuesforbuhari-clueless-issueless-government-victoria-ohaeri

Don't worry, when clueless and shoeless GEJ leaves for his Otuoke zoo and Buhari becomes the president, you will know how.
Sai Buhari 2015.

food for thought

one big mistake gej made was that he circulated himself with fo.ols eg abati & okupe and i assure you it aint gonna happen this time around

I think the author is part of millions of educated and enligthened Nigerians who saw through the Fad of Buhari presidential aspiration.

Op nice right up but just cool down the GMB is never gon fail US. He's done it before, LET him do it again.

The first good thing is that the writer acknowledges the obvious fact that Jonathan is a TOTAL FAILURE.

We equally know that Buhari will soon reveal his agenda during campaings and debates. His five points agenda were even contained in his acceptance speech. What we need now are the programs which I'm sure will be available soon.

Also, Buhari's past let us know that he doesn't mind delegating some authorities to his subordinates. We just need to look at how he allowed Idiagbon to freely function without causing animosity between them. Another look at how he managed PTF to national and international commendations during a regime that was widely condemned by Nigerians and outsiders, will tell any patriotic Nigerian that he will perform. PTF remains one of the very few good achievements of Abacha's regime and that was another of Buhari's magic.

Can we even have it worse than this clueless regime if we put a secondary school guy there? I don't think so.

Change has come. It's GMB all the way!

Don't worry Ma, if Buhari didn't have any manifesto, 'America will know'. So don't bother yhurself since America are yet to say anything.

Goodluck’s poor leadership has created a huge void between the government and the governed, spurred anger among the populations and fuelled an unquenchable desire for change. It doesn’t matter if a mere object like a pencil runs against Goodluck in 2015, many voters frustrated by his backward-ever style of
governance would cast their votes in favour of
that pencil.

Spot on!!!

Objective analysis from an independent mind. Buharists, attack me on many occasions when you take them up on economic policy of GMB...for what i care, the man has not said anything...in the Machiavellian political principle, you cant hold a leader who has promised you nothing accountable...I will stamp out corruption he says...logical minds will ask...How?...fighting corruption is way easier with the barrel of the gun in 1983..not very easy on the desk of democracy that embraces dialogue, tact and diplomacy.

One thing the writer must know is that Buhari's campaign isn't just an emotion-driven campaign, it is based on a singular issue (I stand to be corrected) and that issue is "genuine war against corruption". One doesn't need to tell you how "monies saved from plugging leakages" would be deployed. The thing is, once these leakages are contained, things would simply work as they are supposed to. Contractors would execute jobs they are paid to do. Pronouncements on paper/budgets would be transformed to visible structures on the ground. You won't have a situation where the only progress visible would be those on paper in some polls conducted by the country's finance minister!!

When you fix corruption (and stealing), you invariably fix 80% of this country's problems.

when presented with 2 evils, choose the less evil.

Buhari for 2015

issueless you say.
Because he hasn't say I Ve no shoes, I Ve no cloth.

Thank God you recognize his zero tolerance to corruption.

Nigeria is having a lot of problem.

He Ve to sit down and take a good look at Nigeria. then he can choose what's his campaign agenda will be.

Thank God you say you don't' want many promise.

Real men act not just talk.

So I agree with some of your word.

*will modify later*

Buhari for President

GENERAL BUHARI IS AN UNSTOPPABLE PHENOMENON!

* He isn't a bag of money, yet those with ships of money couldn't stop him!

* He doesn't own houses and other property across the country, yet his name rings bells all over the world!

* He is firm, sound and excellent in both heart and mind, and that's why the criminals in the PDP and their complicit allies pretending to be priests detest him so much!

* They cloned and armed a "Boko Haram" to commit genocide and to blackmail him as the sponsor, but it turned out that only those who can spend more than the government's 4 trillion naira in 4 years can sponsor that "Boko Haram"!

* They ordered their "Boko Haram" to kill him, but God kept him alive!

* They hatched all manner of satanic propaganda from their devilish hatchery against him, but they didn't know they were advertising him more to suffering Nigerians!

* They said he is a sectionalist, but today he won a pan-Nigerian landslide at his party's convention!

* They said he is old, but today the youths are gravitating more towards him because they have realised that a young thief and terrorist fooled them earlier!

* They dispatched their "Boko Haram" to destabilise his northern political strength, but they failed to reckon that humanity will make the south fall in love with him!

* They prayed, hoped and even attempted to make dollars work against him, but the people's representatives knew Nigeria and Nigerians need much more than stolen dollars!

So, what next?

Let's rally round this man we all love, and whom we call The People's General, and let's kick out this corrupt and mischievous despot in Aso Rock alongside his contemptuous and meddlesome wife!

The time for Aso Rock to be occupied by handsome, beautiful and honest people has come!

Congratulations, General Buhari!

Pple gt mind o

Ouch

Ah!!! Nice one but I'm very sure that Buhari will make a difference

Come to think of it does GMB has d potentials to effect d change we most desire ?
He is not convincing.

Maybe

Anytime i remember this "Stealing is not corruption" i just laugh out loud. Honestly we nigerians don enta 1 chance

The author of this article did a great a work ... But I am not surprised with all what she said because she reasoned like a typical Nigerian woman. I will vote any candidate with less promises than a candidate with many promises.
This is 21st century and elections are not won based on promises.

A good article....and one which I hope Nigerians would learn from....beyond the politricks

Rubbish article!!!

I can't be able to read this whole bunkum; the editorial boards that came up with this must be sipping melaila leaf!

And op you forgot so soon that it was in GEJ government that Nigeria attained the biggest economy in Africa?

It was in his(GEJ) that railway system was revamped and about to be privatized?

It was in his time that the long clamoured privatization of the power sector took it's start?
Before then, everything were on the Fritz.

It's now a testament on every lips of the Nigerian masses that the power sector has improved exceedingly well.

The insurgency you pointed out, is his govt the creator?
He fought and did what he could using the machineries of power he has but there were political machinations and the insurgents sympathizers within the system of governance that has brought the effort of the president seems like nothing is done.

I can go on and on to name dem all.....

Pls don't glorify buhari now cos I know quite well that even during his military regime, albeit he introduced war against indiscpline , how many northerners were nailed?

Rather, he registered Nigeria as a Muslim country and had the agenda to islamize Nigeria which I know is what prompted him to desperately seek for the seat of the presidency which will always be a real botch for him!

He failed in reconciling the waring parties(ethnic tensions and unquenching wars).

It was of late that he came out to condemn the activities of the boko haram which is obvious he is one of the sympathizers.......

Don't tell me that crab!!!!!!!

He seized power from the democratically elected government of shehu shagari!

(the western Nigerians would always support him(buhari) cos he will always picked his botched VP from the coward region!!

He had interest there cos he knows clearly well that those guys hardly discern from their right and left!!!

God forbid me!

Amadioha won't allow me to vote for a northerner or even a Muslim!!!!!!

Am an igbo man and love my southern neigbours exempting the west!!!!!

together we will build a BIAFRA oF OUR DREAM

Buhari again!!!

GMB FOR 2015, NO SHAKING,HATERS CAN GO AND SUCK A DHICK

Is this op deaf, blind or just plain dumb. Buhari's issue for the last 30 yrs has been proclaimed loud clear and unambiguously. Yet una go de vex say waec say una must pass english before admission and graduation

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