Attempts have been made by several people to assess the yaradua goverment over the past one year. while many are quick to judge him because of the turbulent but peculiar power situation others are quick to adjudge him as Nigerias long awaited messiah for no justifiable reason. I choose to belong to neither of these schools of thought.

But to fairly assess the yaradua government one has to clearly understand or state what ones expectations are, and then compare them to the present efforts on ground by this government.

What were my expectations of the president?

1) I expected the president to assemble a team of competent and impeccable men and women as ministers and aides. Not more than 36 ministers and no more than neccesary aides. people whose credibility is beyond debate, Dora akinyuli, pat utomi readily come to mind.

2) I expected the president to consolidate on his predecessors attempts to fight corruption. but the president must understand that these fight against corruption was as a result the immediate post abacha and babangidas years. but we are now in an era where we make far more money than we made uring these wasted years. In consolidating the war, we must bgin preventive measures against corruption. There is an element of greed in every human being, but a system that makes it possible for someone to still a billion naira and transfer such abroad is a faulty one. preventive measures need be taken.

3) I expected the strenghtening of democratic institutions and adherence to the rule of law. This institutions include EFCC, the legislature at all levels, ICPC, Police and the judiciary.

4) I expected the president to ensure food security. private sector and state governments should be encouraged to massively get involved in local food production. the likes of dangote and other manufacturers should be encouraged to go into farming production for their raw materials againast the practice of them importing such from foreign nations.

5) I expected the gradual derugulation via issuance of more licences and enablement of small and medium scale industries of many sectors of the economy to allow "ventilation" and enable job creation.

6) since the president is from the party with a ruling majiority, I expected the local governments to have a clear direction. they should either enable qualitative primary and secondary education, adequate health care facilities or sanitation initiatives, which they are to pursue vigorously.

7) I dont expected the president to solve the power crisis in the country, nor repair all fedral roads immediately. but regardless of how wasteful his predecesor was, I expected him to continue with the power policy, even if as a short term rmedy, then we can talk about a probe.

I expected a honest and interactive government, that carries us all along.

Though yaradua has averagely strenghtened democratic institutions by his non interference in some instances, but from the afforementioned, it is obvious that yaradua has not met my expectations of a president taking us on the part of greatness. He has neither appointed credible and patriotically driven passionate men into his government nor has he made any effort to prevent the incessant looting around, he has practically deystroyed any mode of food security by budgeting 84 bilion to import food, when less than half of that could be used to set the nation on the path of self sufficiency in terms of food.

While I m not bothered by the ethnicity of appointees, the nothernazation of appointees is a backward step. And while I did not expect yaradua to repair Nigeria within a year, there is however a lot that can be done in a year.

what were your expectations? and were they met?