Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the
Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One
thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the
same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu
Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly
come to town.

Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle
Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years
after he had been toppled from power as military head of
state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to
everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today,
and will surely echo for a long time to come.
On a day like this, you would expect a presidential
spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in
office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and
climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not
what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost
imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and
are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I’ll rather talk of,
while we leave the tangibles till some other day.

> Oh, he’s escaping. There are no concrete achievements,
some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could
have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to
Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country
rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other
neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task
Force, the openness displayed about government finances
and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn’t
pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would
promote transparency and accountability in governance, the
disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of
Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many
others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh!
> When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way
to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives
way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying
ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing,
the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things
then pass away, behold, everything becomes new.

> Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was
why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in
the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was
thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was
called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler
etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a
change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30
years.

> But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the
flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians
knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead
told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No
unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they
whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught.
> Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our
refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts.
Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for
years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in
our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it
because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems?
No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the
new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules
could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore!
The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow
suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and
efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The
broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential
villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked
what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long
comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded
that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did
anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown
to the President, he did something. He had swept into town
with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results.
And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded
to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the
change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen
somebody!

> Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the
faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the
opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political
party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its
loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted
overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the
presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015
general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning
side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal
of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And
that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry
believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no
mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that
over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari
administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise,
as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is
something that does not come cheap.

> And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new
sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June,
just one month into office, and with the plugging of some
leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29
billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that
is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence
and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria
needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past
experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with
holes.

> An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the
confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this
week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to
office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has
been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity
supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers
across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination
of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep
vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with
the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage
development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance.
They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in
fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the
country.

> Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the
international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the
average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said
Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a
clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during
the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man
of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian
President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the
image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the
process. Surely, greater days are ahead.

> Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground
running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days.
And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and
you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You
can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do
is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then
you can begin to run.

> President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the
Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs
can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors
to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the
situation by sheer force of personality and presence. The
Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option
for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are
licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for
lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who
had bled our treasury to the point of death. They’ll have
stories to tell.
Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to
President Muhammadu Buhari

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/a-new-sheriff-is-in-town/

Long gist... .

#fetches 2 bucket of water and pours on OP#


So dis is wat we should be readin dis early early momo
Ppl sha

Omo see punch line

BBL