Now that NextLevel has been inaugurated?

I was one of the firm believers in the 2015 change mantra of the APC, and even though I was naive back then, I believed (or I was led to believe) that the Jonathan-led government was indifferent to corruption fight and currently I am amazed I had myopically judged his government only with the examination of corruption fight which he failed by media standards.

Four years after, I have realized that my point of view was myopically narrowed to the corruption fight zone only which enjoyed defamatory accusations aimed towards His government by the media, and I admit that the Jonathan-led government made a lot of notable differences in sectors like agriculture, entertainment, sports and human development, Although I believed then that most Nigerians wanted to experience what a feel of a change of party system would look like and therefore went with the pyrrhic alternative and I inclusive seeking the same feeling joined the uncertain train.

Over the years,We Nigerians have placed so much value on money and finance because it directly affects everyone of us so every government's general performance is filtered through the lens of 'financial impropriety and corruptions', we shouldn't be blamed for this because over the years we see less of social, economic and infrastructural developments and yet we're daily exposed to the perceived gratifying life of a certain few who we believe continually seek to milk the country dry thereby depriving the majority of Nigerians of the savouring life we desire.
The APC with master strategies saw into the gaps capitalized on it, cajoled the electorate with the dreams that occupied the minds of the average Nigerian, succeeded and won the 2015 elections.


Has Buhari fought corruption which was his main theme in his first term successfully?
Maybe to those who have voted him in for second term, he is performing quite above average and for those who didn't he has failed to make significant changes on his much publicized 'corruption mantra' and corruption still thrives among 'his friends' unlike in the previous administration where it thrived across various divides.

The certain fact is that corruption-fight hypes aided by the media wasn't prominent and dramatic as it was in the Jonathan administration which further intensifies the impression that the facade behind the continuous and persistent attacks against the Jonathan administration which continually insisted meant well for all Nigerians was sponsored by the APC. I leave the rest to Nigerians to objectively compare the achievements of both two years into Buhari's government to make comparisons fair if that will indeed either affirm the belief that change was inevitable or simply unnecessary.

The PDP was in charge of government for 16 years and although beset with multifarious challenges should be commended for its people-integrating ideologies, although at times perceived to be promoting uneven and inappropriate disburse of funds still promoted the unity of Nigerians, no wonder the emphasis on the 'power to the people' in its popular slogan.

The PDP has it may seem has sound ideological foundations but its uneven spending leaving the majority unsatisfied by ignoring cogent areas like roads, electricity, housing and urban development leaving them in deplorable conditions at the expense of a few who had free access to this good facilities might have made them lose a lot of fanfare, for a party to last for over a decade and a half indeed shows its grassroots acceptance and strength.

The APC master strategists led by the former Lagos state governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who has longtime been in the country's political climate and most times as an opposition studied the political climate and came up with sound conclusions and made the right mergers and was influential in selecting round pegs in round holes which eventually produced fascinating results that led to the PDP being swept off with the broom of change.

The Buhari 'Change' Administration kicked off to a slow start in 2015 which the administration justified as saying it was 'following due processes' which it claimed was non-existent in the past PDP administrations and therefore time was required to revive the flame of ethics that had long fizzled out.

The Buhari administration placed huge priorities on security, infrastructure and economy, In security it says it technically defeated the Boko Haram sect and took drastic measures to end the herdsmen crisis, In economy it says it rescued the country from recession and set it back on the right road to economic growth, in infrastructure it says it invested in infrastructural development more than any democratic dispensation and claims would benefit the country greatly, these are the main developments it implemented in the first four years and when continually questioned by Nigerians on when the effects of all this will be physically seen by Nigerians, the government claims the results would be seen from 2019 upwards and from the basic belief that a corn plant does not germinate the day it was planted, Nigerians have inclined themselves to believe so.

The APC has entered its sophomore year of democratic rule and has promised a move to the next level for all nigerians, Nigerians both joyous, indifferent and aggrieved are looking up expectantly to what the APC-led government defines as next level, results are celebrated everywhere and maybe when a litre of fuel falls from N145 to N60, a bag of rice falls to cheap rate, electricity distribution becomes wide-spread and constant, the Naira becomes strong enough to meet daily needs, then we will begin to believe the Buhari government means well,but till then we hope the Next Level takes us far beyond our expectations even as we anticipate the outcome concerning the case of 2019 general election inconsistency claims brought by the Atiku Abubakar-led PDP against the victory of the Muhammadu Buhari APC-led government, again we hope the Judiciary will be fair in its handling of the case and give unbiased judgments, we hope that Muhammadu Buhari who won the Northern Nigeria geopolitical zones by a landslide because of the seemingly unchanging belief the zone has in his Integrity status will be magnanimous to not interfere in Judicial outcomes and implore his aides to do same.


Next Level?

The Muhammadu Buhari government should see to the fact that cohesiveness is restored to the Nigerian socio-economic and political climate concerning national issues and in volatile matters and regions, the government which continually claims that it has succeeded in 'rescuing' Nigeria from the monster of corruption should begin to chart a blueprint to maximizing its manpower,maximally exploiting its various resources and resuscitating lost values to restoring the country to the presumed Giant of Africa status this time not in words but in feats.

The youth population which takes quite an healthy percentage of its growing population should be well equipped with deliberate investments in the education sector, youth sector, science and technology sector, sports sector and entertainment sector,
the country should also focus and diversify into the technology sector which is growing at a rapid rate in Nigeria and place huge priority on what it can do to drive all Nigerians to contribute decisively to the growth of his immediate community and to the country at large.

The situation where every Nigerian has lost faith in the democratic government should be worked upon with oblingingness and alacrity by the Ministry of Information and Communications as the greatness in every nation is borne out of the fact that every citizen who is a Nigeria in microcosm contribute his or her best to the development of the nation not compulsively or painfully but willingly and cheerfully.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Timothy Adetolu, a final year student of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University writes from Ile-Ife.
30/05/2019.

IPOB and PDP nightmare continue with double portion.