The overwhelming popular desire for change was met by Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment with destiny. After 16 years of civil rule which has meant nothing but worsening living conditions for Nigerians,  Nigerians finally said No to the people’s democratic party PDP. Muhammadu Buhari the candidate of the All Progressives congress APC has ushered in a new era with his historic win at the polls. But it’s not yet uhuru Nigeria is in a mess. There are enormous challenges the new president of Nigeria must tackle to meet the overwhelming expectations of the populace.

If Nigerians and Nigeria are indeed to be better for this change, there are key areas the president must tackl?e as a matter of urgency. 4years seems a long time but the president must immediately swing to action from May 29 to look at the following issues;

SECURITY!

Security is the primary responsibility of any Government but the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan government failed to secure and protect Nigerians particularly people of the North East for 5years. Boko Haram the violent Islamic  sect did not start with the outgoing administration but it was allowed to develop into a ferocious phenomenon by the outgoing  PDP Government . Nothing best describes the ineffectiveness of the Jonathan’s regime in tackling Boko Haram than the adoption of over 200 chibok school girls who are still missing as the time of writing this. ?The first major challenge of the new president will be how to #bringbackourgirls. The president can not afford to say he did not happen in his time. He must show that he is capable of bringing the girls back. Also, about 2million people have been already  displaced from their homes in the North East, and some 600, 000 camped outside of their homes.? massive death tolls of over 10,340 within a year period from Nov 2013 to Nov. 2014, a figure nearly equally the 10,733 for the same period in Iraq, only further demonstrate how immense the insurgency is.? Despite the sting of success recorded with the recently renewed miltary onslaught, boko haram appears to have also changed tactics. The sect renewed suicide bomb attacks at bus stations, parks and markets and have also pledged allegiance to World deadliest terror group ISIS. The new president must tackle the corruption in the miltary particularly within the top echelon of the army while also sustaining the renewed efforts to equip the army. Buhari must also understand that a purely military approach is incapable of addressing all of the economic issues of deprivation, poverty, corruption and oppression that over the years have provided fertile ground for recruitment into religious extremism in all facets. ?He must immediately begin to change the economic situation that allowed Boko haram to thrive for a long lasting solution.

CORRUPTION!

Corruption has been our bane in this country for many years. And the level of corruption at the moment is unprecedented. The outgoing government is particularly renowned for corruption. Aside from suprintending over massive looting, the Jonathan government also unashamedly associated with every Tom, Dick and harry in the corruption business while it  technically weaken institutions saddled with fighting corruption. monumental corruption is currently the norm in government, with no single high-profile corruption case prosecution carried through to a logical conclusion In the last 5years.

Buhari cut for himself a figure of a no-nonsense individual who in spite of being a former Head of State maintains a frugal existence with no known outlandish properties to his name, outside of his residence in Daura, Katsina State and another one in Kaduna. The arrest, trial and sentencing of politicians of the Second Republic to prison for corruption earned him, from majority of the populace  the status of one who can take on the monster of corruption in the country.and it is one of the major reason the masses rallied round him.  He wears the moral toga of possessing the credibility to fight corruption and that endeared him to the masses mostly in the North, and a significant layer of the rest of the country. ?So it is believed that Buhari will immediately begin to reform institutions saddled with corruption while also showing example. Enormous expectations are on this Man to kill corruption not reduce  it though some may argue that those who surrounds him ?are also perceived to be corrupt. How the new president deal with that contradiction will be a major challenge. 

ECONOMY!

Nigeria’s economy is in a mess and With the crash in oil prices to a figure much below $60 a barrel, from a peak price of $115 in mid-2014, and the projected price per barrel benchmark for the 2015 budget has been reviewed twice, the economic future of Nigeria can only be bleaker. This can only mean a sharp shortfall in income, this present government already announced some austerity measures, and the devaluation of the country’s currency. Presently, you need a basket full of naira to exchange for 1 American dollar and Already, various governments, at the state levels, are owing workers salary arrears, which is an indication of worsening situations for the civil servants, there is on-going thinking about retrenchment by policy makers in both the public and private sectors. Labour unions in the coming periods will ask for improved minimum wage which would be justified by the Naira fall and the harsh economic realities.  A government just coming in at the back of a Mass like revolution can’t afford to be elitist in outlook for starters. Things like cutting down the civil service will be too delicate to touch atleast in the interim. You would recall president Jonathan’s Government lost credibility less than a year into office with the removal of fuel subsidy.

Buhari will face the challenge of diversifying an economy that remains largely oil dependent with over 95% of foreign exchange earnings and 70% of government earning coming from crude oil export. Poverty is put at 71% of the population and unemployment is at underestimation of 28%. There are also reports that what is left of Nigeria’s badly depleted foreign reserves can not cover more than 4 months of import. While, we may truly be the biggest economy in Africa, because of our large population, our population is at an estimated 180Million, evidences on ground suggest we are big for nothing. Many Nigerians continue to live in misery amidst plenty. Providing real and decent job for the teeming youths that brought about this change is imperative. The job crisis requires the kind of urgency that has never been seen. The new Government must create decent jobs.Growth forecast for the year 2015 has been reviewed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to 5% down from 7%. A substantial cut too has already been effected in capital expenditure in the budget down from N1.3t to N627B in the 2015 budget with debt servicing even more than the amount budgeted for capital expenditure. External debt is put at $9.5billion.

ELECTRICITY!

Electricity is central to the development of any nation but despite this obvious fact, the PDP failed to provide universal access to electricity for most Nigerians in 16years with over $18B? spent in that time. President Jonathan initiated the Roadmap on Power reforms , The implementation of that Road map ensured the full privatization of PHCN but that has showed to be a fraud. The scorecard of that power privatization is epileptic power supply and constant unwarranted estimated bills. The Government also issued bailouts to the private sharks in tune of over N300B. Buhari has promised to generate 40,000MW in 4years. That means, atleast 10,000MW must be added yearly. He must first declare an energy emergency for starters while also looking at the Gas to Power master plan. The challenge of gas is one major impending factor to constant electricity. The obvious failures of successive Government in this sector over the years. The electricity sector is also highly capital intensive private companies or individuals may not have the required financial capacity to turnaround the sector as the the international Energy Association ( IEA )in its 2010 world energy outlook report said about 1.2trillion naira is needed in investment yearly for the next 10years to provide universal access to electricity for all Nigerians.  Many rural communities are still not connected to the Grid almost 6 decades after independence.

EDUCATION AND HEALTH!

The number of out of school children in Nigeria is 10.5million the highest in the world. With many of them being Girls. Buhari must find a way to drastically reduce that number his party the APC has promised to provide a meal per day for millions of Nigeria child. It is believed this would get as many back to school.

The 6 months ASUU strike for improved funding  that ended in December 2013 clearly underscored the horrible state of public Education in Nigeria. How the new president tackle age-old infrastructural decay in many schools will be a major challenge the promised of  N200 billion intervention yearly intervention fund may be scuttled if the new president abducts  belt-tightening ?arrangements. The health sector is also in disarray, aside the horrible conditions of hospital and their lack of funding, incessant strikes by health workers, seeking one improvement or the othe?r has become the new order. Buhari must tackle this head on.

UNITY AND INCLUSIVENESS !

Though we are much more stronger now as Nation  than we were before the elections even though western powers predicted Doom, we have completely disappointed them. However, there is still the need to continue to unite the country and give other regions like the South East and South South sense of belonging in the new era. They must feel as though, they did not support this change, they are also part of it.  Massive distrust still exist between the South East, South South and the North.  reassuring the people of the South East and also granting  economic , social, cultural and religious justice, will go along away to heal wounds permanently.

It is my belief and ofcourse believe of most Nigerians  that the next administration will indeed change Nigeria but we can not pretend not to see that the country has been badly damaged and  key challenges lies ahead if Nigerians are to truly enjoy the dividends of this democracy.

Tope Adesipo

@tope414

Lagos.

Views expressed are solely that of author and has no association with www.omojuwa.com nor its associates