ISSUES THAT WILL MAKE OR MAR BUHARI'S ADMINISTRATION.

With his largely poor score, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is retiring to his village, Otuoke, in Bayelsa State. Now is time for President Muhammadu Buhari to do what his predecessors, especially Jonathan could not do to re-engineer the country. CHARLES ABAH looks at the key areas that will shape the tenure of the soldier-turned politician

Fuel subsidy

After the recent strike by oil marketers that almost crippled economic activities in many parts of the country, it is clear that the incoming government must do something urgent to prevent a recurrence of the event in the future. Investigations show that many Nigerians, still smarting from the effects of the strike, are willing to back any move by the new government to remove the contentious fuel subsidy once. Yet, outright removal of the subsidy will amount to robbing Nigerians of what looks like the only thing they now enjoy from the government. Besides, millions of Nigerians are already burdened by poverty.

Terribly poor power sector

In the power sector, Nigerians are looking forward to seeing the retired army general-turned politician revive this area, which they consider as the root of their survival. For them, the provision of regular, affordable and efficient electricity is crucial for their growth as well as the rapid industrialisation of the country.

That the citizens make this demand is not surprising. The Jonathan administration, they posit, in spite of its huge financial commitment to the sector and the noise surrounding its privatisation initiative, did not succeed in giving the people the much-cherished commodity.

According to them, the best they received from the immediate past government is perhaps a harvest of darkness. So, for the Buhari administration to make an in-road into their hearts, the power sector should be given a priority.

There is also the need to solve the problem of inadequate gas supply that has brought electricity generation to the all-time low rate of just over 1,000 mega watts

Security

Concerning security, there are great expectations that, far more than Jonathan, the Buhari government will help to check the incidents of robberies, kidnappings, as well as violence occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram and other dissent groups in the country. Particularly for the latter, their action is suffocating private and social life in the North Eastern part of the country. According to analysts, the insecurity in the land has greatly hindered an enabling environment for local and foreign investors to transact their businesses. So for the citizens, if the Buhari government can curb the security challenges, the people will be happier for it.

Curb corruption

That many Nigerians were not happy with the Jonathan government was reportedly because of how they felt his leadership handled the issue of corruption. The immediate past government, the citizens said only paid lip service to the fight against the vice. So for Buhari to win their hearts, they are demanding that his administration should further strengthen the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as other agencies to ensure that those who soiled their hands in any manner of fraud are brought to book.

Education

With the over 10 million Nigerian children still out of school, the raging debate about the quality of teacher education, incessant strikes among stakeholders, dilapidated school buildings and infrastructure, poor funding, among other challenges, analysts hold the view that the new government has more than enough to chew.

Therefore, for the change mantra that Buhari represents to make meaning to pupils, teachers, administrators, parents and millions of other Nigerians, they look forward to seeing him not only funding the sector well but also ensuring that good judgment and discipline return to the sector.

The NNPC refinery in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Although Buhari and his party had promised Nigerian pupils one free meal a day, the citizens still want his leadership to look into other areas, such as provision of learner-friendly facilities and curriculum delivery, tuition as well as issues bordering on teachers’ welfare.

A former National Universities Commission Executive Secretary Prof. Peter Okebukola, sums it up thus, “If Buhari wants to improve the quality of education in Nigeria, he should dismantle the current model of teacher preparation and install one that will lead to the production of quality teachers that are steeped in content knowledge. There are too many roadside teachers in Nigeria today. Every day they are in the classroom sets the nation back two years.

“Next is to improve the quality and quantity of facilities for teaching and learning at the basic, post-basic and higher education levels. Over 80 per cent of our public basic schools have grossly sub-standard facilities. These poor facilities also confront about 65 per cent of our tertiary institutions. Research also shows that facilities account for about 18 per cent of the variance in quality scores; and so paying attention to this variable should be of great interest to the Buhari administration.”

Infrastructure

Besides, Nigerians also look forward to Buhari addressing the infrastructure challenges in the country. From lack of roads, railways, housing, among others, the citizens believe that they have a mouthful of challenges in this sphere of social life. Insofar as analysts are concerned, over 90 per cent of travels in the country are by road, especially as air travel is not within the reach of an average Nigerian.

Noting that the Jonathan administration had made an in-road into resuscitating the nation’s railways, the citizens similarly think that the new leadership should strengthen what it met on ground.

Again, they recall that the Ministry of National Planning Commission in 2013 had announced a 30-year plan known as the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, which focused on core infrastructure, including energy (power and oil & gas), transport (roads, rail, ports and airports), housing, water, as well as information and communications technology. Two years after, stakeholders still wonder what has become of the master plan. They therefore urge the Buhari government to reappraise this with a view to correcting any shortcoming in the programme.

Health

It is evident that the country is still lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of the provision of primary health care. More than ever, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of health services, improve the conditions of service for health workers and set up adequate infrastructure. The right move in this direction will guarantee a drastic reduction in infant mortality rate, among other health challenges.

Cost of governance

The high cost of governance is another sore area that Nigerians want the Buhari government to examine. Specifically, they demand that unless the current cost of running government is reduced, the nation will not achieve any meaningful development. For instance, they demand a drastic reduction in the allowance accruable to top government functionaries and lawmakers.

Even some lawmakers-elect, such as Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West), and Ben Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa East), have joined hundreds of Nigerians to seek a reduction in the cost of governance.

According to Bruce, the amount being spent on overseas treatment by Nigerian public functionaries is enough to build a modern hospital that would be of international standard in each state capital.

Job creation

Since Buhari himself has made job creation one of his top priorities, Nigeria’s vast army of unemployed people need not worry any longer. Reducing the current unemployment rate is fundamental to the success of the present government. Given his vast experience as an administrator, the majority of the affected are confident that the new President is up to the task. To achieve this, there is the need to radically expand agriculture, rail transport and other mass-oriented areas.