As early as the 100th day in office, some of the changes promised by the APC must be visible because in Africa the morning shows the day.

However for any government to succeed, it is not enough for people to shout changes. It is also important that people become the changes that they want to see.

The APC Mandate 2015 – ?

By Adeola Aderounmu

On the 31st day of March 2015 the people of Nigeria accepted the final results of the presidential election that took place 3 days earlier. The significance of this is that Mr. Buhari will take over as the president of Nigeria on May 29 2015.

The APC government promised CHANGE. By this slogan the party means that it intends to do a lot of things in the next 4 years that will correct most of the anomalies that trailed Nigeria for more than 50 years.

One of the fundamental flaws of the Jonathan era that resulted to 6 wasteful years was the continuous reference to the fact that Nigeria’s problems did not start with Mr. Jonathan. There were other flaws that characterised the Jonathan government. The worst of them was the endless and merciless massive looting of the Nigeria treasury at all levels.

On the eve of the election l took a stand and supported the change movement. The reason was simple. I would have found it almost impossible to write about Nigeria again if PDP had won. I had written about bad governance and everything l knew that was wrong with the PDP, yet the government got more rotten.

The victory of APC is by no means a celebration for me. I don’t glorify people or election victories. The main reason l write about Nigeria is to contribute my bits to ensuring that one day governance will be about the welfare of the citizens and not the wealth accumulated by the criminal- or dubious politicians.

For the first time since 1999, there is now a platform for comparison of performances.

For the next 4 years, APC will be under the spotlight at the federal level as everybody awaits a new Nigeria or a new beginning in the words of APC’s leader Mr. John Oyegun.

The reasons given by Mr. Jonathan that led to the failure of PDP under his watch will not be acceptable under the change promised by the APC.

Those in charge at APC should be ready to face the harshest of criticisms if they start someday to tell Nigerians and the world that they will not be able to fix Nigeria in 4 years.

From now and until the end of the first term in 2019, APC must act and pursue goals that will show that she meant business. As early as the 100th day in office, some of the changes must be visible because in Africa the morning shows the day.

Realistically nobody is expecting Nigeria to be the biblical paradise in 2019. However many basic things that have tainted the image of Nigeria and that have also reduced the quality of life must been seen to have been adequately addressed under the first tenureship of the APC mandate.

Failure to address these basic issues will make it too easy for the PDP to regroup and flush out the APC in the nearest future. Such a development may close the chapter of any cry for change in the future. The treasures of Nigeria will remain the prize for tropical gangsterism. Hope will be dashed forever until the real physical revolution takes place.

So as the days come or go by, keen observers across the world will be watching closely to see how APC intends to flush corruption out of Nigeria.

Corruption in Nigeria is systemic in nature. This means that is exist in almost every family, almost every office-both private and public and it is practised or reflected in nearly all aspects of the Nigerian life. Someone once told me that l might be killed by my colleagues in a government establishment if l try to be a honest man and hinder them from stealing or looting.

If the head is rotten the entire body of the organism is also rotten. I know this very well and l thought l also heard Mr. Buhari and APC echoed this loudly.

Corruption in government must be eradicated first at the presidency and hopefully such a positive outcome will radiate gradually to all facets of the Nigerian life so that decency and dignity can be restored to the country.

Many Nigerians have been speaking about reducing the government cabinet by removing all the useless positions like minister of state for things and objects. Even some ministerial positions can be fused so that instead of two or three different ministers, only one minister can be in charge.

This will reduce the cost of governance and will help to remove the holes that lead to executive negligence.

One of the craziest and most unacceptable things in the Nigerian government is the salaries and allowances that government officials’ and politicians take home. Since 1999 Nigeria continues to bleed through the wages and allowances of the members of the House of Representatives and the national assemblies at the federal and state level. If nothing is done about these reckless wages, I am sorry there is no change yet.

I am certain that one can write 100 chapters on how to eradicate corruption in Nigeria based on the opinions and ideas that everybody has on the topic. Even corrupt Nigerians like those who transfer funds from the central banks to the different ministries just for looting purposes have their own opinions because everybody always thinks it is another person’s fault that corruption persists.

The change that the APC promised must not be left in the hands of the APC alone. I think that everybody should look in the mirror and take off their garments of evil. For any government to succeed, it is not enough for people to shout changes. It is also important that people become the change that they want to see.

The Nigerian judiciary is still largely a scam because criminals and corrupt people have been escaping justice. Petty thieves have died through jungle justice which is a sad occurrence. Looters of the federal and state treasuries continue to smile to the bank at home and abroad.

The APC mandate must work to remove the immunity clause that has made politicians exclusive criminals. Above that the judiciary must be independent again. The new government must hands off legal proceedings and allow them to run their courses.

The successful prosecution of criminals, fraudsters and corrupt criminals irrespective of their statuses in the society are essential to a new beginning for Nigeria.

Diversification of the Nigerian economy cannot wait. It must start today. How can APC take Nigeria back to the days when agricultural products were the main exports? Is it possible that oil is relegated someday so that the major foreign exchange earners can be from the various mineral deposits in Nigeria?

How does APC intend to stop the Chinese and other foreign countries from looting Nigeria’s mineral resources immediately?

Probably before and definitely under Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP Nigeria’s mineral deposits were loaded out of the country almost free of charge under the supervision of some useless ministers. This must stop today! Those who have allowed this to happen need to be apprehended and brought to justice.

Electricity situation in Nigeria has become a case of both intellectual scandal and national shame.

Obasanjo and Jonathan both spent or looted several billions of dollars on electricity. The situation got worse. Cockroaches and rats continue to lay eggs in refrigerators and freezers. Keen observers are waiting to see how the APC mandate will tackle the nonsense talk about the generator importers and the power sector mafia. Where are all the billions of dollars?

One could have hoped that the federal character could be scrapped but it appears impossible. It’s a shame that while the best brains will lie idle or remain unutilised where they are best needed, ministerial posts and portfolios will be given (albeit uniformly) based on state or region of origin. Some fools will get on board, sadly.

Sadder still some of the posts are given as rewards for the efforts during campaigns and lobbying that led to the victory of the APC. That awareness and the mess that is going on at this moment concerning ambassadorial postings bleed my heart.

One message that will remain constant in my essays is the task to reform Nigeria politically. The presidential election results as it were clearly revealed that Nigeria is not a unified country.

The pattern of voting if taken into consideration can be a beginning of a lasting political solution. The APC must not sweep the debate for regional autonomy or regional government under the carpet. It won’t go away.

The strengths of the different regions can be utilised in creating a system of government where the power at the center is drastically reduced. This will also douse the tension and pressure of elections in the future. In the face of accountability and a center devoid of the power of the almighty, rigging and violence will be significantly reduced in future elections.

The custodians of the Nigerian historical and geographical facts can be of massive help when plotting lasting political solutions. If some of these people have emerged in the houses (senate and house of representative), they must be heard.

The fragility of Nigeria can still be exploited by wicked and selfish minds in the days ahead or sometime in the future. Why not remove that possibility while it is still constitutionally possible to do so?

No matter what the APC mandate must not go the way of the previous administrations.

There will be no excuse for non-performances. There will be no story for why the hawks and wolves sucking Nigerians through the oil subsidy, contracts inflation, non-performance and direct looting of the treasuries cannot be halted.

Millions of people are already anticipating that their children will get free lunch at school. Some are looking forward to the empowerment of the public schools back to the glory days. Education must be affordable again. The quality must begin to return.

This is the beginning of the APC mandate. As the days unfold and change to months and years, some people will be looking while some people will be acting to make the changes possible. Still, some people will be accessing the situation.

With the type of interactions amongst Nigerians on the social media, it is possible to deduce that out of the several millions who voted for the PDP, a substantial percentage are waiting for APC to fail. They want to be able to justify the evils perpetrated by the PDP since 1999.

No one should be defending a failed government irrespective of their party affiliations. Only selfishness and wickedness can make people ignore the importance of good governance and accountability that are in favour of the majority and in the interest of common good.

Those who write must continue to write. This is not the time to cross from the side of the people to the side of the government hoping to cut from the national cake. By no means should the Nigerian real and virtue landscape be depleted of uprightly conscientious minds and critics who will stand by the people no matter what.

If APC fails in the eyes of those who will be doing the analyses in the coming days and years, Nigeria may just as well self-destruct!

I appreciate the importance of peace and tranquillity and I hope that the APC will succeed.

A proper change will orchestrate the restoration of dignity, honour, pride, patriotism and service to humanity on the Nigerian soil.

There can be hope for the unborn generations.

aderounmu@gmail.com