Niran Adedokun
Dear Mr President,
I do not know whether it is still a good time to congratulate you on your re-election in February and subsequent swearing-in as Nigeria’s eighth President on May 29, 2019, given that we are almost three months into your new tenure.
It is, of course, a privilege that you have been elected to govern one of the potentially greatest countries in the world for another term of four years despite the fierce opposition that you faced in the warm-up to the elections. I offer you belated congratulations and extend my best wishes.
For more reasons than one, I consider you to be immensely blessed by God for the opportunity to be President of Nigeria at this very troubled time in the country’s history. The Yoruba people say it is in the period of war that you know the most valiant of men. So, for you to have been elected at this point when Nigeria is bogged with challenges that threaten its very existence, presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to write your name in gold.
Your election, which is still being fought in court by some of your opponents, is evidently hinged on the trust that Nigerians have in your ability not just to change Nigeria (as you promised in the warm-up to the 2015 elections) but to also take the country to the next level in line with your most recent manifesto.
Nigerians, a lot of them that is, love you to bits. And I think that is for two analogous reasons. The first is their belief that you mean well for the country. And in addition to that, Nigerians who despise the impact that corruption has played in the underdevelopment of the country love the Spartan life for which you are known. They believe that your example should instil some discipline in the polity and change Nigeria for good and would vote for you a third time if there was an opportunity to do so. Truth must however be told, Mr President, when push comes to shove, none of these sentiments is enough to take Nigeria out of the doldrums that it is currently in.
I once read about an American president who promised a “return to normalcy” during his term and got the votes of the people in the early part of the last century. He went by the name, Warren Harding. Harding was elected as the 29th president of the United States in 1920 and took office in March 1921. But with the benefit of hindsight, historians suggest that Harding, who was elected after the visionary Woodrow Wilson, failed in the delivery of his promise without leaving any serious legacy by which history could remember him.
Even though he meant well and assured Americans that he was going to make the country better, analysts opine that he could not communicate his message effectively, because he truly had no idea what this slogan meant.
And as a result, Harding is now seen as one of the worst leaders that the US ever produced. An article on the website of the University of Virginia, Miller Center, says this about him: “Harding never understood where he wanted to take the nation… it was his own lack of vision and his poor sense of priorities that positioned him so low in the ranking of (the) US Presidents.”
Today, when American presidents are being discussed, this gentleman and a few others like him only appear when records of underwhelming performances are opened. That, to my mind, is the tragedy of a man who did not have his eyes on posterity, a man who lived for the moment and failed to carve his name in the hearts of the people of America. This is a prospect that you, Mr President, must avoid.
Just last week, you said that the N-Power programme had pulled five million Nigerians out of extreme poverty in three years. It is the same way your administration has pointed to achievements in the areas of security and the fight against corruption, which were the three cardinal promises you made to Nigeria at the beginning of your first tenure in 2015.
While one commends you for the gains that you have made in these areas and some others that you do not get to speak about so often, let me advise that you consider three things as of utmost importance for the development of this country.
The first is peace. Someone said that the measure of success is happiness and peace of mind. This goes to say that no matter how much you achieve on the economic and political fronts as a nation, the peaceful co-existence of a people trounces them. Now, unless we want to continue to live in illusion, peace is very far from Nigeria these days.
From the widespread level of suspicions among ethnic and religious groups in the country, to the level of insecurity that has turned Nigerians into prisoners in their own country, to the increasing encroachment on the rights of the people to freedom by security agencies, it would be impossible to attain any sustainable level of growth unless these dangers are tackled.
It is true, Mr President, that different sections of the country have been suspicious of one another forever, but there is always a breakaway point for any and every challenge that a country has. This is more so when those challenges have continued to impede national development. It would be a worthy legacy for you, Mr President, to deliberately pursue the course of sustainable peace in this country. And this can be easily achieved by what you and those who are close to you say and do, the soundbites that people get from you and the sense of fairness and justice that is reflected in your every step.
I am confident that you are conversant with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 of them, all of which are believed to be prerequisites to a world where everyone would have a sense of fulfilled livelihood. The 16th goal is to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Even if this is the only thing, Mr President, you can do for Nigeria, it is one for which this country and its generations will forever remember you as it would see everyone as part of the country working in unity for the development of the country.
The second very important issue that your administration must handle with urgency is the universal education of the Nigerian child. During one of the debates that you had before the last elections, you had rightly indicated that the primary and secondary education were in purview of the local and states government. As right as you were, Mr President, the failure we have in this sector has contributed to the increasing wave of violence in the country. And if we do not do anything now, one can only imagine what the future portends for Nigeria and the West African sub-region when over 10 million children are currently roaming the streets. This is a national emergency with the potential of taking global proportions if a concerted effort is not immediately taken. Mr President, can you kindly consider galvanising actions on this front? It would be a step for which history will never forget you.
And finally, is the related trouble of youth unemployment. That is a time-bomb that is ticking away in our presence, one which may consume the country and its future if something is not done urgently. And what to do should be far deliberate and sustainable. With the proper education of its children, Nigeria should explore the limitless opportunities in the agriculture, culture and sports sectors to engage its youths. By painstakingly developing these sectors and providing the enabling environment for millions of our citizens to take up opportunities that exist therein, Nigeria would be diversifying its economy, gainfully engaging its youths, and saving itself from the dangers that an idle but youthful and energetic population brings on societies.
Where you are today, Sir, nothing but the urge to create positive memories that will last more than one lifetime should be your single-minded pursuit. I pray that God Almighty will lead you right. Amen.
- Adedokun tweets @niranadedokun
[Punch]
