“““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““By: Dr. Isa Muhammad Inuwa 7/3/2023
When President Muhammadu Buhari was announced winner of the defunct 2015 Nigeria’s General Elections, many Nigerians out-busted with euphoria and uncontrollably ran into frenzied ‘celebration’, doing all sorts of crazy things, in anticipation of good governance of the retired General Major.
Surprises ranged from the nearly unbelievable stories you hear of weird actions in the name of jubilation to the ones you physically see in open or in pictures.
Weird styles of driving and motorbike riding rough-shod, by particularly the youths was a common sight. I heard of a person pouring water on the ground and joyously sipping it and gulping it down his throat.
I saw a picture of the one stripped to his short-knickers and taking bath in the gutter, out of celebration. Some others even died in the frenzy.
However, when the President-elect Bola Tinubu was announced winner of the February 15th general election, we are completely a changed people – we are ‘born again’.
Perhaps and indeed we have undergone a lot o a series of lessons of our life through President Buhari’s double tenure.
Some people might say we have received well enough of the proverbial beatings of the ‘cable’ of our life.
This time around, there is no out-bust of haywire jubilations. Rather, we celebrated calmly and silently in prayers upon prayers, asking the Almighty God to “make His choice the best for the nation, as we are weak creatures, we don’t know the best for us”.
Putting aside political leanings and affiliations, Nigerians’ prayers and agitations for a “God-chosen” president started long before the general elections.
Because of the series of ironies, trials and tribulations we have experienced, most of them contrary to our long dream and expectations, we came to realize that the power of knowing the best president for Nigeria only rests with God.
Therefore, so long we believe that God’s choice is best for Nigerians, there is no ground for grumbling or rejection of the outcome of this general election by Nigerians.
The opposition party, PDP and co, particularly the opposition presidential candidates would definitely not be happy with the result.
However, had no reason to destabilize peace or call for nullification of the election results. This is because, going by the factual happenings, statistics and commentaries of election observers, this presidential election is testified as one of the smoothest and cleanest elections in Nigeria.
For me, if it isn’t better, it would count as the second best to the defunct 2015 presidential election.
Also, the period taken to announce the election result, announced just three to four days after casting the votes, was very short and fast.
The fact that there was a too early hype from some opposition and a section of the media, the Independent Electoral Commission had no choice but to hasten, despite encumbrances, to compile and announce the result.
This must have been done in order to calm frying nerves, jitters and attempts by some elements to fan embers of tension, by their quick resort to unreasonable controversies. Remember the controversial ‘letter’ of ex-president Obasanjo to president Buhari, asking him to cancel and truncate the election process? By all means, the prayers of Nigerians both open and in silence had saved the tense situation.
It seems that crave for change from one government to the other, based on the pressing issues and needs of the people at the particular time.
In 2015, Nigerians sought for change from the president Jonathan’s PDP government to Buhari’s, largely, due to the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east, which was gradually gulping the nation.
However, at the end of Buhari’s tenure, the people agitate for another change of government because several other reasons, such as the problems of new surge of criminalities of banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, continuous rising cost of fuel as well as the high cost of living, exorbitant price of essential commodities due to rising inflation and the depreciating value of the national currency of Naira.
Yet another recent malaise is the hardship created by the sudden change of the national currency together with a surprising ‘cashless policy’ of transaction imposed by the government.
By the virtue of Nigerians’ prayers for a better change and for a ‘God-chosen’ man, the President-elect Bola Tinubu seems to be the answer to those ardent prayers.
By the antecedent of his performance during his eight-year tenure as the Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu (God-willing) and by God’s intervention, is expected and hoped to turn-around thins and at least redeem Nigeria’s situation and easing the life of Nigerians, by putting it on the track of development.
Therefore, by his past antecedents, we hope that the in-coming administration for Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu would be a pragmatic government of a person with tremendous experience and talent, going by the history of his governorship tenure in Lagos state.
To Tinubu goes the credit of putting Lagos on development track, upon which it is still moving.
First and foremost, he purged Lagos state from the menace and criminality of the so-called ‘Area-Boys’, galvanized the states’ economy and boosted the internal revenue drive to the extent that Lagos now enviably ranks as one of the richest states in Africa.
In terms of modern infrastructure and physical development, Lagos is far ahead. These glaring qualities of Tinubu were some of the main reasons he won the mandate of many Nigerian voters, hoping he will reflect same in leading the Nigerian nation.
Mr. President-elect should therefore consider himself as the messiah of the people and should prove that to the expectation of all.
He should embrace every Nigerian regardless of tribal or ethnic differences, for he is serving God’s duty and assignment of giving a qualitative, just and fair governance.
Dr. Isa Muhammad Inuwa
Lectures at the Department of Lingusitics & Foreign Languages
Bayero University Kano
Phone No: 07080207784
Email: ismi2000ng@yahoo.com; iminuwa.lin@buk.edu.co
