Memo To President Muhammadu Buhari: On The Way Forward -By Adesanmi, Abidde, Ademola-Olateju & Famakinwa

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari with some visitorsi

We, the undersigned members of the Nigerian social media activist community, cognizant of the significant and growing role of the social media demographic in national development; cognizant of the role played by this demographic in the election of Mr. President-elect (a role akin to the role played by the same demographic in the two elections of President Obama); cognizant of the growing trend of seeing this demographic as drivers of socio-political and economic change in advanced democracies; cognizant of the need for Mr. President-elect to continuously sustain the trust and support of this vital demographic, wish to congratulate Mr. President-elect on his hard-won victory and to bring the following to his attention:

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari must be mindful of those he surrounds himself with this early, and at every other time in his presidency. We noticed that this hard-won victory is about to be hijacked by people who did not work at the altar but are ready to eat at the altar. Worse, they have a history of eating up the entire altar.

The People’s Agenda, entrusted to and now embodied by Mr. President-elect, must not be compromised. However, we fear this is what might happen. This is evidenced by some of the men and women that have visited his country home and his temporary abode in Abuja. And is also evidenced by the types of demands and policy suggestions some individuals and groups of individuals have been making. We trust the President-elect to keep such people and their demands at bay.

As President, he must remain true to his original cause; he must walk the path he promised himself and the people. Buhari’s mandate was hard fought and won. His victory wouldn’t have been possible without the youth vote – especially the social media demographic. The youth demographic did not only collect their PVC’s, they voted overwhelmingly.

They voted massively and overwhelmingly with the expectation that finally – finally – a new dawn will commence on May 29, which will take into account several decades of indifference and exclusion. The president-elect promised to turn things around by attending to their dreams and aspirations. This is a promise he cannot go back on.

Nigerian youths have concerns that are national in scope and nature. The run up to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries and the presidential elections showed the youth demographic are sufficiently engaged and are using social media for political reasons. The social media has become an echo chamber for those already engaged. This is a double edged sword for a very patriotic and young segment of the population. The President must not forget this.

For more than three decades, he has been building and staking his reputation and legacy on four simple but very important ideals: honesty, responsibility, accountability and integrity. In the early stages of the campaign he added “nation-building, growth and development. These are the elements of his person and promise that the people of Nigeria, yearning for change, massively invested in and they must be sustained. To this end, therefore, we make the following suggestions:

1. While it is true that there are no saints in party politics, we beseech the President-elect to, as much as possible, distance himself from known and suspected crooks and thieves – some of whom have been seen in photo-ops with him, causing considerable disquiet among his ardent supporters in the youth demographic. And that he not appoint or align himself with anyone with an unsavory past;

2. That the utmost attention be given to the youth. For more than three decades, the policy and leadership style of successive governments pushed the youth to the margin. Hence, we have several generations of illiterate, undereducated and poorly educated youths – many of whom grew up to be unproductive and irresponsible citizens;

3. Our young girls and the elderly also deserve the President-elect’s attention. Untold numbers of our girls live in abusive homes. While others are being exploited – living a life of slavery, prostitution and child-labour. Millions of our elderly – elderly men and women – live a life of severe deprivation and severe abandonment. We suggest viable policies that takes care of these citizens;

4. We suggest a robust foreign policy that’s linked with national security and domestic policy. All three are interconnected and interrelated. In a globalised world – and considering the role and place of Nigeria in years gone by – there is a need for re-articulation, reshaping and reengagement with the international community;

5. The vast majority of our embassies and consulates are indifferent to the need and plight of Nigerians in the Diaspora. For instance, the ways and manners in which Nigerian passports are issued are archaic in nature. In addition, the level of indifference and aloofness and corruption is simply too high;

6. In the area of law and order, we suggest that the President-elect discourage the personalisation of the rule of law. Every Nigerian, and anyone who lives within our country’s border, must be subjected to the laws of the country. No one is or should be above the law;

7. We strongly suggest a clear separation of the three arms of government. While there can be cooperation and consultation, there should be no interference of any sort. The judiciary, especially, must be very independent. In fact, we would prefer an activist-judiciary – especially at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court;

8. As soon as possible, the public – especially the opposition party and all those who held public office – must be assured and reassured that no one will be persecuted, hounded. Sure, the appropriate agencies and the courts will be there to deal with issues relating to corruption and administrative malfeasances, but no one should be persecuted;

9. Government cannot on its own do it all; hence, we suggest that the President-elect should encourage private-public partnerships. Nation-building, therefore, must be the responsibility of all sectors and citizens;

10. Although this borders on populism; nonetheless, we encourage the President–elect to, on quarterly basis or so, interact with the people. In addition to regular press conferences, we also suggest a fire-side approach and informal interactions. The masses must be made to feel they “own” the government. Such sense of ownership would encourage the people to engage government and inspire them to carry out their duties and responsibilities;

11. There is an urgent need to provide basic human needs (humanitarian needs): clean water, security, food, strong institutions, infrastructure, etc. In line with this, we strongly suggest that the President-elect diversify the economy, invest in science and technology and encourage an enabling environment for private businesses;

12. The President-elect may be tempted to curtail the activities of both the First and Second Ladies. That’s understandable considering the activities and pronouncement of the outgoing First Lady. However, we believe that the Office of the First Lady and that of the Second Lady can do a lot of good. Even so, they must be encouraged to act and speak within limits;

13. There is an urgent need for the establishment of a comprehensive Welfare System – a social safety net that takes care of the need of those who have lost their jobs, are underemployed or unemployable as a result of physical and or mental impairment. In addition, our retirement and pension system should be updated;

14. Nigeria is a vast constituency of people of diverse ethnicities, beliefs and creeds. Therefore the President must govern justly and fairly, so as to promote inclusive and collective ownership of Nigeria’s development process. The President must encourage regional and interstate cooperation for development and create robust support for the creation of an enabling environment in pursuance of developmental goals;

Individually and collectively, we the undersigned have been proponents and supporters of democracy, political liberalisation and good governance. We have championed good and noble causes in furtherance of the growth, stability and development of our country. Furthermore, we are in accord with millions of Nigerians who sided with the President-elect in the just concluded presidential election. Hence we make these statements and suggestions out of a sense of duty and loyalty to our fatherland.


Signed:

Pius Adesanmi, PhD
Professor, African Literatures and Cultures
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada.

Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, PhD
Associate Professor of Political Science & African American Humanities
Alabama State University, USA.

Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, M.B.A, MS CIS
Convener, Circle of Hands
Columnist, Premium Times and Member Editorial Board,
Lagos, Nigeria.

Dipo Famakinwa
Entrepreneur & Development Technocrat,
Lagos, Nigeria.

This memo was written after the 2015 General Elections to the then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.