Need For Regional Zero Tolerance Policy: Is President Buhari The Divider-In-Chief -By Micheal A. Adeniyi

President Muhammad first of his name from the house of Buhari could be said to have a combative Jihadist approach which have endeared him to the Hausa-Fulani electorate but this will not work in a complex society which requires consensus and conciliation rather than confrontation. Today, the President can be described as the divider-in-chief, well, this might not sound like a complimentary epithet, but everything about the president is going toward such direction.

Although palpably exaggerated and symptomatic of typical perceptions, President Buhari would do well to go in for an image makeover to emerge as a unifying rather than a divisive force. It is apparent that millions of Christians and Southerners, have a deep distrust of the President. This may not be justified as the Buhari government’s policies evidently do not target Christians adversely, but perceptions matter a great deal in shaping attitudes. Therefore, President Buhari’s government will need to work consciously to dispel the impression that Nigeria might get transformed into an Islamic nation.

Apart from the social anxieties, the country’s economic health report during President Buhari’s first term has hardly been inspiring. Although, President Buhari managed to dust economic issues under the carpet through a skillful mixture of demagoguery policies, the fact is that the fundamentals of the economy are shakier than during the Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s era. The truly worrying part is the stagnation of industry, credit squeeze and sharp drop in consumption. It was assumed in 2015 that the government would come up with an incentivisation package. It is not too late even now to revive such a plan as tighter controls on tax collections have led to robust revenue growth. President Buhari may have successfully prevented jobs and distressed farmers’ issues from dominating the election agenda. But merely ignoring them will not make the issues disappear. But the fact remains that millions of Nigerians are unemployed and the numbers keeps increasing. While doles such as the import ban may be temporary palliatives, in the long run, they cause irretrievable damage to the economy. Even now that farmers are no longer at ease in their farms, the insecurity in the north has adversely destroyed the much publicized rice revolution. And that is why we are entering into more hard times.

The government also needs to work hard to formulate a clear foreign policy, especially with an eye on the borders. A mischievous neighbour is perennially backed by an expansionist Fulani herdsmen which the president is passives to be a sponsor of, with clear body language and actions, and it will be noted in history that together with the President they keep tensions alive in the country.

I think the other parts of the nation will need to have a clear Zero Tolerance Policy, necessitating physical demonstration of its exasperation. The President must remember that he is expected by his myriad supporters not only to act but must also be seen to act.