Exclusive: 'Challenges Awaiting Tinubu's Administration, Possible Solutions'

Exclusive: 'Challenges Awaiting Tinubu's Administration, Possible Solutions'

As Bola Tinubu succeeds former President Muhammadu Buhari, the new leader of Africa's most populous nation will be confronted with a myriad of formidable obstacles.

Tinubu's leadership will be evaluated based on how well he navigates Nigeria through these turbulent waters.

Political stability, economic recovery, security concerns, and pervasive social issues are the four most troubled aspects of Nigerian life that Tinubu's presidency must address.

During Buhari's presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governing party, experienced internal strife.

Tinubu will need to demonstrate political dexterity in order to mend rifts within the party and consolidate its authority.

Tinubu will place a significant emphasis on Nigeria's economy, which has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is responsible for managing skyrocketing inflation, reducing high unemployment rates, and improving the nation's infrastructure, all while navigating the global shift toward renewable energy that threatens Nigeria's oil-dependent economy.

 

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Tinubu faces the daunting task of quelling the Boko Haram insurgency, curtailing rampant banditry, and mitigating regional conflicts such as the farmer-herder confrontations in the area of security.


These obstacles necessitate a robust and effective strategy to restore national peace and security.

Despite having the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is plagued by pervasive poverty and inequality, a problem that Tinubu must address immediately.

In addition, he must enhance the nation's education and health sectors so that all Nigerians have access to high-quality services.

In an interview with Naija News, the well-known Nigerian columnist Farooq Kperogi discussed the challenges Tinubu may confront and the potential solution.

What Obstacles Does The Administration Of Bola Tinubu Face?

“The challenges awaiting Tinubu are both serious and various. The most obvious ones, of course, are a collapsed economy, endemic and seemingly intractable insecurity, deepening loss of faith in the personnel and institutions of government, and widening ethno-regional and religious divisions.

“These problems have always existed, to be sure, but they metastasized during Buhari’s ruinous eight-year ungovernance.”

What do you believe President-elect Tinubu can do to bring unity to Nigeria?

“As I pointed out in a previous column titled “Six Agenda Items for Tinubu’s Success,” Tinubu needs to undertake the difficult task of forgiving his traducers, uniting the country, and prioritizing merit and competence in choosing people into positions of responsibility.

“If, by his policies, he is able to revive the economy, create jobs, and renew or build key infrastructures that can make life a little better for people, most of our bitter divisions will begin to heal.

“In times of economic strife and dwindling resources, people tend to remember things that divide them and exploit this to give expression to their frustration.

 

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“That partly explains why Nigerians have been more divided on Buhari’s watch than at any time in the recent past. So, democratizing economic prosperity is a great way to heal the nation. Another way is to be fair and just to all—and be seen to be so.”

How do you envision the incoming government tackling the debts incurred by the Buhari administration?

“Well, since I am neither a member of the incoming government nor even a campaigner for it during electioneering, I have no idea how they will handle the ponderous debt burden the Buhari regime has saddled Nigeria with, but I imagine that it would be one of the severest tests for Tinubu and Shettima.

“But if Tinubu and Shettima live up to their reputation as people who attract the best to their side, I expect that they will get sound economists to help them navigate this thorny issue.

“I am not an economist, so I am not equipped to advise on ways out of the treacherous debt trap that Buhari has set for his successors.”

What are your thoughts on the call for zoning leadership in the tenth National Assembly?

“I am an advocate for distributive and representational justice and inclusive governance. I have written several columns about this. In a complex, fissiparous, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious country like Nigeria, we should always strive to give every collective identity a sense of belonging.

“So, my take is that groups that have no symbolic representation in the presidency should get a concession to produce leadership positions in the National Assembly.

“Having said that, I’m uneasy with what seems like the meddlesomeness of the new executive branch in the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly.

“The National Assembly is an independent branch of government that is constitutionally obligated to serve as a check on the executive. If the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly is manipulated by the executive, we would have an autocracy.

“I get that there’s merit in having a harmonious working relationship between the two branches of government, but harmony shouldn’t be achieved at the expense of having a pliant, rubber-stamp legislature.

“Our experience with the infamously malleable outgoing National Assembly should be a cautionary tale. They approved every ridiculous loan Buhari requested and have contributed to literally mortgaging the future of Nigeria’s youth.

 

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“Every branch of government, however virtuous it may be, needs checks and balances. And that starts with respecting the independence of every branch of government.”

Would You Like To Assess The Administration Of Buhari's Success?

“You’ll already know the answer if you’ve been reading my columns. The Buhari regime has been one heck of an unimaginably double-dyed failure. It almost has no redeeming quality.”

How Can Tinubu Stop The Murders In Plateau, Kaduna, And Other States?

“First, he needs a knowledgeable and disinterested security adviser who has a wide breadth of familiarity with Nigeria’s security flashpoints. Second, his government should start with a conciliatory overture to parties involved in conflicts.

“He should call leaders and major players in the conflicts, hear them out, and work to sincerely resolve whatever triggers animate their unceasing bloodletting all over the place. He should also read them the riot act and mean it.”

“There is no greater enablement of bad behaviour than the knowledge that there’s no consequence for it. In eight years, Buhari never brought anyone to justice for mass murder.

It’s the single most important reason insecurity has festered on his watch. Tinubu shouldn’t repeat that error.”

 


Bruno Kelvin

320 Blog posts

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