Politics- 100 Days in Office of President Muhammadu Buhari by Essien Attah

The Glorious rise of President Muhammadu Buhari to the exalted office
of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is
akin to the rise of Abraham Lincoln, the erstwhile American
President who failed a number of times but finally
succeeded in his thirst to serve his people meritoriously
And just like Lincoln, he is faced with a myriad of
challenges that can make or Mar his Presidency.
But the most contentious disappointment of the
Buhari Presidency is his failure to declare his
assets as promised .
This is a campaign promise that remains
sacrosanct. The failure of the President to do so
is worrisome especially in the midst of the double
speak from his spokesman and the Code of
Conduct Bureau.

This is one faux pas against the President.
But outside this the President has restored sanity
to a nation that was brought to the brink of
collapse by the criminally minded corruption
perpetuated by past regimes.
As the President commences spring cleaning to
clear the mess left behind by his predecessors
Nigerians rejoice that change has finally come.
The nation's revenue has jumped in leaps and
bounds as the leakages and impunity  condoned by previous
regimes are checkmated. Power generation is at
its highest level in living memory. The refineries
are now working. And Boko Haram is finally on
decline as the Desert Fox, hunts down this
vermin.
But two key issues have defined President
Muhammadu Buhari's first 100 days .
Firstly is the nature of his appointments. The
President has kept everyone guessing and on their
toes as he fires and hires key individuals at will.
There is an outcry that a certain region of the
country has been left out of the leadership
equation.
This is noteworthy but holds little water for the
President has chosen to appoint people who can
get the job done over partisan accolades or
ethnoreligious jingoism.
For the first time in 6 years round pegs are being
placed in round holds. Accountability in
Governance is being rebuilt as the President seeks
to build strong durable institutions that shall
stand the test of time.
Indeed Buhari has refused to dance to the tune of
partisan politics appointing Technocrats and
experienced hands to choice positions. This is
indeed a departure from the past when charlatans
and thugs were given juicy posts because they
swore allegiance to the first lady.
The President is slow but deliberate in his
approach seeking out Men and women of integrity
whose hands have not been stained by the filthy
lucre of corruption. Indeed Buhari means well to
build a new Nigeria devoid of the old ways when
"stealing was deemed to be not corruption".
As he seeks out Men and women to fill his
cabinet many are running away from the
juggernaut of change for they fail to pass the
integrity test. This is a sharp departure from the
days of yore when Ministerial posts were shared
to the boys and girls to come and chop their own
share of the National cake.
Today many are weary of accepting the Greek gift
of Ministerial appointment for in their hearts they
know they are incapable of living up to the
General's high standards. This is indeed change
we can hold on to.
Thus to those who grumble, they should hold their
peace. Nigeria has gone beyond saying my
brother must occupy a choice government
position for in retrospect a certain Azikiwe
occupied the exalted office for years and left his
people more impoverished than he met them only
enriching a select few, mostly sychophants and
charlatans.
The New Nigeria of President Buhari is about
getting the best hands to get the job done.
Period.
The next issue is the spectre of corruption.
Nigeria deserves to be one of the greatest
countries on earth but alas the looting of the
commonwealth by past regime's has robbed a
nation of their destiny. Despite having the most
religious of people on earth it is a pity that the
most corrupt of people reside in Nigeria. As the
cankerworm of corruption perpetuated by the
most corrupt regime in the history of Nigeria is
unearthed how best to prosecute and jail these
criminals, recover looted funds and reinvesting in
the Nigerian state is what is going to make or
Mar the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.
Any fool begging for a soft landing for these
criminals or trying to deflect attention from the
greatest serial rape of the resources of a people
should be declared persona non grata and should
be labeled an accomplice of these Ex-Vagabonds
in power (VIP)
These thieves are far worse than Boko Haram.
They stole the money meant to buy equipment for
our military and sent our troops to a certain
death armed with barely their bare arms.
They stole money meant to build a world class
transnational railway and left Nigerians stranded
with a decrepit "Tokunbo" locomotive track and
coaches while lying between their teeth that
Nigeria is too poor to buy new trains. What
nonsense.
They stole money meant to rebuild the Niger Delta
and left its people impoverished while they built
castles in the sky and mansions in Abuja.
If a hungry man steals a satchet of peak milk a
mob enacts jungle justice and throws a tyre
around his neck before setting him alight like Guy
Fawkes but alas no similar bonfire is advocated
for the looters of the treasury who instead enjoy a
retinue of "imminent" personalities who grovel to
beg for a soft landing for the VIPs.
But alas President Buhari is neither given over to
mob justice or the principle of soft landing.
Instead he has made it clear that a proper
investigation shall be done and the guilty shall
face special courts to answer for their crimes
against humanity. Hence the rule of law is the
basis for every prosecution hence all the talk of
selective justice, witch hunt and persecution is a
figment of the imagination of the guilty who go
begging for soft landing by night or fake illness
then lie in a foreign hospital hopping to stoke pity
or feigning illness so as to escape the long arm of
justice.
Buhari was elected on an anti-corruption platform
and he is striving to live up to this billing.
The recall of 2500 soldiers dismissed or sent to
the gallows by the insincere previous regime who
made scapegoats of innocent soldiers to hide
their ineptitude, is indeed another plus for the
Buhari regime.
Two other aspects of the nation need urgent
attention and have not been sufficiently addressed
in the first 100days of change.
Education and healthcare. The health system left
behind by the former regime is on life support and
without urgent intervention will slip into a deadly
coma.
Poor funding and massive corruption has left the
health sector decrepit and moribund as no one
worth his salt who has a few zeros in his account
will dare entrust their life into the hands of the
strike riddled health sector. Centres of Medical
excellence have become centres of death as the
training of personnel and the provision of facilities
have taken a back seat.
To clean up this sector will need all the tenacity
of the ex General for the inertia in place is akin to
moving mountains.
But by instilling military discipline and
accountability in a sector that has become a dog
eat dog slapstick comedy, will reverse this ugly
trend.
Nigerians thirst for qualitative education. Without
it the nation will remain in the dark ages.
President Buhari needs to develop a Marshal plan
for Education whose implementation will rid the
nation of the unwholesome doctrine of Boko
Haram.
This is a duty President Buhari has to fulfill to
Nigerians.
Other achievements include the mending of fences
with the west, perpetuated by the insincere
inebriated former regime. Also the fresh air in not
having our nation disgraced by the overbearing
antics of a First lady whose English makes one
question the veracity of the supposed degree she
holds, coupled with her malicious attempts to
sequester the trappings of power in an illicit
manner, is one reason for Nigerians to rejoice
except comedians who are forced to dream up
new jokes or individuals to riddicle.
Buhari scores high marks for saving Nigeria from
imminent collapse. But he dare not rest on his
oars for the challenges at hand are indeed legion.
Godspeed President Buhari.

Essien Attah is a Public Affairs commentator, writer, and Human right Activist...