The recommendation by the
National Economic Team, headed by a renowned professor of
law and vice president that President Buhari request for
emergency powers from the National Assembly to push his
planned stimulus for the economy is most unfortunate. It
would certainly lay the foundation for Nigeria’s “return to
Egypt.”
According to reports
published by The Nation
of 22 August 2016, “The objectives of the action-plan on the
economy, which is in recession, include shoring up the value
of the naira, creation of more jobs, boosting of foreign
reserves, reviving the manufacturing sector and improving
power.” It is shameful to hear that Buhari would need
emergency powers to perform primary leadership tasks to help
shore up the Naira, boost our foreign reserves, revive the
manufacturing sector, and improve power generation and
distribution. With every sense of responsibility, these are
minor issues that can be addressed through sound fiscal
policies.
Happenings in the last one
year have confirmed the fears of several concerned Nigerians
that the APC was not prepared for governance. The body
language of party leaders and financiers during the
campaigns had betrayed the fact that they were only
interested in grabbing power for no good reasons other than
fighting corruption and ending insurgency in the North East.
Political leadership goes beyond all of these.
During the campaigns, the
APC promised to make the Naira equal with the US Dollar.
They never told Nigerians they would need emergency powers
to do so. There was the talk of fixing the power sector in
less than one year. Nigerians were not told they would need
emergency powers to deliver on this promise. What about the
millions of jobs they promised to create? Unemployed
graduates were not informed that an APC president would need
emergency power to pay them the N5,000 monthly social
security benefits promised them. Many parents would have not
voted for the APC if they were told that Buhari would need
emergency powers to implement the Free School Feeding
Programme. The truth is that APC took advantage of naïve and
vulnerable Nigerians to get into power. This is not a
healthy political culture.
With the amount of human
and natural resources that God has blessed Nigeria with, a
serious government should not be complaining of falling oil
price or talk of recession. Buhari and his team are simply
overwhelmed by the responsibilities of a democratic culture.
No serious political leader will leave his primary
responsibilities and be blaming his predecessor for his lack
of foresight. Rather than work, the Buhari administration
has resorted to lies and blackmails. The problem with lie is
that you would need at least ten to cover one. So far, they
have told more than 365 lies, which is the maximum allowed
for any individual, political party, or politician. The sad
thing is that not only have they been lying against
Jonathan, they have been lying against themselves too.
The two most common lies
are that all past Nigerian presidents and heads of state
except Jonathan are saints. Secondly, corruption started in
Nigeria in 2011 and ended in 2015. To cover these lies, they
have ended up lying against themselves. Despite graphic
evidence on large billboards that the APC erected all over
the country during the electioneering season, promising to
pay unemployed graduates stipends; both Buhari and Osinbajo
have denied making such promise. Furthermore, as long as APC
is concerned, illegal employment is not corruption. Still on
corruption, the EFCC does not act on petitions against
members and sympathizers of the APC. Is this how to fight
corruption?
Let the truth be told. The
decision by the president to seek emergency powers to fix
the nation’s economy is a farce and is simply aimed at
hiding the president’s major weakness. Buhari is simply not
a democrat. As such, he cannot function in a democratic
setting. Just as the saying goes, “A leopard cannot change
its spots.” A left-handed adult cannot learn how to use
right hand in old age.
It is no longer news that
Buhari cannot tolerate civil engagement. His seeking
sweeping powers to stimulate the economy are nothing but a
clever way of introducing dictatorship through the back
door. The legislature is what differentiates between a
democracy and dictatorship. Members of the National Assembly
should jettison sentiments and resist this rape of
democracy. With a sweeping power, the president can
conveniently break down the pillars of democracy, which is
protected by the principles of checks and balance in the
form of oversight functions by the National Assembly. The
National Assembly cannot be a hindrance to national
development. This fact was demonstrated prior to the 2015
general elections. The National Assembly gave Jega all the
support he needed to conduct credible elections.
Despite the inability of
the APC to ensure a synergy between the presidency and the
National Assembly, there is nothing to indicate that the
legislature is out to frustrate the president. Buhari is
simply averse to opposing opinion. This is not a democratic
culture and should be discouraged.
Barack Obama never asked for emergency
powers to move the United States out of recession. He only
deployed sound and sincere leadership skills. Nigeria has
brains to help move this country forward. Buhari’s major
problem is his strong belief that every other person is
corrupt and therefore cannot be trusted with power. This is
why he is the de facto minister of petroleum. Yet, he wants
foreigners to come and invest their monies in a country of
over 170 million, where only the president is clean.