Critics say the rave on which President Muhammadu Buhari came into power is fast dwindling, his name is barely pulling the same positive effect it had during the election period and the reasons are not far fetched.
Battling with age and some health issues that have seen him leave the country for treatment, President Buhari has been handed the toughest of tasks.
Having returned from his trip to the United Kingdom, the Nigerian president must get straight to it regarding the situation of the country.
Nigerians are looking to see where the country is headed and their final verdict regarding the APC-led dispensation will be how Buhari is able to handle three very pressing issues rocking the nation to its very foundation.
1. Economic crisis
Trade for many has come to a halt following the fluctuating value of the Naira. An increase in fuel price following the removal of subsidy has not made business any better for Nigerians.
The price of tomatoes and other food items means more troubles for a teeming masses that have been said to be living below a dollar per day.
Investigations reveal that the stiff economic situation in the country has stirred a mass migration of many people from the Urban cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The people cannot cope with the inflation and many ask if this is the promised change.
There are no jobs, many youths linger in the streets seeking opportunities that seem never to come. The APC-government has reportedly made provisions for a welfare package of N5000, but the question remains, what exactly will the monthly stipend do, especially in a time when prices are skyrocketing?
Salaries are being delayed and retrenchment seem now to be the order of the day. The Federal Government has moved to put a stop to the mass retrenchment, however, how will the firms survive with the number of staff they have, if business fails to thrive under the harsh business atmosphere in Nigeria?
President Buhari and his team are of the opinion that corruption is crippling the economy and the president has sworn to fight corruption to the latter. However, there are some who believe that Buhari has made his anti-corruption war selective.
There are also claims that the president is operating on a “damaging and outdated monetary policy”, hence the nose-dive experienced in economic growth.
Buhari has promised to diversify the Nigerian economy, however, that move seem coming too slow for the Nigerian people. The Nation remains ever dependent on its oil trade.
2. Terror groups
To say that Nigeria has become a nation whose people live in fear due to terrorism is not out of place. While the Nigerian army is still engaged in a fierce and almost never ending battle with Boko Haram in the northeast, there is a storm welling up within the south-south region of the country.
Niger Delta militants
The situation within the Niger Delta region has become so very serious that virtually every other day, a new militant group emerges with requests of their own, most of which are totally unrealistic, hence, sending the message that the chances of really coming to an agreement with the FG is so slim.
There have been several attempts at negotiating with the militant groups within the Niger Delta, but no truce has been reached yet. Some have said that the renewed violence within the region is due to the loss of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the last presidential election.
Those who favour this line of thought are of the believe that the people of the south-south are of the opinion that the north setup Boko Haram to cause a huge disruption in the Jonathan-led administration, hence the Niger Delta will use militants to cause chaos, now that a northerner is at the helm of affairs.
The Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) recently said that associates of former president
3. A civil war
The last Nigerian civil war which took place between July 6 1967 to January 15, 1970 led to the death of over two million civilians. Once again, the hand writings are on the wall, heralding that yet another bloody war is imminent.
There are fears that a second civil war is imminent.
Like a movie script, some Igbos have started to toe the same path which led to the Biafran war. Led by Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the pro-Biafrans have sworn to secede, claiming that Nigeria has dealt unfairly with the Igbo people.
Nnamdi Kanu is in custody, faced with charges bordering on treason, however, the Radio Biafra director’s fame has grown so much that he is seen by some as a messiah sent for the liberation of the Igbo nation, a very deadly ideology.
The massacre and arrest of pro-Biafra agitators has not in anyway helped issues, it seem like the more security operatives kill them, the stronger their resolve to see that Biafra Republic is actualized.
President Buhari is now saddled with the grave task of ensuring that Nigeria remains united, a task which many fear he might not be able to execute perfectly.
Nnamdi Kanu is rated as the greatest Igbo man alive.
The battle for the unity of Nigeria gets intense everyday, especially in a time when the pro-Biafrans have embraced the Niger-Delta militants and are working in alliance to see that the country is divided.
Several calls have been made to see that the federal government sets Nnamdi Kanu free, however, there are fears that with his widespread fame, the pro-Biafra leader might become even more deadly than anyone thought. Analyst have said that the splitting of Nigeria seem inevitable, some even argue that it will take a miracle to see Nigeria remain united till the next general elections.
President Buhari has failed Nigeria is fast become the song on the lips of many. The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) described the one-year of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a dismal failure.
The group, through its head, Debo Adeniran, said the administration spent a full one year giving excuses and blaming its predecessor for the challenges in the country.
In the same vein, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari does not understand Nigeria. The senior advocate in pushing for the implementation of the 2014 Confab report said Buhari “isn’t a politician and he doesn’t understand the political arithmetic of Nigeria and he doesn’t understand the political geography.”
Meanwhile, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was on track in redeeming its promises to Nigerians, particularly in the area of job creation.
The minister said the federal government has commenced the creation of jobs across the country in fulfillment of its campaign promises. Speaking on Monday, June 13, at the south south town hall meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, organized by his ministry, Mohammed said the recruitment of 500,000 teachers had commenced through the online portal ‘npower.gov.ng’.
He listed other direct job creation and training schemes that are ongoing which include the N-Power Knowledge, which is training 25,000 Nigerians in technology and N-Power Build, which is training another 75,000 Nigerians in building services.
President Buhari has about three more years to prove to Nigerians that the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not a mistake. These three issues will form the basis of judgement for the Buhari-led administration, will Buhari’s government turn the tables with regards to the economy, can the government keep her people safe as promised, will Nigeria remain in one peace, or will the their be an implosion.
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