Musings With Olulana: A Cosmetic Transformation Or Fundamental Restructuring?

 

Nigerians have been very eager to find the answer to this question for several months now. What are the differences between the transformation and change of anything? Both involve the mutation of one thing into another through some process and in each instance involves the passage of time. Now, the impact of time on the process is one difference between the two terms as a cursory examination of the former President's approach and incumbent President's action plan shows. Jonathan used the Cosmetic Transformation process while Buhari is going for Fundamental Restructuring.

 

In almost six years, President Jonathan tried to apply a paint job to Nigeria's problems which is evident in the way he tackled transportation, power and security issues just to mention a few areas. A quick summary will bear this out. The touted "trains" are not seen nor did the supposedly increased road network reduce transportation costs. His last days in office were 'blackout nights' followed by 'powerless days' for the masses and the combined forces of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria pushed Boko Haram back during the extended period before the Presidential election after five years of no real resistance. That was nothing more than a political manoeuvre. There was no uprooting of Boko Haram from their bases. They just shifted around actually.

 

Discussing these three examples in greater detail: GEJ tried to break the monopoly of Truck Transportation business across Nigeria by implementing Obasanjo's plan to vastly improve the Railroad system and that was an excellent idea which was poorly implemented. A rush to make it political bait killed any hope of it actually working out. Where are the trains now Privatisation of Power distribution was putting the cart before the horse. There is a fundamental problem with power production still, so that was also used as a political tool to sway voters. Weeks spent in darkness after the election made this very obvious. It took the realization that Buhari was going to win the election to spur GEJ's administration into postponing elections using insecurity in the North East as the excuse to get a military push against Boko Haram going. Again, the politicization of this grave problem killed its effectiveness in spite of major gains against the terrorist organization.

 

Now, President Buhari seems to be going really slow and that irks many who are unable to understand or unwilling to admit that before change can occur, fundamental problems must be dealt with. It is like fixing a dilapidated building. First, structural failures must be corrected. Cracks filled in, maybe sections torn down and then rebuilt before plastering and a paint job finishes things up. President Jonathan went straight to plastering and painting, even omitting the plastering stage in some instances such as establishing tertiary institutions of learning! Fundamental flaws have led to these colleges being no more than glorified secondary schools at best. President Buhari is starting from the bottom of the barrel in repairing structural damage done by years of inept leadership. That is not the glamorous part many want to see but it is what Nigerians voted for. They want a cultural change and not the same old patterns that dug the ditch Nigeria is in at the moment.

 

Rather, what we are seeing and hearing are the drills, hammers and other pneumatic tools being used to dig up, cut out and break down damaged sections of the Nigerian society. Mr President is laying down processes that will lead to established procedures which will allow development to proceed with minimal reverses. Hence we are hearing and reading of the EFCC bringing multiple cases of corruption against public officials, recovery of looted funds, the Bailout of States unable to pay salaries of their workforce and more in the fight against corruption. The insidious effects of the Fuel Subsidy and its use as a sponge to soak up funds and squeeze them out into private pockets has been taken care of temporarily with a permanent solution being discussed. Right now though, fuel scarcity is a forgotten problem.

 

However, the ease with which the murderous organization, Boko Haram has been taking lives these past six weeks is extremely alarming and there is no excuse for this surge not being met by equal force from Nigeria's military intelligence. This one is on Buhari and his administration. The fact that in six weeks, GEJ'S administration was able to push Boko Haram back to the extent that it was squealing for mercy and a Cease Fire that was not heeded is an indictment on PMB's administration. There is no other way to put it. If we complained about the last government's handling of this security breach we must also criticize the present one's failure to reign the terrorists in. How come no consolidation on recent gains against them are being observed? We are not expecting miracles though one would certainly be a godsend. However, change needs to be seen in this critical area regardless of ISIS backing Boko Haram or not.

 

Nevertheless, Boko Haram no longer has the ability to attack like an army and has resorted to the use of suicide bombers to terrorize which means that intelligence gathering is key in fighting this type of warfare. We all know that part of Nigeria's military strategy was depleted under a politicized military and needs to be revived. Procedures need to be put in place and some reversed, such as the removal of military checkpoints and their reinstatement in critical areas when suicide bombings resumed at high rates. Unfortunately, many lives, civilians and military have been lost since Buhari was sworn in but anyone who thought that a terrorist organization which once declared a swath of North East Nigeria theirs would simply lie down and give up must have been living in a dream world. The impunity with which they razed towns and killed thousands is over now. On to excising them from society which will take time and be a painful process. An unfortunate reality.

 

We can apply this analytical process to any sector that President Buhari's administration is focused on right now and what the honest inquirer will find is that restructuring is going on while at the same time, some form of continuity is being maintained. For example, President Buhari's promise to maintain Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's policies on Agriculture. In other words, the country is being run even though many changes are occurring. Those who find quiet efficiency humdrum, attack the lack of extreme visibility often shown by policy pronouncements and political appointments which have been the hallmark of past administrations. So the absence of ministerial appointees to fulfill requirements of bureaucracy makes some want to pull out their hair instead of observing and realizing that regardless, Nigeria is being run and actually quite efficiently. Those ministers will be appointed eventually and economic policy statements will be proclaimed. Before then though, the President needs to clear out a lot of the muck left over from previous administrations and regimes which President Jonathan ignored. The engine needs to be overhauled. That is what is going on behind the scenes right now.

 

It is true that there are delicate nuances of economic policies that affect commerce and the spending power of the average man such as Central Bank Of Nigeria Import Guidelines and recent recent announcements on restricting FX purchases of 41 items. Will there be a reversal or will this policy hold? There is a strong reluctance to devalue the Naira and this will affect that decision. Instances like this one are finer details within the restructuring of Nigeria that President Muhammadu Buhari is tackling right now and those who expect immediate and very loud public statements on them from some Minister of State or the Federal Minister saddled with that portfolio only need to look back a few months at how far that kind of process took us. Slow and steady is not a bad pace in comparison. Deliberate speed works quite well too. President Buhari is being cerebral and is not reacting emotionally. That is what I see.

 

Back to the analogy of fixing a broken down structure. After the fundamental repair work is done to parts that will not be seen once the project is finished, tasks such as plastering over fixed electrical ducts and plumbing work can commence. That and the final paint work proceeds at a much faster rate than prior repairs and is also much more fun to watch. When this administration starts to "paint" the restructured Nigeria, I believe everyone who truly loves her will watch and rejoice in the emerging nation they are seeing. We have seen the cosmetic transformation. Now we should wait and see the end of a fundamental restructuring that will leave strong structures in place instead of strong or weak leadership with weak structures. Then subsequent administrations will have guidelines to lead by and processes in place which will prevent anyone from derailing progress they met, to a point that Nigeria finds herself back at square one. This is what President Muhammadu Buhari needs to do.

 

The symbolism of the 50% cut in the President and Vice President's salaries might not mean much to some but it shows an understanding that many Nigerians are going through extremely hard times and a show of empathy is not a bad thing. Accept small gestures while expecting the bigger ones. That is not just a cosmetic gesture but a heartfelt symbolic offering to the Nigerian people from men who are trying to repair the fundamentals of a broken down society.