Ahead of the swearing in of the new administration of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 29 May, an Ireland-based Nigerian, ‘Lekan Agunbiade, wrote to the President-elect, advising him on the Nigerian people’s expectations of his administration.
Agunbiade, in an open letter dated April 25 to the president-elect, noted that the country was more polarized now than it was in 2015, when Tinubu’s party member, President Muhammadu Buhari, took power.
According to him, the country urgently needed a unifier, adding that many of the citizens’ expectations of President Buhari were not met.
READ FULL TEXT HERE:
April 25, 2023.
AN OPEN LETTER TO ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU, THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Dear Asiwaju,
Please accept my congratulations on your appearance in the February 25 election. And I hope you had a rejuvenating vacation. I wanted this letter and my thoughts on the 2023 general election to wait until at least after May 29. But only a few days ago, I began to understand that events may have surpassed some of the points in this letter at the end of May.
The last few months have been a historic journey in the democracy of our beloved nation. In general, we saw politics of smear and jokes, controversies and counter-accusations, voter suppression and BVAS mokaruru. But then, his stubbornness and focus, mastery of Nigerian politics and intrigues, his bravery and resilience are lessons for young people like me, albeit within the scope of righteousness.
I noticed from one of your online clips that you no longer follow social media. It’s understandable. But more importantly, do you follow what is happening in our communities? The palpable woes on our streets are the common person’s experience of APC’s eight-year reign. I campaigned for APC in 2015 because I wanted big changes. As we can all see, it hasn’t worked yet. Now that ’emi lo kan’ has come to your turn in reality, will you do everything possible to alleviate the sufferings of our people, or will you be dismissive? Nigeria is more polarized today than it was in 2015, and Nigerians won’t give you the patience with which they once blessed “Baba, go slow.” It would be better to get down to business, from the first full month in office.
Are you going to be evasive by being for everyone and nobody at the same time? Will it secure round pegs in round holes by extolling the virtues of patriotism rather than partisan, ethnic, and religious populism? This completely divided empire begs for a uniter. So who have you marked to form your cabinet? Can you call a meeting with all the presidential candidates in the February 25 election and ask as many of them to honor the call to work with you? Can you check their backgrounds and find out where each can offer the best of Nigeria? Also, can you recruit young and innovative young people from all corners of our nation to your team? Your appointments will define your administration.
You did well to bring in Mr. Ken Akabueze as a commissioner during his time as Governor of Lagos. Is he going to improve that performance as president? Can one be patriotic enough to name credible people with verifiable records from opposition parties? I could also add this here, that Mr. Lai Mohammed’s successor and his media assistants must master the communication philosophy of Martin Buber (the author of “Me and You”): have respect for the dignity and intelligence of the audience.
What are you going to do with our energy sector? The light (power supply) was the first task when the Creator began his work. But unfortunately, Nigeria’s energy sector remains an unsolved mystery; Please don’t be fooled by what Mr. Fashola says about our energy sector. Mr. Fashola is very good, but he is seen better as the former Governor of Lagos State than as the leader of our energy sector. So even the best of us (including his leader, the late Uncle Bola Ige) have failed in our energy sector. What do you have in mind? Who do you have in mind? There is a hypothesis that our power problem is related to Mikano’s generator and business. Do you want to discover and solve the mysteries? Can; and you should
What has been the role of the National Intelligence Agency in reducing insecurity in our nation? This agency is our equivalent to the CIA. Docility and ineptitude must not be tolerated. So the big problem: what are you going to do about security? Not only Boko Haram, IPOB, herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers. While we hope all the mercenaries in the nation regroup to fix these bigger issues quickly, I daresay that yahoo, yahoo plus, and the money ritualists should be equally high on your security priorities.
What will you do with the corruption in the land? The most shameful statistic says that we are one of the worst nations in the world in terms of corruption. Instead of taking defensive positions, can you try to investigate how we got here and fix ourselves? By restoring us, can you study Singapore’s path to recovery? But of course, note Lee Kuan Yew’s poised integrity. Credibility and fairness have to flow from the top.
Our healthcare system needs fixing. Medical tourism to India, Europe and America consumes billions of naira annually. You of all people know this, sir. Many hospitals in Nigeria could and should have been able to accommodate his knee surgery without any concern. Another troubling statistic ranks Nigeria as one of the worst in terms of maternal and infant mortality rates. Dr. Olusegun Mimiko did something spectacular with ‘Abiye’ in Ondo State. Thank God he is still alive and agile; Nigeria could use that initiative, in partnership with other relevant programs in other parts of Nigeria. I received encouraging reports on the state of Gombe. I would like to remind you that the King of Saudi Arabia once came to University College Hospital Ibadan for medical care. It will be difficult, but we can restore ourselves, if you have the will.
Our education system is very well endowed but sadly underfunded and managed. Until japa made its inroads into our tertiary institutions, you could easily argue that we have some of the best academics in the world. Nigerians excel at the best universities in the world. If you fix our education sector, you’ll have fixed half of our future tests. Pa Awolowo fostered this ideology.
What are you going to do with the National Guidance Agency? That agency is supposed to be the guiding thread of our great nation, but its comatose state explains Nigeria’s predicament. Can you source or import Nigerians in the mold of the late Dora Akunyili to run that agency?
What are you going to do with too centralized power? Are you going to decentralize in any way? Will you consider the benefits of true federalism and autonomous states? Or reshape the nation to what the founding fathers used and prospered by moderating the extinct northern, eastern, and western regions across our six geopolitical zones? Or will it lead us to the status of the Confederate Republic of Nigeria, like the UK? The Nigeria of today was not what the founding fathers had in mind when they gained republic status in 1963.
What are you going to do about the brain drain? The best of us keep getting kicked out of the nation by developed countries, and it’s mainly because we were kicked out by home. Ilu oyinbo didn’t start paying better than Nigeria in recent years, but some things have gotten worse at home in recent years, and even market women are now chasing the idea of japa as well. And please sir, before you start banning our professionals from escaping, could you start foolproof efforts to fix the system? And while we are at this point, can you visit some Nigerian embassies around the world? I’m certainly not referring to your 5-star embassy offices, but passport renewal centers. They need literal and figurative cleansing.
What are you going to do with our economy? How do you hope to diversify our ailing economy? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi say they have great ideas; can you sync with them? With a humble, patriotic approach and altruism trumping partisan politics, I believe they will happily work with you, in time. Similarly, can you bring (beg) back Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala? Asiwaju, who do you have in mind as Governor of the Central Bank? Vital.
What do you think of our crude and theft of oil, minerals and natural resources? Gold mining is ongoing in many rural areas by monarchs associating with foreign groups; Nigeria has the second largest bitumen deposit in the world; we have enough blessings from the Creator to excel. Are you going to be the missing link and collect all the fortune?
As John the Baptist foreran for Jesus Christ, Asiwaju, the Creator has sent someone from your camp to Aso Villa ahead of you. God works in mysterious ways. So please do your best to meet and sync up with Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Don’t be deterred by potential initial obstacles. I want to believe that he has many ideas on the ground that can be useful for your reign. And you can also beg to have your main photographer; she is excellent
My ongoing academic search is in SYSTEMS. I’ve learned that you can’t just pick a few of the above and look away from the rest. For example, if you try to fix the security, health sector, and power, but corruption and injustice continue to thrive, and the National Guidance Agency remains in a coma, you will only have metamorphoses, mutations, and metastases of the same problems. Unfortunately, the mutants are deadlier than the starting wahala. That is why the Single Treasury Account failed to curb corruption in our public sector.
Finally, sir, reflect on these few personal points: the late sage and seer, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; the late business magnate and philanthropist, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, and many others deserve no less than you the seat of the Nigerian presidency. But the Creator did not grant it. He has given you the honor, please do not fail God. Also, surround yourself with good people, beware of sycophants and praise singers and let the Nigerian people be your top priority. Nigerians don’t need you to be a nice guy; we need a good President, leading by noble example. And please, let Pastor Remi Tinubu guide you through a Bible study session on how he fared for Rehoboam after King Solomon’s death and how to avoid Rehoboam’s mistakes. Asiwaju, I pray that the Lord our God will grant you good health, wisdom, a great team and prosper our beloved nation under your leadership. Amen.
‘Lekan Agunbiade, RN.
just another nigerian
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