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Chief
Guy Ike Ikokwu, PDP Chieftain
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Second Republic politician and one of the founders of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Guy Ike Ikokwu, wants all Nigerians
to rally round President Muhammadu Buhari, to actualize his change agenda or
the country will pay direly for it.
Assessing the
performance of the president since he took over the reins of power 38 days ago,
the lawyer and former Anambra State chairman of the defunct Nigerian Peoples
Party (NPP), said Buhari’s wind change could be made to blow good tidings for
Nigerians within 100 days, if the needful is done.
His words:
Vanguard's interview with Chief Ikokwu continues:
Nigerians enamoured by Buhari’s change mantra
The whole of Nigerian nationalities in the last
five months of this year have been enormously enamoured by the change mantra of
the Buhari’s and the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign ideology, which
was vividly summarized on issues of insecurity, economy and corruption, gross
unemployment and electricity.
Since President
Buhari’s inauguration a month ago, he has been engrossed on the resolution of
these issues and his ruling political party, APC, has also been engrossed in
the issues of governance and the objective rather than the subjective criteria
for the implementation of the mantra.
Brewing impatience
The Nigerian public is
in some way becoming impatient with the seeming lack of progress as had been
expected for the wind of change.
In view of the fact
that our constitution, supposedly federal in character enshrines the doctrine
of the separation of powers and democratic principles and processes, one must
not be tempted as had been in the distant past to believe that a departure from
the above principles would legitimize the diverse methods for the actualization
of the mantra.
Buhari’s initial good steps
Although President
Buhari’s constituency covers the whole country, it does not necessary guarantee
that his style of governance should be unitary rather than federal. At the
presidential level, it is his duty to tackle the issue of insecurity which
requires both military, political and international solutions. He realizes
these facts and has to the delight of Nigerians and with his background as a
former military personnel of the rank of a general and astute administrator of
the areas in the North East zone of six states, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe,
Taraba, Yobe, has taken on the challenge by visiting our neighbouring West
African states, attending a meeting in Britain, the G7 meeting of major powers,
and scheduled a visit to Cameroon and the United States of America for the
urgent resolution of the insurrection of the Boko Haram.
President Buhari on the
issue of the economy and corruption has begun the probe of the NNPC and the
recovery of several trillions of Naira looted by previous administrations and
public and private moguls. It should be understood that many public servants
and civil servants are indeed richer in wealth and style of living than some
who are still serving or may have retired or opted out of service with their
stolen billions, including ministers and commissioners.
Pervasive graft, economic depravity
It is also known and
admitted that corruption pervades the very fabric of the Nigerian nation in
both private and public sectors, and among all classes of individuals and
professions and trade and among the various federal, states and local
government structures of all the existing and previous political parties and
colorations.
Restructuring the polity
This economic depravity
is systemic in nature which is why President Buhari should vigorously, on the
basis of the separation of powers, hand over to the legislature at the national
and states levels, the urgent and immediate task of restructuring the nation.
President Jonathan had
handed over to President Buhari and the National Assembly the 2014 reports of
the Abuja National Conference on the issue of restructuring the nation into a
viable fiscal federal culture. The National Assembly has spent some billions of
Naira like the Jonathan administration in discussing and enumerating several
constitutional issues which have to be corrected as a result of the immense
lapses of the 1999 constitution, which was more unitary than federal in
character.
The 1999 constitution
was enthroned by the previous military regime rather than the people of
Nigeria.
Diversification of economy
For the diversification
of the economy which was part of the change mantra there must be an immediate
devolution of powers from the central Abuja level to the zones and states.
Several issues which are exclusive to the central government today should really
be concurrent to enable the Nigerian economy grow at a greater pace than it is
now.
It will also enable our
economy to stop being a mono oil product economy to a diversified macro and
multiple product economy which with discipline and zonal competition can grow
at a rate of not less than 12 per cent per annum as China had done.
For instance, the
federal government should no longer be the sole authority in the oil and power
sectors of the economy. Local governments should no longer be sustained by the
federal government but should be organized and funded were necessary by the
state governments.
Cultural ambience
The system of
government best suitable to our cultural ambiance is the parliamentary system
where the state governor or premier or administrator is elected by his own
constituency and has a seat in the legislature. Most Nigerians do not like the
present system of executive governance in the states whereby the governors of
all political parties are financially reckless and absolutely abusing their powers
which has personalized the system of governance without any mode of
accountability. In a parliamentary system a governor who is unable to pay the
wages of its statutory workers would certainly lose his seat in a vote of no
confidence and be replaced by another commissioner. This system strengthens the
position of the political parties during and after elections.
It reduces the evil of
corruption which was enhanced by the military which abolished our parliamentary
democracy into the executive personalized unitary system.
Virtually all the
previous and present governors of the states in Nigeria are guilty of financial
recklessness and indictment by the EFCC and have used the false doctrine of
immunity to shroud their economic misdeeds. The 2014 Abuja confab decisions
have certainly taken care of most of these problems.
Reducing cost of governance
The other crucial issue
on the economy which Buhari and the APC should immediately address is the issue
of the cost of governance across the country. It should be reduced by 50 per
cent and it should be made a constitutional issue that the capital expenditure
ratio should not be less than 60 per cent while the recurrent expenditure
should never be more than 40 per cent. The national and state legislative
expenditure as well as those of the Executive and administration should be
reduced by half and their number should also be trimmed down. Constituency
projects, wardrobe allowance, bogus travelling allowances and too many vehicles
should be reduced or scrapped. Imagine the recent case of where over 20
vehicles were retrieved from the wives of a state governor.
Indeed the recurrent
expenditure in most cases should be 30 per cent so that privatization and
governance of the economy should be the mode rather than the exception.
Actualizing change in 100 days
The yearning of the
majority of Nigerians can be achieved this year within the next 100 days if
President Buhari’s administration takes the bull by the horn. The reduction of
the ministerial appointees at the central and state levels should be guaranteed
constitutionally.
Imagine the smallest
state in the South-East recently appointing more commissioners than other
states. This state is one of those wallowing in huge public debt, unfinished
projects and unpaid salaries and pensions. A state in the South-West is guilty
of this enormous profligacy of unpaid salaries, while financial recklessness
and abuse of powers is dominant and the governor is one of those chanting the
change mantra.
The resultant change
will be manifest and the issue of patience will endear itself to the majority
of Nigerians who are prepared to make sacrifices today for a better future for
their children born and unborn and for the new Nigerian Nation.
Both the presidency and
the legislature at the National Assembly have 100 days each for the
transformation agenda in their change mantra. If the Boko Haram insurrection is
not suppressed in the Northern Region, to make way for the economic
transformation of the North East zone, in particular, Nigerians will become
disillusioned.
On the other hand, the
National Assembly can within the next 100 days achieve the constitutional
restructuring of the nation into a truly federal nation with a truly fiscal
federal structure in other to pave the way for the diversification of the
economy, enhancement of education and employment and a rapid increase in the
electrification of the urban and rural areas of the country.
The time is now and
Nigerians have the capacity to claim the above areas of transformation and
change mantra. This change can come but if it doesn’t, it would lead to total
disillusionment, disenfranchisement, apathy, inequities and separatist
tendencies of all sorts to our own political, economic, social and cultural
detriment.
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