President Buhari

The Public information bill (PIB), will underpin the Buhari's administration's intent at providing institutional and fiscal expenditure transparency within the tiers of government, in the hope the legislative arm will make a speedy accent to the bill. The passage of the bill will also provide moral impetus for all arms of government, including the judiciary to deal circumspectly, and to be fair and ethically honest, especially in the dispensation of justice to the common, helpless people of Nigeria, long denied justice.

Cascading this model, to the cradle of other social institutions like schools, offices and colleges, can improve the quality of Nigeria's public and human assets, deepen the culture of excellence, and serve as strong framework for improved social trust and surely will impact on the reputational asset of the country.

Offshore investments and business partnership in Nigeria slowed in time past, for the fact that Nigerian businessmen, are deemed untrustworthy. Even agents of government. The Halliburton bribery scandal, involving some top government officials has since remained an official secret.  The inability of government to make public the outcome of the Oputa panel, remains a model case of lack of institutional transparency.

What happened to the pious Okigbo probe-panel and the oil revenue windfall? The nation fell silent for so long on some high-profile murders, involving well-placed Nigerians.  Could one say justice has been done when the judiciary is under the thumb of the ruling party?

No nation thrives well when it sweeps under the carpet, acts of injustices, undermine the spiritual and moral capacities of it's people. Loads of Nigerians have gone to their graves, whose cringing voices were suppressed and their legitimate social and personal requirements forcefully denied.

Can Buhari alter the indices, to make the institutions sturdy and steady with an independent, professional and ethical backbone as is required, to support the social aspirations of Nigerians? The spin-off of this kind of social and ethical transparency will ultimately alter the Nation’s social class structure. Would super-rich Nigerians provide plausible explanations of the source of their wealth? The millennium gap between the very wealthy and the very poor accounts in part to prominent social vices like stealing, prostitution, militancy, kidnapping etc.

Many Nigerians may find it difficult to sustain the culture of honesty, when they know that known thieves around them were never brought to book and multi-millionaires emerge every second just by patronising  "well connected" politicians.

There has to be systematic restoration of the middle-class, by incentivizing the struggling mass of Nigerians, into active economic participation. The activities of the Microfinance Banks, need to be sustained and given wider economic latitude. The Small Medium Enterprise (SME) scheme needs to be refloated and sustained for deeper economic impact amongst the have-nots of the society.

Growing the middle-class will absorb the negative social energy of competitive materialism, gracefully allowing citizens, youths, mature into sustainable moral values of contentment and self-dignity. Politicians and the syndrome of free money, did some harm to the social structure and values of Nigeria-must everyone own exotic assets?  "The quest to belong" as defined by politicians and their acolytes, resulted in the bandwagon strive to "achieve"-the result was citizen's discontentment, inordinate ambitions, and the twisted social structure that Nigeria is unfortunately steeped in. By Buhari, accepting to declare his assets, prior and after, provides a moral compass for Nigeria's social readjustments.

Heavy expenditures made in the power and industrial sectors-like the Ajaokuta steel complex, and the Aba geometric power project, and even the TINAPA, business resort need to be revisited and economically exploited. Such gigantic domestic assets should be divorced of politicking and ethnic myopic views.

To sustain the gains of the internal fiscal mop-ups, Nigeria needs to roll the engine of its industrial outputs, as a way to halt excessive importation and to develop its strategic, domestic manpower potentials.  What have the Technology institutions (FUTO for instance) been able to produce?  Technology institutions should lead the charge to haul Nigeria into its Millennium Technology dreams.

Buhari's moral credentials and that of his side-kick, Osibajo, seem formidable to lead the charge against corruption. Beyond this, they need strong and actionable policy thrust that will enforce the bit and pieces of their leadership goals. Nigerians are not "difficult" to manage. What has eluded the nation is lack of leadership. The followership is ever ready. Nigeria is in dire need of leaders with a roadmap, and the character attributes to walk the talk. A clear sense of order and unwavering vision.

May God grant Buhari and his team divine wisdom as they take the seat of government on the 29th of May 2015. Our sincere, hearty prayers for this great and historic moment for Nigeria, will go a long way in helping Nigeria achieve its prophetic mandate as a torch-bearer in the comity of Nations.

By Steve Orji  [email protected]
United kingdom.