Professor Nasiru Medugu Idris
By Professor Nasiru M. Idris
I join other Nigerians in congratulating the President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR on his inauguration for the second term. I pray for wisdom for the President as he strategizes towards his “Next Level” and repositioning Nigeria. I also pray for peace, progress, growth and development in our dear fatherland.
Maters of urgent attention
However, beyond the celebrations and excitement, Nigerians are expecting real positive elevation to the Next Level in all sectors of the economy. A comprehensive stocktaking and understanding of the issues and challenges in the various sectors of the economy is important for your administration to re-engineer and reposition the country. This will require consultative meetings with various stakeholders both in the public and private sectors and the various unions. This is not restricted to ASUU, NASU, SSANU, Association of Resident Doctors, NUT and the NLC. A Think-Tank of resource persons including academicians and non-partisan members of the public is needed to provide feedback to Mr President from time to time on what is happening in the country. However, these issues should be critically looked into.
Changing the tensed political atmosphere
There is need for reconciliatory meetings with all political parties that participated in the 2019 elections and look for ways chart a course for a new Nigeria.
Changing the Aviation sector
There is need for a National Carrier to help in National and International flights. For instance, Nigerians travelling to N’djamena, Chad sometimes have to go to Ethiopia before connecting to N’djamena. Those travelling to South America have to go to Middle East, a15 hours off the course. A national carrier will connect straight from Nigeria to these countries and will also restore the pride of the giant of Africa in aviation industry. The process of a National Carrier should be concluded.
Changing the education sector
Meeting with relevant stakeholder in the educational sector, the NUT, Polytechnics, Universities, Colleges of education, etc, for concrete suggestions on how to end strikes improve facilities and quality of education should be pursued by the President from time-to-time.
Mr. President’s recent approval for the establishment of National Commission for Secondary Schools will go a long way in improving the standard of schools but should understand that secondary school is the platform as well as foundation where students properly aligned themselves to what they intend to study in the tertiary institution. Therefore, this level is very important and requires proper attention. Thus, the government should get qualified teachers at this level and they should be computer literate so that they can help in increasing students’ achievement generally and in computer studies in particular. This is because, without qualified and skilled teachers in our secondary schools, teaching and learning profession at this level will be in a serious dilemma.
Besides, government should also note that primary school level is the first and most important stage of learning for the younger populace. The importance of this stage is to ensure the broad-based development of pupils so as to develop their cognitive, social, emotional, cultural and physical skills to the best of their abilities, thus preparing them for the future. Therefore, learning and instructional materials are very important at this level for the purpose of revitalization of education at all levels. I am therefore calling on the Federal Government in collaboration with both the states and the local governments to do the needful for this stage as the number of public schools in the country is seriously declining and the number of private schools is on the increase. This will not augur well for the future of Nigeria as majority of the populace cannot afford to put their children in the private schools due to the high fees.
Changing the agricultural sector
Establishment of cottage or small and medium-scale industries for value addition to our cocoa, rubber, groundnut, and numerous fruits that are wasted during season.
Each local government area in the country should have at least 3 tractors for the purpose of famers’ use during the cropping season. Government should provide fertilizer at an affordable rate and provide silos to regions that cultivate large food and cash crops that require storage facility in the rural communities.
Also, agricultural research centres, universities and colleges of agriculture should be encouraged to carry out research from time to time for better crop yield. Agricultural extension services should be activated to help farmers in the rural areas with better farming knowledge as we are driven in the era of technology today.
Transforming Abuja and its suburb to ease pains of workers
Federal Government should go into partnership with the Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and Kogi state governments in the provision of railway lines from their state capitals to the FCT to ease the pains of commuters to Abuja and also, this will generate more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the states as well as the FCT.
Changing the Housing sector
There is need for comprehensive and affordable rural and urban housing scheme especially for the Nigerian workers. This could be through a public-private partnership.
Changing the Nigerian Environment
Focusing on the 3 Rs of Waste Management through establishment of Recycling Plants; sanitary landfills in major towns and cities as well as provision of incinerators in most institutions.
Emphasizing on green and ‘liveable’ cities as against the slums and shanty towns, reducing gas flaring, oil pollution and land degradation in the country through carbon credit, CDM and afforestation programme in the country. Climate change issue is a global problem that requires international attention. Therefore, Mr. President should pay more attention to the Federal Ministry of Environment by appointing not only qualified and professional person as Minister but also someone that has international reputation and experience in the field of environment.
Appointment of Cabinet members in the Federal Executive Council
Mr. President should not delay the appointment of ministers. He has learned from what has transpired in the last dispensation that took him almost six months to form his cabinet. By doing so, this will not allow him to hit the ground running as he will be without his lieutenants. He should also note that only competent and qualified personnel should make the list and he should assign portfolios to those ministers that relate to their area of specialization so that they can be relevant and can be able to produce results beyond expectation of an average Nigerians.
Continuity in Government
Government is a continuum. Change does not necessarily mean a disruption of or jettisoning of what is already working well. It may be useful to identify what is currently working well and strengthen such structures or institutions.
Decentralization of Federal Ministries
The President should note that, for example, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is a key and critical sector of the economy and requires to be decentralize into 3 different Ministries.
There are other Federal Ministries that doesn’t require State Ministers. For example, Environment, Niger Delta and Solid Minerals amongst others should only have one minister while Ministries like Internal Affairs, Education and Defense should have a State Minister in order to perform at optimal level and provide administrative leadership.
Ministers in the Federal cabinet should have equal right and role as they are representing their states as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution. Therefore, no further conflict between state minister and his senior counterparts.
Merging of some Government Agencies
Mr. President should revisit the report submitted by Presidential Committee on reform of Government agencies of which they recommended the reduction of statutory agencies of government from 263 to 161 for reduction and burden on the cost of governance. The implementation of the report will restore the effectiveness and efficiency of parastatals in the delivery of services to the public.
Appointment of competent persons to Head MDAs of Government
Mr President should have the courage to look beyond partisanship in constituting his team. This will go a long in providing effective and administrative leadership in government. For example, during the last dispensation, some cabinet members and Heads of some Agencies were of low capacity in overseeing the affairs of their respective offices. Like the practice in the Federal Ministries of Health and Justice, only a person of their profession should be appointed as the Minister and this to some extent will help and Mr. President should also consider this aspect while appointing some heads of MDAs.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Professor Idris is Dean, Faculty of Environmental Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi and can be reached [email protected], 08023570800
