by Adewale Ajadi

 Mr President will make gaffes in his speeches until he finds the kind of aides he had during the campaign that helped him with his Chatham House speech and outing. His media aides are yet to prove themselves by setting the agenda and driving the media cycle rather than reacting and responding to it.

The meaning we make of a situation that we observe is far more revealing of our mindset and general meaning-making than the dynamics of the situation itself. In the past week, opinion formers in the Nigerian media have had a feast on the dysfunction apparent in the process of selecting National Assembly leaders, the gaffe of the President calling Germany, ‘West Germany’ and the German chancellor Michelle not Merkel. The issue itself is not the negativity of the focus but its insignificance in comparison to over 50 Nigerians who were slaughtered by the Boko Haram serial killers. These bombings were largely treated as business as usual, footnotes to our national dynamics. The public space and conversation seems dominated by a ‘revenge opposition’ caught in a feeling of injustice for what they see as an unrelenting criticism and mockery of the last government. The media itself seemed trapped in cycles of laziness and the excitement of political dramas, as the public interest it claims to serve visibly suffers. In the news cycle, we missed the significance of some developments as examples of changes we have been clamouring to see but with eyes only set to see things that prove either our worst fears established or best wishes to see the President fail realised. Perhaps because we are yet to define for ourselves what the promised change will mean, in reality, we have displaced energy with fault finding eagerness.

In foreign policy, in the last few days, change manifested in the assertion that Nigeria will lead the multi-national forces against Boko-Haram in the Chad basin. This assertive position is far from the reactive and petulant one that typified the last administration. Note that there was no backlash towards Nigeria for this insistence, as President Buhari, after the decision of the Chad Basin Countries to do otherwise, asserted that Nigerians will not accept the command of any other nationality over our troops. Yet, social media is far more taken by memes on “West Germany” and blunder on names. The swiftness with which the strategy to choke Boko Haram and focus the effort to close out the remainder of the insurgency has had in the past two weeks is definitive on how this new government handles its priorities. In fact, the visit of some of the Chibok Mothers with the president and his wife provides incredibly emotional change from the practices and responses of the Jonathan administration. The expression of empathy by the President and his wife with the emotional intelligence that it represents is a deep and meaningful departure from the often exaggerated solidarity and drama that exemplified the last administrations handling of this national tragedy. The dignity and authenticity shown in receiving these grieving mothers is far more in line with the best in Nigerians and the concerns we share as a country.

Change has also reflected in two policy pronouncements, in the last few days, that will have serious impact on the operations of government; the announcement that ministers must not interfere in the procurement process, even though a standing policy and procedure, is a fundamental change from practices in the last administration. This is a very clear assertion of due process and empowerment of the procedural role of civil servants. Its potential for ensuring reduced temptation and dealing with corrupt access is quite definitive for the future. This itself is a reflection of what the new President signifies to the civil service, and is an expression of his brand as a leader. It is doubtful that the President needed to tell the civil service to assert itself. His inauguration is in itself a declaration that departure from due and proper process will not be tolerated.

The second is the policy position that an incoming attorney general of the federation will investigate the allegations contained in the Amnesty International report on atrocities attributed to the Nigerian Military. Simply, this position is counter-intuitive, that a former General and Head of State of a military government will take such a report and demand investigation and accountability from the very institution in which he made his name and came to national prominence is unexpected. The President’s commitment of his administration to stopping human rights abuses by the armed forces once again affirms this position and adds to his reputation for integrity. Amnesty International had expected the Nigerian state to push back when it made its report public, as they organised to present and get their key people out of the country, thinking there would be some form of draconian response.

While we started paper-cutting the new administration with derision and disdain, which appears to be partly deserved, we slept on the fact that the rest of the world seems to be celebrating as dignity, enthusiasm and integrity is restored to Aso Rock. The APC, a coalition of different parties and interests, must certainly learn to be a broad church and handle its diversity with an overriding focus towards the interest of Nigerians, not the ego of its leaders. It is inevitable that when groups form there will be initial storms as they start to shape their norms towards the direction of performance. For those who work in this area, it is called ‘group dynamics’ and this should be expected. It only becomes dysfunctional if they do not learn the expedient lessons but get bogged down in distrust and disagreement.

Mr President will make gaffes in his speeches until he finds the kind of aides he had during the campaign that helped him with his Chatham House speech and outing. His media aides are yet to prove themselves by setting the agenda and driving the media cycle rather than reacting and responding to it. The US President that might be a good example to study was Ronald Reagan, also an older President who left to his own device misspoke but even then he and his aides developed a communication style that endeared him to his country even if his policies were divisive. Another thing to learn from the US is the practices of the White House’s regular news briefings and events. The President will need to get his message out and not have it drowned by the baying voices of opposition supporters.

There is no doubt change has started and it is being defined in the daily actions and pronouncements of this government, but as one of my teachers used to say, “we are struck in the bedroom of our habitual meaning making.” We have simply refused to see change despite looking. The real change will come when we stop being obsessed with personalities and drama, when we spend time on genuine and appreciative enquiry, as well as analysis. Whether the glass is half full or half empty is not about the physical appearance of the glass but our world view.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Op-Ed Editor