@oyebodek : These are the qualities the next Nigerian President should have

by Bode Omotoye

Nigerians  will  be electing a new President in February 2015.The incumbent, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will be contesting as the candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and it is also expected that the candidate of the opposition party-All Progressive Congress (APC) will emerge sometime in December 2014.

Nigeria gained independence 54 years ago but our nation has not lived up to expectation. We are very many years behind in terms of development and the nation offers little or no hope for the youth as a lot of them have migrated to other countries in search of greener pastures.

I believe the 2015 Presidential election offers Nigeria and Nigerians an opportunity to get our nation back on track.

We are all familiar with the issues we have as a nation and, here are a few of them.

Defence-The Chibok girls who were kidnapped over 210 days ago have not been found. Boko Haram is almost fully in control in 3 states-Adamawa,Yobe & Borno .Thousands of people have been displaced in the North East and other parts of the North. Thousands of lives have been lost to the insurgency and there seems to be no solution in sight.

Unemployment-There is massive unemployment in the nation today.so many graduates do not have jobs. The Federal Government has been trying to improve job opportunities in the Agricultural sector but a lot still needs to be done to create job opportunities in other sectors of the economy.

Power-The nation has expended billions of naira in recent years on reforms in the Power sector but the reforms have been slow due to various problems including finance & legacy issues. This sector really needs to be on track as the multiplier effect of having improved & stable power cannot be quantified.There are positive implications for production cost  leading to a fall in prices; in addition more jobs can  be created.

It’s essential to point out that South Africa with a population of 52.98 million people generates 35,200 megawatts while Nigeria with a population of 173.6 million people generates 4,600 megawatts showing that we have a long way to go.

The Oil & Gas sector- The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which is meant to reform our Petroleum lndustry is yet to be passed. As a major producer of oil, we have no business importing refined petroleum products, however due to lack of a will on the part of government, our refineries are not working at full capacity, new ones are not allowed to see the light of the day, and thousands of barrels of oil are lost daily to oil theft.

Education-The standard of education has been falling at an alarming rate. Government at all levels have been paying lip service to education.

Housing- There has been a dearth of affordable housing units for the teeming population especially the masses. The initiative of the present government- the Mortgage Refinancing Scheme needs fine tuning as the proposed interest rate of 16% p.a. is too high.

Corruption-The level of corruption is shameful at all tiers of government, We are suffering in the midst of plenty as a result of the stealing going on in the nation.

Religion/Ethnicity-Our leaders & Politicians are using Ethnicity & Religion to divide us.Politicians use it to their own benefit. Nigerians are typically accommodating and tolerant of people of different faiths & ethnicity but sometimes react when they are incited or misled.

The Economy-The economy is not yet on a sound footing as the income per capita is still low compared to our contemporaries and our economy is largely a mono-product one.

What is required of the new President?

(a.)We need  to have a Commander-in –chief in the real sense of the word. A commander-in-chief is the person or body that exercises supreme operational command and control of a nation’s military forces or significant elements of those forces.

We have never battled insurgency for so long without a solution in sight. Steps must be taken to end insurgency once and for all. We have witnessed enough bloodshed. Thousands of souls have been lost Enough is enough. Security of lives and property should be guaranteed by the President.

(b).We need a President that will focus on giving the Youths a better tomorrow via creation of jobs as well as entrepreneurship support schemes especially in Agriculture ,Small & Medium Scale Enterprises(SMEs,)Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sectors. The president also needs to give Education the attention it deserves. More schools need to be built and more/equipment/books need to be provided as well. Teachers and Lecturers should be well paid and motivated.

(c).We need a President who is committed to concluding the reforms in the Power & Oil and Gas sectors so as to put the nation on the path to greatness. Without Power, massive industrialization can’t take place.If the PIB is passed there will be massive improvement in the oil and gas sector.

(d).We need a President who will ensure massive diversification of our Economy towards Agricultural  & Solid minerals production amongst others.Over dependence on oil has caused the nation a lot.The drop in the price of oil has led to a reduction in revenue ,conversely affecting our spending power.It is very likely  that our currency may be devalued soon and even the expected revenues for 2015 are threatened due to the benchmark price for oil on which our 2015 budget estimates are based.We also need to transit from an import based economy to an export based one so as to reduce demand for the dollar at the exchange markets.

(e.)We need a  President who will tackle corruption head-on.Corruption is so entrenched in our society and its causing a lot of harm for us.Perpetrators of this act must be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

(f.)We need a president who will unite the country no matter our tribal or religious affiliations, Efforts should be made to eliminate distrust amongst our people.

(g).Finally we need a president who listens. A president who will listen to quality advice and not be detached from the electorate.A President who will feel the pulse of the people and engage  them from time to time for necessary feedback on governance.

It is expected that our President in 2015 will be willing do these and much more so Nigeria can be great again.

God bless Nigeria.

Comments (2)

  1. Well said. The ball is in our court The answer to the problems is if we vote right and happily we are at the edge of another one. Left for the rich and selfish nigerians and others that feed fat at the corridors of power only an infra dig is good for us. Let us go out to register and vote for our choice. Period

  2. Spot on. Jonathan is just a commander in chief of the armed forces on paper. he can not even command his wife.

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