In case opposition governors and leaders are not honest enough to tell Buhari the truth because they are complicit in their jurisdictions, we outside government should do so. We should tell GMB that for every economic affliction the PDP has deposited on Nigerians, there are replicas of it in APC states, as well as and in the National Assembly, where both opposition legislators and those of the PDP earn huge salaries and allowances that they are ashamed to disclose. Facts and figures have shown that our legislators earn far more than their counterparts in the United States and in other G8 countries. They have kept sealed lips and deaf ears to this callous revelation. This is conspiracy by the political class against Nigerians. It is not only a PDP affair and we think Buhari must know this.
We need to remind GMB that what is today the APC is not inhabited by political greenhorns and saints. If you doubt, ask Malam Nuhu Ribadu to give you dossiers of the major players who have been around since 1999, some of whom have migrated in and out of the PDP countless times. It is true that Buhari admitted that much, when he proffered to draw a line between the sins that were committed in the past and the moment he steps into government. The only sense in that perhaps, is that there won’t be enough resources and personnel in the EFCC to chase the thieves; there could also be some challenge of time and space in the courts to prosecute them.
In going forward and turning a new leaf, Buhari has to solemnly beg members of his party, in case they form government, to allow him set the new stage for a transparent and accountable government. If you ask me, I will recommend a new template for the National Assembly, where lawmakers will have pity and mercy on Nigerians. This present Assembly cannot take Nigeria anywhere, in terms of its mindset and size. We need a trimmer legislature and where that is not possible because of arguments of geo-political representation, we can reduce the period of sittings to six months in a year. After all, lawmakers go on holiday for nearly half of the year, but they earn salaries and allowances for the entire year. While the Assembly is closed for half of the year, let lawmakers try their skills out there to make a living, instead of being perpetual parasites on the economy, in the name of lawmaking. The Assembly complex, if shut for that period will reduce maintenance and utility bills. On the other hand, the facility could be outsourced to some property managers to be used for staging conferences and hosting events. There is nothing sacrosanct about that structure, it is the spirit of the Assembly that is. For now, we do not have that spirit.
Then, the Execute must really downsize. What we have in Abuja and the states as of today is too costly to run on an ailing oil economy. We need trim state houses, where the budgets are realistic, in consonance with best practices elsewhere. The ratio between what is spent on running government and what goes into capital expenditure is unsustainable. The next government must work really hard to narrow the gap, not by mere wishes. The PDP government knows where the problems is, but does not have the political will to do the needful. A committee was raised to harmonise and rationalise the public service, with a view to downsizing and blocking wastage. But since the Oronsanye committee had completed its work, government does not even know where to begin from. We are not saying government should sack for the sake of it, but persons who should go home should be encouraged to do so, with schemes to acquire skills and takeoff grants to enable them go into other ventures.
Buhari is familiar with the menace a political class is capable of constituting. In case he has forgotten, he should just rewind to that famous speech that launched his military takeover on December 31, 1983. If he and his fellow travellers were convinced that what the civilian government did then was wrong, let him know that those Second Republic politicians were close to being saints, if their sins were put side by side what today’s politicians have wrought and are capable of doing. Buhari’s capacity to lead by example will be one good way to start. He should encourage those running around him, who own mansions outside the country to sell them and return the money. He has to beg and persuade them, since he will not have the capacity to capture errant politicians and put them inside crates, to be shipped back home. Buhari no longer has such powers. He will need to formulate bills to send to the NASS and lobby the legislators. But he should know that legislators don’t just pass bills unless you appease them.
I just want candidate Buhari to know what he is up against as he continues to woo Nigerians with his zero tolerance for corruption. Now that ovation seems very loud, those ringed about him may not allow him to have a true picture of what transpires in government since the last time he was there. He should know that his number one place to start is his party. The party a candidate belongs could hold him hostage after they manage to form government. If the APC forms majority in the NASS, the party should organise a retreat, where Buhari will get down on his knees to beg them, if indeed, they want to transform Nigeria. Buhari had cried before; he might need to shed a few more tears to convince his party members that he means business. It is not about sharing everything in the Federation Account. It is more about fiscal discipline.
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