Nigerians wanted change. Change of the party in power for 16 years. Change of Nigeria's misfortunes. A better hope for the future was desired.
Hence, Nigerians voted for Muhammadu Buhari as president on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Indeed, the campaign slogan was change.
Even before BUHARI took over power, after winning the 2015 election, he began to tell us that we should not expect magic from him. Really? What would you call the task of equating the naira to the dollar? A year and three months into his tenure, Nigerians are now disgruntled with this government. Those who opposed his election now say "I knew it". Those who supported him are left in a state of confusion; trying to even convince themselves on why they should continue to do so.
Many are now regretting why they supported Buhari. It is so bad that his " change " slogan has assumed a negative interpretation. When someone wants to ask you whether you are going through some hardship, the question could be "the change don reach you?" Recently, a revered Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Mbaka, who voiced out his support for BUHARI in 2015, stated that with the way the country is going, Nigerians may not vote for president Buhari in 2019; given the current hardship. The Chibok community (from where the over 200 school girls abducted by the Boko Haram sect come) also stated on Monday that they regret supporting president Buhari. Today, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, reechoed Fr. Mbaka's opinion. This is obviously the feeling of many Nigerians.
WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THIS?
There cannot be a particular reason. The dwindling revenue in the country and the current recession, not caused by him, is one reason (perhaps the major reason) because prices of goods have risen, the exchange rate of the naira has increased and people are facing financial problems. Another reason could be the seeming autocratic actions taking place in his administration (take the Chinakwe debacle for instance). Another reason will be the seeming nonchalance to the people's plight (for instance, the frequent trips of the president and the statement credited to the president that Nigerians are not feeling any hardship. Another instance is the removal of fuel subsidy and increase in electricity tariff). One more reason could be the alleged relegation of southerners in appointments. While some argue that he has a choice to appoint anybody from anywhere, others argue that qualified persons are not only from the North.
Whatever the reason, the bottomline is that many Nigerians are not happy with the government of the day. While conceding that the economic hardship being faced is not entirely the creation of his administration, he must remember that other acts he does are capable of further making people disappointed with his government. He should remember that he is an administrator as well as a politician. As a politician, he should work towards retaining public confidence in him. This is so that it would not be conclusively said that supporting Buhari to become president was a mistake.
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