As Bola Tinubu prepares to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s seventh president, he has his work cut out for him in addressing the country’s numerous challenges.
Development Diaries reports that Tinubu, in March 2023, did state that it was time for politics to take a back seat as he plans to put together a team of ‘national competence’ to lead Africa’s most populous country.
‘In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance’, he said.
Economy
Under President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s inflation rate hit a 16-year high amid an increase in prices and poor purchasing power.
In April 2023, the headline inflation rate rose to 22.22 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), relative to March 2023 headline inflation rate which was 22.04 percent.
In the past eight years, food inflation in the country has risen steadily. For instance, from 9.78 percent in May 2015 to 24.61 percent in April 2023.
Unemployment rate also increased in the period President Buhari took over power.
The NBS recorded an increase in the national unemployment rate from 23.1 percent in 2018 to 33.3 percent in 2020.
In April 2023, a KPMG report revealed that Nigeria’s unemployment rate is expected to rise to 40.6 percent in 2023. It was attributed to limited investment by the private sector, low industrialisation, and slower economic growth.
Furthermore, the number of Nigerians living in poverty increased to over 133 million in 2022, according to data from the NBS.
Tinubu, during his campaign for office, promised sufficient jobs for the youths, with decent wages.
He also promised to boost manufacturing, ensuring that Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just consumers, vowing to transform Nigeria into an enviable country with ‘a robust economy’.
Nigerians would expect him to put his promises into action and revive an economy that collapsed under the outgoing administration.
Security
Security under the outgoing administration worsened, as Nigerians saw an increase in kidnappings, mass killings, and general insecurity.
According to International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), although Boko Haram is considered Nigeria’s biggest security threat, the group is not the only threat that citizens in the north face on a day-to-day basis.
Previously, Boko Haram was Nigeria’s biggest security concern, especially in the northeast; but now, many other non-state armed groups are spreading violence to other parts of the country.
In as much as it seems insurgency attacks have reduced in the northeast, the insurgents have not been eliminated; instead, they have broken out into different units to carry out various forms of attacks.
Tinubu promised to improve security by decentralising the policing of the country and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs simultaneously.
He promised that his administration would make it a fundamental responsibility to protect all Nigerians.
Nigerians look forward to a country of peace and stability with the coming of the new administration.
Talking points for inauguration
As Tinubu prepares to address the nation for the first time as president, there are specific issues that Nigerians expect him to speak on. The naira redesign policy is one of the issues. It is expected that he addresses the concerns around the policy.
The Supreme Court had ruled that the old notes should remain legal tender until 31 December, 2023. This was after 16 states of the federation instituted a suit to challenge the legality or otherwise of the introduction of the naira redesign policy.
Tinubu is also expected to address the nation on the planned subsidy removal as proposed by the Buhari administration.
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had informed Nigerians that the subsidy removal committee had been expanded to include Tinubu’s team members and the state governors.
Tinubu, in his acceptance speech, had encouraged Nigerians to hold him and the Vice President-Elect, Kashim Shettima, to account.
Development Diaries calls on the incoming president to tell Nigerians, beyond his campaign promises, what his government would be doing in his first 100 days in office.
We also urge Nigerians to take note of all campaign promises made by the president-elect and hold him accountable.
Photo source: APC
