Goodbye to bad policies, by Yakubu Almustapha
I have been subjected to mental stress for nearly eight years as a result of serious misgovernment under Buhari’s presidency even though I initially afforded him the benefit of the doubt.
But as time went on, it dawned on me that the situation would continue like that and there was nothing I can do about it, so I became carefree about whatever his policies would bring knowing fully well it is just a matter of time before his administration come to an end, after all, Nigeria practices a democratic system which stipulates a specific duration for elected officials.
It is a relief to know that by this time next week, I will be celebrating because the president will leave Aso Rock and go into retirement in either Daura, Niger Republic, or wherever he sees fit.
In other words, it is fair to say that I am taking great joy whenever I reminisce that by May 29, a new administration will come on board.
These happy thoughts that run through my head flashed back my memory to a quasi-comedy story that seems to resemble my enthusiasm for seeing the end of Buhari’s maladministration.
There was an amusing drama that occurred at the facade of the White House, the U.S., and the incidental event somewhat showed how overly fed up most Americans got with former President George W. Bush.
It was reported that the following day after the termination of his tenure, an unnamed person went to the White House when the first light of dawn appears in a joyful mood, and asked one of the security to vouch for him on whether the POTUS has truly vacated the presidential resident or not.
As expected, the response he has gotten was in the affirmative, but it doesn’t prevail upon him to stop coming the next day and the days that followed to inquire about the same thing once more.
Consequently, on the last day in which he never repeated the mundane, he intimated the security guard about what elicited his psyche to behave weirdly.
The funnyman emphatically confided that his impelling factor is largely tied to the excitement he used to get every time he heard that Bush was no longer lodged in the White House.
In a similar manner, it’s never been a secret that since the Buhari-led government was voted into office, there was a bizarre rant echoing from the masses that even the deaf could hear because of the unbearable hardship meted out to them due to his abysmal incompetence.
However, in order to elaborate on how displeased most Nigerians are with him, let’s have a recap from a reputed independent opinion research think-tank.
In January last year, an opinion poll was conducted by Africa Polling Institute (API) about the general well-being of the citizens.
The research which is dubbed “Nigeriaspeaks” covered topical issues such as economic, political, governance, and public life issues.
The report revealed that only one in ten Nigerians are happy with the government, which translates that only 8 percent are happy with the state of affairs in the country.
While the vast majority which constituted 78 percent are confirmed to be unhappy or depressed under the current leadership.
The sad respondents have, however, cited heightened insecurity, inability to meet basic needs, and unemployment as the reasons for their unhappiness.
Meanwhile, the fact that cannot in any way be severed from reality is that those unlivable conditions in which Buhari’s misrule plunged the people had contributed in no small way to the upsurge of suicide among Nigerians from all walks of life.
Proof of this was contained in the research carried out in 2020 by Daily Trust which uncovered that 264 Nigerians committed suicide in four years.
Not to mention that it is now rare for a day to start and end without gory news of some individuals that committed suicide in Lagos Lagoon. A sequence that psychologists attributed to financial hardship and depression.
It’s worth noting that all these unpleasant situations are coming on the heels of the president’s failure in everything he touched, our economy used to be among the best performing in Africa, and today the reverse is the case.
To add insult to injury, the controversial currency swap policy introduced by CBN with the connivance of Mr President became a nationwide disaster that pushed citizens in rural areas to practice trade by barter conundrum.
Honestly, with regard to what transpired in the past eight years, I can say it’s only a masochist who will deny that Buhari’s government translates to nothing other than a potpourri of suffering, kidnapping for ransom, killings by an act of banditry, and a world of sorrow to Nigerians.
To say the least, his two tenure is unfortunate to the country and nothing less.
However, the beauty of democracy is that in months to come, we can kiss goodbye to his bad policies, and hopefully, the better life that we want will get the ball rolling.
Hence I can’t wait for his inglorious exit from Aso Rock Villa because it will surely be a dream come true for me.
Yakubu Almustaphaa, a political analyst writes from Bauchi. He can be reached via email: talk2almustapha016@gmail.com
