Such interventions will go a long way to win back
lost public confidence and apparently this is right time for President Buhari commence efforts geared towards tackling many other
crucial social issues plaguing the country, which equally do not require any financial commitment. One of such burning issues which call
for urgent intervention by the president is the recent public outcry for the
reduction of salaries and allowances of public servants and political offices
holders, particularly, those of National Assembly members.
It is imperative to allow public pressure bear on the
government, because that the fuel that will in all honesty drive the president to become successful in delivering the changes which him and the APC, has
promised the teeming Nigerian population that defied all odds to cast their votes and brought them to power. Discountenancing pressure from the populace will mean government is shutting a vital public feedback
channel that would have been useful to the governance in understanding and feeling the heart beat of the public
and sampling opinion on how his administration is rated.
The cry by the federal government about the poor finances is
a big shame to say the least, and it is understandable why the president came out to declare this publicly. That the federal
government treasury is empty is not news and the APC had continually spoken about this. The president's reaction is as a result of the financial recklessness and
indiscipline of government officials in the immediate past administration, and he has promising
and committed himself to recover in three months all such moneys from any government official found
culpable.
I really can’t understand the necessity for such a declaration
at this time. The president has only succeeded in creating panic and a
dangerous signal that will lead to series of counter reactions from such
persons by way of destruction of evidence, arson, assassinations, blackmail, migration
and asylum seeking. All of these will bring enormous pressure to bear on the
federal government and serious distraction by way of litigations and counter litigations.
The series of events following this declaration will
certainly raise human right issues and Human Right Watch and other
international human right organizations will lurking, keeping an eagle eye on
the government, following every move they make and ensuring compliance of both
the countries Pinal code and international human conventions. Failure to follow
proper legal channels in prosecuting any government official who is found wanton
will amount to trampling on their fundamental rights.
It goes without saying that the judiciary will be involved and
the spotlight will fall on all the endemic systemic flaws that have bedeviled the
procurement of justice in Nigeria, which we have all come to know. Delays in
the justice system, disobedience of court orders, corruption and manipulation
of judges by wealthy individuals and counter attempt by government to usurp the
powers of the judiciary by enforcement executive orders that contravene
judicial processes, are a cacophony of immersed quagmire that will further dent
the country’s human rights record and take focus of government away from the
real issues of correcting the damage of the past and building a new Nigeria.
It will be more productive if the government can temper down
on witch-hunting on a global scale as been planned currently, rather it should
be approached courteously and selectively where cases of culpable offences are evidential
and can be proven beyond reasonable doubt in the court of law.
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