By Owei Lakemfa

LAST week was one of despair and hope. Collapse and revival. It was a week of exit, and an entry in which President Muhammadu Buhari gave a loaded inaugural speech which like a mini-skirt was revealing, but gave nothing away. Will he probe the past? He seems to say no, with his declaration that “The past is prologue” but he recounted with some anger that $20 Billion was spent producing darkness rather than needed electricity.

Will he be a team player; will his party’s decisions be binding; will he break ranks if necessary? Difficult to say as his speech simply declares “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” So he will be his own man.

Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari (L) sits beside his wife Aisha, as he signs after swearing to an oath during his inauguration at the Eagles Square in Abuja, on May 29, 2015. Buhari, 72, defeated Goodluck Jonathan in March 28 elections — the first time in Nigeria’s history that an opposition candidate had beaten a sitting president. AFP PHOTO

Nigeria’s foreign policy he said, may depend on “…any leadership role that Africa expects of it” It may be a way of saying that Nigeria will not be pushy. But it has no alternative than to play a major leadership role on the continent. Good enough, 91-year old President   Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was at the inauguration; he is one leader that underscores the point that primarily, it is not a leader’s age that matters, but the age of his ideas.

We face a myriad of challenges including insecurity, corruption, fuel and power shortages. On these Buhari reassures: “We can fix our problems” Surely, we can fix our problems, but this will depend on the constellation of the ideas and policies of his administration, the type of team he puts together; its commitment and readiness to make sacrifices.

He promised a clear separation of powers and that the legislature will need to keep to its briefs of law making and over sight functions. The implication is that the infamous Ghana-Must-Go bags that were common at the onset of civil rule, will disappear. Buhari also expects the judiciary to cleanse itself. It might mean that the rule of law and court orders, will be obeyed. Then, citizens can keep a watch brief over the judiciary.

Within the confines of the constitution, he promised to ensure responsible and accountable governance at Federal, State and Local Government levels. I am not sure what he can do about the states including those under APC control, but in a federal setting, the Government at the centre should have no business with local governments; states should have the powers to merge or increase them, and be solely responsible for their funding. If there will be true change, such basic reforms are urgent and inevitable.

Worker and employer organisations and the press were in place when Buhari was first Head of State thirty one years ago, then the relationship was rough. Now, there is a more even playing field. But change has also come with the emergence of civil society organisations and the social media. Mutual existence is necessary. But a warning; the social media, is a double edged sword.

The days preceding the inauguration were indeed tough as Nigeria virtually collapsed. There was a visible absence of governance; a state of self-induced anarchy. The country was in comatose; no fuel, no electricity, private generators shutdown for lack of diesel and petrol. Even banks and telecommunication companies for whom money-making is the only religion, could only provide basic services.

I knew things were bad, but I did not prepare for what I got when I confidently strolled into the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMII) in Lagos hoping to catch any available flight to Abuja. The sight was like the Balogun market; over flowing with people, chaotic. How did I miss news that flights were cancelled the previous day for lack of aviation fuel? It was morning, but no flight tickets for the day. The options were not good; take to the road, stay in Lagos? Then an old friend I met informed me that tickets were actually being sold, not at the airline counters, but through touts who set the cost; factoring in actual cost, bribe for airline staff and their own profit margins. It was like the oil marketers’ dealings with Nigeria.

In Abuja, chaos was noticeable in a city that, unlike Lagos, was noted for some calmness. Apart from the queues and battles at the fuel stations, school children were on the streets; turned out by their teachers who say they had enough suffering.

An administration that could still sack any public officer; from a private to the Chief of Defence Staff; a messenger to the Permanent Secretary, could not call a petrol attendant to order. The Department of Petroleum Resources charged with regulating the industry, simply went into a coma. Many states gradually stalled with lack of electricity and petroleum products, violence and unpaid salaries. The country seemed to be there for the taking.

The Jonathan administration had become a long distance runner that collapsed with the finishing line in sight. Then suddenly, like a worn out machine sprouting to life, the administration jerked into life. There were a flurry of last minute activities. The close was a statement that appears contentious, but rings true. President Jonathan told a gathering on the eve of handover “Nigerians will begin to see that there is no difference between political parties because even as we see, there is no difference between PDP and APC. If you look at the number of people that moved from PDP to APC, then you will really see that both parties are almost the same”

Perhaps, the most befitting   gift for the Jonathan administration as it spent its last day in office, was the news that its Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina had snatched what had seemed an elusive crown for Nigeria by winning the presidency of the fifty-year African Development Bank.

Despite perceived differences, Nigerians of all parties and persuasion had rallied round Adesina to hand him a landslide victory. This is the spirit we need to carry on as President Buhari settles into office to begin the challenging task of presiding over the affairs of Africa’s most populous, most conscious, most assertive, intellectually endowed and politically vibrant country.