ONE word can be aptly used to appraise President Mohammadu Buhari’s one year in office: discontent. Nigerians are thoroughly disappointed by the turn of events. The President and his party the All Progressive Congress, APC, had promised so much, but so far fulfilled so little.

The economy is in bad shape. Power in bad shape; the Naira in bad shape; inflation is on a steady rise. The Chibok girls are still in captivity. Let’s not mention the unprecedented fuel scarcity and now a galloping hike in pump price of PMS. All these leave a bitter taste in the mouth. It has been a litany of woes. There is a feeling of general discontent across the land.

I do not expect the President to mark his one year in office with the same grandeur and panache that ushered him into office because the truth be told, he has not lived up to expectation.

The President knows that Nigerians were better off before he came to the scene. They have been inflicted with a lot of pains this past twelve months. What is happening now seems a repeat of what was when Mr. President ruled as a military head of state in the early ‘80s when Nigerians were made to queue in the rain and sun to buy beverages like milk, sugar, oats and the like which they hitherto could buy from the shop next door. If nothing is done, sooner we will queue for food and possibly air.

Part of the problem is the fact that the President has surrounded himself mostly with Yes-men and propagandists. The latter are those misinforming and making him see nothing, absolutely nothing good about the Jonathan administration.

As a result, the President is in a hurry to change a lot of things, and in the process making mistakes. He forgets that while everything may be possible, everything is not expedient. For example, the sack of Vice chancellors and the dissolution of Governing Councils of federal universities which he apologised for. There are others. These mistakes tend to have deeply divided Nigerians along ethnic, religious and political lines.

These propagandists in the last one year diverted the attention of the President from the core issue of governance which is to better the lives of the citizenry. They pushed him to go after political opponents in the name of fighting corruption. This is all Nigerians have heard in the last one year without any tangible result. No one is saying that those who looted the country’s treasury should not face the consequences. No.

What is being said is that it ought not to have become the only focus amidst so many other challenges. Besides, it ought not to have been targeted at political opponents only. After all, many of those shouting ‘change’ and ‘corruption’ today, were in the opposition party holding very exalted offices for years before decamping only recently to the ruling party. How come these persons are not investigated and prosecuted. Or does carpet-crossing to the ruling party make one corruption- free?

The President am sure  feels the pulse of Nigerians. He knows they are dissatisfied with the state of things no matter how the propagandists try to paint it. He should listen to them and do the needful: alleviate their suffering. It is becoming unbearable. Enough of the excuses and the apologies please!

Furthermore, the President should shun the praise of propagandists, sycophants and rumour-mongers. He should not see any section of the country as his enemies as some have made him believe.

By age and experience, one expects the President to be above political sentiments and bigotry. He should see and do things from the perspective of a leader not a partisan politician. Also, he should drop some ministers who by their age are not in tune with the demands of present-day realities.

This administration still has three years to right its wrongs, and to consolidate on its achievements if any. Let us just assume that the last one year was used to cross the Ts and dot the Is.

In his Easter message, the President admonished Nigerians that his change agenda would work if “citizens imbibe the virtues of Jesus Christ and place national interest above selfish, personal and group interest”. This is true. But what is truer is that the President himself and leaders of his party especially need this admonishment more because they tend to be parochial in their attitude and utterances and additionally, blame the shortcomings of this administration on the opposing party.

This is becoming rather boring. This APC- led government must start delivering on its numerous promises. That is why the recent assertion by the APC chairman-John Odigie-Oyegun that the untold hardship being experienced by Nigerians is a necessary sacrifice for ‘change’ can be viewed as a blatant display of sheer callousness on the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

They cannot continue to make sacrifices while senators are busy buying brand-new SUVs for themselves at this critical time with tax payers money. Too much of a sacrifice is nothing but punishment!

Mr. Lucky Ofodu, a public affairs analyst, wrote from [email protected]