Nigerians all over the world took cognisance of the celebration of the inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. Although a few Nigerians and foreign dignitaries graced the occasion, most Nigerians were glued to their TV, watching the event widely covered in national and international media. Chief Justice of the Federation Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola GCON, swore in both the President and the Vice President about 11.00a.m.
After the swearing-in ceremony, the President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, made a speech outlining the overarching philosophy and principles that will govern his presidency and the core areas of focus for the government. A cursory review of his inaugural address will highlight his thinking and possible policy thrust in the coming days and years. This bird’s eye view into his mind will help analysts to predict areas this administration may focus on and how this administration will operate.
The President used his inaugural speech to make promises to Nigerians at home and abroad. These promises form the foundations of analysing his administration and holding him accountable to the people. Although in the past, most presidents have not lived up to their promises, Nigerians still hold sacred such promises they make. We still remember the memorable phrase of President Buhari in 2015 when he promised that he belongs “to everybody and I belong to nobody”.
Whenever Buhari was seen as not being nationalist, people reminded him of his promise. Ahmed Bola Tinubu has made some promises to Nigeria, and Nigerians will hold him accountable for those promises. The President stated that his “administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you”. This is the overarching philosophy of this administration. This implies that the President is adopting a “servant” analogy in defining his approach to leadership. He is a “serving” president, not a “ruling” one.
Therefore, he will eschew all dictatorial tendencies and adopt the basic democratic philosophy of dialogue, consultation, and negotiation.
The supremacy of the people and law is a paramount ideology in this administration. This philosophy aligns with all democratic tenets and, if adopted by this administration, will deepen our democracy.
The President embraces all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations, religious background, and ethnic affinity, for he adopts a new Nigerian Ideal that means that “all I see are Nigerians”, as claimed by the President. He further posits: “As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but compassion and amity towards all”. This Nigerian ideal goes beyond economic and structural development. It embraces the improvement of “our way of life in a manner that nurtures our humanity, encourages compassion toward one another, and duly rewards our collective effort to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us”.
The humanity and personal qualities of the President are seen in his vowing to act without discrimination toward anybody but will show compassion and love to all. He is the father of the nation and will look after all. The President is the President of all of Nigeria and, therefore, he belongs to all Nigerians. To demonstrate this quality of brotherhood of Nigerians, he extended the hands of friendship to all other presidential candidates to work with him.
Fundamental principles that will guide this administration are (a) the reign of the constitution and the rule of law, (b) defending Nigeria from terror and criminality, (c) remodelling the economy for growth through job creation and food security,( d) prominence of women and youths,( e) and champion a credit culture.
These principles are not idealistic but practical, and they are not just psychological and emotional but very concrete. These guiding principles will influence the actions and inactions of this administration in line with its vision for the country. We hope that even in difficult times during this administration, it will abide by these principles articulated in this speech. Principles lay the boundaries for actions and inactions guiding all to a better outcome. In line with the Nigerian constitution and the country’s guiding laws, this administration’s mission is to strengthen “the bonds of economic collaboration, social cohesion, and cultural understanding, and develop a shared sense of fairness and equity”. This mission will reflect in all the policies and projects of this administration, and only by so doing will it achieve its vision of economic and social emancipation in Nigeria.
Breaking down this mission into deliverables is crucial to the success of this administration. This administration must articulate appropriate strategies and tactics to use various policies, programmes, and projects in a coordinated manner to achieve set goals, objectives, and vision. The President promises to focus on core areas that Nigeria is in dire need of fixing.
The President promised that security would be the “top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence”. This administration will revamp and renew the security doctrine and architecture and invest in security personnel and equipment.
This administration will target a higher GDP growth rate whilst increasing the GDP per capita. It will achieve this through budgetary reforms, industrial policy reform to favour local manufacturing, improvement in power generation, transmission, and distribution, and encouraging local and foreign investors through investor-friendly policies. These are essential areas, but we know that the devil is in the detail and implementation.
The President should get a good economic team to translate these economic goals into reality. Unemployment is the bane of Nigeria, and youth unemployment is the catalyst for many social ills and criminality in the country. We must tackle this evil head-on. The President promised that his administration would create meaningful opportunities for the youth by creating one million jobs in the digital economy. The administration will create a Jobs and Prosperity bill to be the policy architect for job creation through labour-intensive infrastructural improvements. This administration must look beyond the digital economy to other sectors. The entertainment industry has been growing and has excellent potential. So are the creative arts, telecommunication technology, financial industry, and health.
We must not only boost the skill base for these sectors for local industries, but we must be ready to produce enough to export high-skill human resources to the world. The impact of such exportation on our economy is significant and is easily seen in diaspora remittances each year. Food security is vital because a hungry nation is an angry nation. This administration promises to create “commodity exchange boards guaranteeing minimal prices for certain crops and animal products” and provide storage facilities to reduce spoilage and waste. It will develop agricultural hubs to increase food production and processing.
This administration will continue the infrastructural development of the Buhari administration by building more roads, rails, and ports. The subsidy removal policy is upheld, and its funds will be re-channelled to investments in public infrastructure, education, and health. The government will strive to reduce interest rates and unify the exchange rate between the official and the black market whilst reviewing the currency swap programme. We uphold these policies and hope that their implementation will benefit all Nigerians.
Besides, this administration’s dominant foreign policy ideology centres on maintaining peace and stability in the West African sub-region and the African continent. It will work with regional and continental supra-institutions such as ECOWAS, AU, and other international organisations to end extant conflicts. Nigeria will be at the forefront of containing threats to peace in the continent and actively lead the continent’s quest for growth and prosperity.
As we celebrate the inauguration of a new president, we should meditate and reflect on the President’s promises to the nation and actively task him to fulfill these promises. We are all waiting to see the details of the direction of this administration, and we hope that it will be transparent in sharing the ideas they want to put in motion to change Nigeria. We welcome this new administration, and I implore all patriots to cooperate with this administration and join hands with our new leaders to build a new Nigeria that will be the pride of all of us.