Two Years Of Towering Triumph -By Ike Willie-Nwobu

It has been two years since the baton of government moved from one administration to the other and while two years consisting of 730 days may seem a lot of time in the context of days, it is little time in governance, especially in a country like Nigeria.

On May 29, 2023, Bola Ahmed Tinubu replaced Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s sixteenth president. Though, the transition was not preceded by the kind of seismic shock that greeted a similar occasion in 2015, it was still a momentous occasion eight years after Nigeria’s democracy showed its dynamism with an astonishing victory for the opposition.
If the transition was smoother that time for being from one APC administration to another, swapping existing problems was even smoother. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited the presidency of a country where the economy was tanking, infrastructure lying in ruins, security skyrocketing and public trust at an all-time-low. Stepping into this volcano, President Tinubu knew he had to get the ball rolling without being scalded by the heat of a country on fire.

In more than thirty years in politics, the former Lagos State Governor has never lacked for courage. It took only seconds of his inauguration speech for the citadel of corruption that was the fuel subsidy regime to come crumbling down, with its chief benefactors and enablers sent scrambling for cover.

There have been upheavals. Protests from Nigerians have rocked up occasionally to remind the president of the rocky journey that Nigerian presidents usually experience. There have been episodic security breaches around the country. The situation in Rivers State almost spiralled out of control and though the president left much to be desired with the anti-constitutional measures taken to rein in the situation, there has been a bit of calm there.

Through two years in office, and despite vociferous accusations of bias, favoritism and nepotism levelled against the president from many who may have their private agenda to pursue, he has shown a fair hand in dishing out appointments across the country. His strategy in spreading key appointments across the country has brought a sharp decrease in tension, stimulating peace in some volatile areas.

A key example is in Southern Kaduna State, which was turned into a killing field under the previous administration. The appointment of an indigene of Southern Kaduna as the Chief of Defence Staff together with the citing of a Federal University of Applied Sciences in the region have brought hope and healing to a region that was once much troubled.

In two years, President Tinubu’s administration has established five new regional development commissions, initiated four landmark tax bills and ensured and enhanced the implementation of the new minimum wage. Thirteen thousand five hundred terrorists have been eliminated and well over fifty billion USD worth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have been attracted into Nigeria. The National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) established by the administration has benefited over three hundred thousand students, while the Presidential Loan and Grant Scheme has reached over nine hundred thousand Nigerians. There are but a few highlights in a litany of glittering achievements.

It has not been all smooth though, and the figures, Impressive as they are, are only drops in the ocean of problems that the country is experiencing. But what is not in doubt is that something is stirring in the country. For the first time in a decade, there is clarity of vision and certainty of direction for a country that carries the great hopes of the African continent.

Agriculture and food security are priority areas for the president and having contributed to Nigeria’s tractorization policy to boost agricultural mechanization, this which directly led to the order and purchase of about 2000 tractors, this writer has witnessed President Tinubu’s commitment first-hand.
As a key contributor to other national projects like the proposed humanitarian caravan and the raw materials ecosystem, this writer has been left deeply impressed by the President’s openness, a sharp and marked departure from the insularity of his predecessor.

It has not been a very smooth ride under President Tinubu but it has been far from a joyless ride. For the first time in a decade, Nigeria seems to be on a resolute trajectory towards progress. For all it is worth, to all those who genuinely love their country, this rare ray of hope deserves to be supported.

Ike Willie-Nwobu.
Ikewilly9@gmail.com