By Tony Icheku

 Doing certain things are easy. Very, very easy, like eating ice cream and criticising Nigerian Presidents. Executing certain tasks are equally extremely difficult, like extricating palm fruits from its bunch and ruling Nigeria. Personally, I view situations from two broad perspectives: easy and difficult; simple and complex. From a very simplistic analysis, I therefore examine President Muhammadu Buhari and his first year in office.

 The best place to begin would be to ask what pre-Buhari Nigeria was like? So many had answered the question from their own perspectives on May 29, 2016. And going through the answers I could see the following trends:  Some pleaded forgetfulness. Others were clever by half by weaving tales by moonlight. Some like Lot's wife were transfixed in that past. Some were like the Biblical Israelites who had just left slavery in Egypt, faced with the challenges of a new and uncertain Country, yearned for the 'flesh pots and bread of' Pharaoh. There were of course   obvious  reactions of those recently turned out from the palatial and luxurious places of power.

 Earlier, I had  tried restraining myself from the temptations of joining  the choir of analysts of Buhari's first year in office, but failed. Two things forced me into the fray: The anti-Buharists and overzealous security agencies.

 The anti-Buharists are certain Nigerians who had never seen any good in the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari to power. Thus  May 29, 2016 offered them another  good opportunity to spill their bile all over again. These haters, self-styled  critics say they are picking holes in Buhari's first year in office for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians. But in their various opinionated articles and reports, not one good word was said for Nigeria and Nigerians. It was all about Buhari this, Buhari that. Fortunately, these self appointed critics do not constitute the over 15.4 million Nigerians who voted Buhari to power. If they had been semblance of truth and balance in their responses, it would have been another matter. But they were not. They may be opinion leaders, activists, but like they are not to be believed.

 These critics forgot so soon the state of fear and despondency that enveloped Nigeria over the Boko Haram threat. The forgot that the 
Presidential election scheduled for February 14, 2015 was rescheduled by the then President Goodluck Jonathan's 
administration because his government could not guarantee the security of electoral officials in the North-East geo-political zone. 

 Indeed only persons suffering from an extreme case of amnesia would forget so soon that the debate from 2014 into 2015 was 
whether any genuine election could hold in the  North-East States of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. Borno has lost over 14 out of its
27 Local Government Areas to the Boko Haram insurgents. The insurgents were already flying their flags in these LGAs. Damaturu, 
the capital of Yobe State was under the threat of being run over any moment. Fear, hopelessness and near State of anarchy coloured the minds
of Nigerians who remained in the above three States. Millions of Nigerians were already 'internally displaced persons. From the North-East, they 
surged to other parts of the Country seeking shelter, safety and livelihood. The Nigerian Army and security apparatus were in confusion and unpreparedness.

 Even the Federal capital, Abuja was enveloped in fear. All military and para-military installations were not only on 24 hours alert, but all 
sort of barricades were built around them for protection. Any foreign visitor could see that Nigeria was in a state of war. The once mighty West African regional super power, liberator of Liberia, and major contributor to United Nations, UN Peace keeping efforts, was at war against a rag-tag gang of
killers of dubious origins. These was the situation turned around within a year. But some think it is like eatig ice cream 

 As if wishing away this yesterday, self-righteous anti-Buhari writers in so many twisting  words and flowery phrases, fabricated imaginary tales of a Nigeria 
that could have been better after one year. 

 He who feels it, knows it. Indeed the people of Nigeria's North-East, millions of  internally displaced persons would testify that  President Buhari restored for them hope and faith in the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Some may choose to remain in delusion, but the fact is that Boko Haram is  fast  becoming history. The insurgents no longer had the capacity to carry out the kind of spectacular attacks for  which they became notorious. For four years, former President Jonathan allowed these anarchists free reign, to the extent they became a threat to Nigeria's sovereignty.

 What else stood out as Buhari was coming to power? Oil prices were tumbling, slipping to as low as $30 per barrel, its lowest since 2010. Huge debts 
were owed to  contractors and suppliers. Twenty-seven states owed their workers several months of salary arrears. 

 Today, the pro-Jonathan apologists would want us to believe  that all was well with Pre-Buhari Nigeria. They lie. Nigeria was like a kwashikor-ridden child whose swollen features and amber pallor were mistaken for good health. Overall, infrastructure, notably rail, power, roads were in a decrepit state. 
The Nation's four refineries in  disrepair, while the pipelines and depots were at the mercy of all kinds of miscreants.

 The fear today is also that Buhari has no economic blue-print. What a  laughable preposition. But we once agreed that in government archives are so many beautiful economic blueprints? If the Buhari administration could dust up the TSA blueprint and began its 'hasty' implementation, why dont we hold our breath. If finally the blueprint of removal of fuel subsidy could be implemented with such excruciating pains on Nigerians, why do we insinuate that this administration must mobilise another brigade of economists to midwife another magical blueprint?

 I harbour no illusions in my mind that Buhari knows where the shoe pinches. For instance, we seem now totally impervious of the fact that only yesterday,  pervasive corruption and impunity reigned supreme. Funds budgeted or approved for various projects found their way into the bottomless pockets of public officials. Nothing worked unless you bribed someone. Nobody could call anybody to order. Public officials literarily stole openly. It became  fashionable under Jonathan to steal as much as one could while in government. Then came Buhari with his  anti-corruption crusade. 

 With a glance back from that lawless era, one could appreciate  Buhari's self motivated focus to close the chapter on corruption and impunity. One of his campaign  promises was  to rid the Country of corruption. And so far, the Buhari's administrations campaign against corruption and corrupt officials remains  unprecedented in democratic  Nigeria.
  
Today, the issue of corruption has become topical in the national discourse and corrupt persons are no longer able to flaunt their ill-gotten wealth with impunity, as in the inglorious bygone era.

 In a massive swoop on corrupt officials, close to 35 top officials of the previous administration are standing trial on corruption charges in various   courts, while several of them have returned the money they stole secretly. Lest we forget, the judiciary had been so manipulated that getting justice has become comparable  to the proverbial camel passing through the eye of the needle. That none of the charged persons  had been convicted so far is course due to the loopholes in the judiciary. Lest, we forget, former governors facing trial on charges of corrupt practices and abuse of office are still jumping from one court to the other since 2007 they left office and were charged to court.

 I could perceive certain impatience by some Nigerians with the Buhari administration. For instance, many were becoming hysterical why he did not announce
details of the recoveries from corrupt officials. Well, finally, the report is in the open: Total cash recoveries include: 
i). N78,325,354,631.82; ii). $185,119,584.61; iii).GBP3,508,355.46; iv). Euro 11,250 

 Recoveries under interim forfeiture include: i). N126,563,481,095.43; ii). $9,090,243,920.15; iii). GBP 2,484,447.55; iv). Euro 303,399.17. 

 For now, we wait for the reactions of critics who saw everything wrong in the anti-corruption campaign of President Buhari.

 Where else can we see manifestation of the change agenda? Plugging of leakages in government revenue. The Buhari administration on assumption of office set out to plug all financial loopholes through expeditious implemenation of the  Treasury Single Account (TSA). 

 In the Federal Civil service, through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information system, 43,000 ghost workers were weeded out  representing pay packets totaling N4.2 billion stolen every month. Additionally, N23 billion  per annum from wold be saved, formerly being travelling and sitting allowances of officials.

 A Murderous Army Officer
For now I turn to a certain Sani Usman, deputy director, Army Public Relations who apppear to be more of a politician than a military officer. Usman, obviously another case of acute amnesia in so many big sounding words that means nothing attempted  to justify the shooting of innocent Nigerians simply because they were celebrating the May 29 remembrance of the proclamation of Biafra by the late Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu.

 It is the apparent naivety and overzealousness of the likes of Usman that has done more collateral damage to the Buhari presidency than one can imagine. Obviously Usman has forgotten that it was the same action by other fellows like him on the streets of Maiduguri around 2009 when the  police fired shots and killed some followers of Mohammed Yusuf  during a funeral procession which led to reprisal  attacks on police and widespread rioting that escalated the Boko Haram insurgency.

 Does it then mean I support Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his followers? Certainly not. Being 'Onye Igbo', am equallytraumatised by  socio-economic marginalisation of the South-East. But from 1999 to date what had our members in the National Assembly done to redress the issues? We have had A-class Ministers of Igbo extraction who has had the ears of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. Did they whisper a wise word in their ears? No!

 The psychological trauma the South-East is undergoing notwithstanding, anybody who had taken pains to read the story of what finally climaxed as the proclamation of the Republic of Biafra by Odimegwu Chukwuemeka Ojukwu would surely come to the conclusion that Kanu is surely overtaken by youthful exuberance.

 The Igbos are not suicidal, otherwise one could predict that the wicked killings of young Igbos by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies under the present administrattion  could lead to. But as the father of the Nation, I daresay Buhari must apply the win-win approach to discipline the likes of Kanu. His continued incarceration and pronlonged trial has not really helped matters.

 The Wasted N9 billion
I wish I could leave out the comments on what Buhari should do with the report of Jonathans' National Conference. I agree 100% with Buhari's position on the report of that talk shop, namely that it be left as another archival document. But N9 billion was spent on it? It was unwisely spent. Those who want to restructure the Country knows where to start.

 Now I conclude. After rejecting him in 2003, 2007 and 2011, in all cases by over 50% votes, did Nigerians suddenly fall in love with Buhari? Not all. 
Nigerians were consumed with contempt for PDP's greed, impunity, lawlessless, rascality and lack of political will to improve their lots. For now we must 
follow the one we have chosen for the next four years. If we think Buhari's forthrightness, integrity. modesty, discipline and transparency are not enough, we still have to wait till 2019 to bring back PDP. But for now we need pray for President Buhari and follow him.