Since clinching victory in the February 2019 Presidential polls, the expectations of many Nigerians have continued to dwindle. Rather than taking drastic measures to restructure an apparently underperforming presidential cabinet, President Buhari chose to start his 2nd term on a similar slow pedal as he began the first. Political zealots have nonetheless continued to applaud him, noting that it took him two months to forward a screening list to the senate. This is said to be an improvement from the six month delay that was suffered in 2015. Contrastingly Boris Johnson, the newly elected British Prime
Minister made key appointments to his Cabinet few hours after swearing-in.
Concerned Nigerians who took to the public persecuting court of Twitter did not fail to point out the dangers of delegating Ministerial duties to permanent secretaries for too long in spite of the ailing economy. Despite the public outcry following Ministerial screening in 2015, President Buhari forwarded the ministerial nominees list to the senate without attaching prospective portfoilos. This much-awaited list which contained 43 names comprised a cocktail of recycled politicians including former governors and ministers amongst new faces; further questioning his commitment to uplift the economy.
It is imperative to note that the once-crippled economy which is now crawling is being funded by borrowings. Also, Fulani herdsmen, ethnic clashes and religious strife, all combine to contribute to the issues which were not fully addressed in the previous tenure and are still begging solutions. Beyond the lamentations, attention must be paid to the expectations of Nigerians if significant progress will be recorded in this tenure.
