Now that PMB is back, what next?

Despite several speculations that he was either incapacitated or on life support machine, President Buhari returned to the tumultuous welcome of Nigerians who had all along, prayed for his safe return.

Many well meaning Nigerians took to the streets to celebrate his return while urging him to hit the ground running and take over the reins of power from where his Vice and Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo stopped.

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In fact, the Acting President did a great job in the circumstances, making sure there was no vacuum in government.

His diplomatic way of handling the socio-political, economic and security situations in the country quite endeared him to many who saw that the President had left the country in capable hands.

But with the return of the Lion King, according to his wife, it is high time we implored him to get down to work and reset the country in the path of economic recovery and dealing headlong with the myriads of problems confronting the country, chiefly the security situation, especially the rampaging Boko Haram sect and the killer Fulani herdsmen who seemed to have held sway while he was away.

Another very pertinent area the President must take on with full speed is the hate speeches that had taken over the polity while he was away.

As outlined by President Buhari's speech to the nation on Monday, August 21, the separatist agitations which has taken center stage beginning with the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous Peoples of Biafra [IPOB], the quit notice given to the Igbos by an Arewa Youth group, the Niger Delta threat to send all Hausas and Yorubas from their enclave and the Yoruba youth group declaring Oodua Republic, have been on the front burner, threatening the very existence of the nation.

In his speech, President Buhari had said:

“In the course of my stay in the United Kingdom, I have been kept in daily touch with events at home. Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation. This is a step too far.

Nigeria’s unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood.

Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance. I believe the very vast majority of Nigerians share this view.

This is not to deny that there are legitimate concerns. Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation are that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence.

The national consensus is that it is better to live together than to live apart. Furthermore, I am charging the Security Agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months be a sign to relax.

Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety."

Since he has recognized that all of these groups do have genuine grievances, the President must, as a matter of urgency, nip these pockets of agitations in the bud as soon as possible so that the unity of Nigeria would no longer be threatened.

Another area the President must give serious attention is that of the economy. Nigerians have suffered so much in the past two years with the country slipping into recession with no hope of coming out of it in the forseeable future.

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The economic team of the President must, as a matter of urgency, take steps to revamp the economy and hasten its revival.

Millions of Nigerians have lost their jobs in the past two years as against the promise of job creation the APC campaigned on. President Buhari should look seriously into this sector so that jobs will be made available to Nigerians.

Finally, and most importantly, the President should and must reshuffle his cabinet and make sure dead woods are weeded out while capable Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliations, are brought into the government to rejig its work in the remaining two years before this present elapse.