President Buhari’s Desired Legacies

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

In less than a year, Muhammadu Buhari will no longer be addressed as Mr President. His eight-year, two-term tenure will end in May 2023.

But, like any other leader, President Buhari has long been concerned about the kind of legacy he will leave to the people of Nigeria and the country itself.

By the time he retires to his country home in Daura, Katsina State, the president hopes to leave a legacy of infrastructure projects dotting the vast landscape of the country.

Recently, during a two-day ‘Mid-Term Ministerial Performance Review Retreat’ in Abuja, Buhari directed ministers and their permanent secretaries to redouble their efforts and work in tandem to achieve the total delivery of his administration’s set target of improving Nigerians’ livelihood.

He also directed his ministers to “intensify implementation” of their mandates in his government’s nine priority areas.

According to a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, the president also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the country’s fiscal and monetary authorities in order to keep the economy on track for growth.

Under the Road Infrastructure Development & Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Policy, Buhari’s administration was able to invest in the reconstruction of 21 selected on-going federal roads totaling 1,804.6km. He was also determined to finish the majority of these roads before his term expired.

The Second Niger Bridge has been completed, and the Lagos-Ibadan express road, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road, and the Lagos-Ibadan rail line have all reached a significant percentage of completion and are expected to be delivered before the end of the administration.

In addition, Nigeria is about to make history in the field of power generation after partnering with the German company Siemens AG through the Presidential Power Initiative to increase electricity generation to 25,000 megawatts in six years.

Similarly, thanks to Buhari’s policy, Nigeria is expected to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure the completion of all large-scale integrated Rice Processing Mills before the end of this Administration. This will assist our country in maintaining sufficiency in local rice production.

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, established by Buhari three years ago, has provided substantial support and assistance to our vulnerable citizens through various programs.

Furthermore, despite the challenges (particularly security) that have hampered its smooth operation, Buhari will be remembered as the President who resurrected the country’s dilapidated rail sector. Today, modern rail operates in all six geopolitical zones.

Nigeria recently signed a gas supply agreement with Morocco, which will increase the country’s revenue source by the time the new agreement goes into effect.

The issue of President Buhari’s indelible legacies is one that I am sure the ministers and permanent secretaries he was speaking to at the mid-term retreat will not dismiss or take for granted.

They, like their principal, are aware of the verdicts of history and posterity, and they will undoubtedly do everything possible to actualize Mr President’s grand visions, developmental agenda, and economic blueprint for the country before 2023.

Aliyu Umar Aliyu is the Acting Head of the Bureau of Public Service Reform’s Strategic Communication Department.