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In light of the biting fuel crisis which has brought the nation to her knees recently and the emerging information that the nation is on the verge of bankruptcy, new President Muhammadu Buhari's inaugural address is one of the most anticipated speeches in the history of Nigeria. Millions of Nigerians have placed their hopes on Buhari to stem the socio-economic and political slide downwards and trigger a national revival. So huge is the burden of this expectation on Buhari that he called on Nigerians to temper their expectations of a miracle given the dire state of the economy that he will inherit.
We expect a long and directed speech that will emphasize that Nigeria is entering a new era of government responsibility and responsiveness to her citizens. That the prevalent self-aggrandizement, bribery and corruption, graft, mediocrity and lawlessness of state officials have to be checked.
Buhari will have to start by reassuring the nation that the trust of our mandate is in safe and honest hands, and that even though the task of rebuilding is arduous, he will not deviate from the call of history. He should be able to convince the nation to remain with him for the long haul that will see the nation prevailing over her current social and economic woes.
Mr. Buhari will likely call on individuals, corporations and businesses to join him in the fight for economic survival and emancipation from our current problems. But his real problems of solving the mess and delivering his campaign promises will begin immediately after the inauguration.
Nigerians are not a very patient people and will demand fast solutions. They won't accept excuses unless there are overwhelming evidence that the right solutions are on course and that honesty of purpose, transparency and openness are the basic tenets of the in-coming government.
Buhari will have to do more than just giving a great and uplifting speech for which he does not have the oratory. He will have to be fearless and mix in some tough policy decisions like the immediate removal of the fuel subsidy which have caused so much distortions to our economy and fed the fires of corruption. He will have to spell out the goal of having the Kaduna and Port Harcourt and Warri refineries working on full capacity within one year.
He is expected to have an unfailing and viable plan to stabilize and grow the power sector on which the nation depends so much for her industrial revolution. He will talk about national security and taming Boko Haram. Healthcare, education, rail and roads will have priority attention. Unemployment will have to be addressed. Political reforms, corruption among public officials will be of priority so should the entrenchment of rule of law.
As Daniel Schowalter, a communication professor at Rowan University says, Buhari “ needs to inspire, but also to temper expectation, two tasks that are at odds with each other." "Expectations have never been greater and the problems the new administration faces have never been greater."
“With just a few words, Kennedy inspired an entire generation and FDR reassured the entire nation that things would turn out OK," says Schowalter. "Their words seemed to resonate perfectly, at the perfect moment, and became a permanent part of who we are.
The nation awaits a make or mar inaugural speech. How Buhari measures in history is entirely up to him.