The task ahead for President-elect Bola Tinubu, by Abiodun Ishola Ladepo

Bola Tinubu is Nigeria’s next president. Congratulations to all Nigerians.

But let’s temper our jubilation with a huge dose of reality…the acknowledgement of the humongous work that lies ahead for the incoming team.

1. Tinubu must hit the ground running. If he takes six months to appoint cabinet members like Buhari did, we are in deep trouble. (I suspect Tinubu has 60% of his cabinet in his head already.)
2. Tinubu must accelerate the provision of stable or predictable electricity supply. If we are still having long blackouts or epileptic supply two years from now, we are in deep trouble.
3. Tinubu must, from Day 1, begin a public campaign and lobby for the amendment of the Constitution to allow for State Police that will be granted full-spectrum authority…arms, ammunition, investigation, surveillance, arrest, prosecution.
4. Tinubu must, from Day 2, begin to publicly campaign and lobby for the amendment of the Constitution to grant unambiguous autonomy to local government administrations, to include responsibility for conducting local elections, generating and spending their own revenues.
5. Tinubu must persuade authentic Igbo leaders to engage the violent separatists in the East to embrace dialogue (dismemberment of Nigeria off the table). He must resist blackmail through violence.
6. Tinubu’s “body language” and overt disposition must communicate zero tolerance for law enforcement brutality and infringements on the rights of Nigerians, especially the youths.
7. Tinubu must rip NNPC apart and reorganize it into an entity that will forever be unable to cause fuel scarcity even if it tries.
8. Tinubu must reform the judiciary and provide it with the impetus to deliver justice expeditiously and fairly.
9. Tinubu MUST address Nigerians from time to time. He must continue the Townhall mode of reaching different segments. He must update Nigerians periodically on where the administration is on all major issues. Nigeria cannot afford another taciturn hermit.
10. Tinubu must do all he can constitutionally to shrink the size of government (Federal) and/or significantly slash remunerations. There are just too many Federal (political) appointed positions that contribute little or nothing…that duplicate jobs done by civil servants.

Once again, congratulations and welcome to a new era.

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