 |
| Muhammadu Buhari |
After what at times was a fraught process that threatened to end in chaos and violence even in the very last moments, Muhammadu Buhari a former military General and dictator, emerged as winner.
What transpired in Nigeria during the March 28 election was a case of the volition of ordinary people to embrace change, pitted against the rapacious appetite of an entrenched ruling party to hold unto power at all cost.
On assuming power in a few weeks, Muhammadu Buhari would be faced with an incredible weight of expectation from a people that for the last 16 years, has had to contend with a leadership that essentially established a 'culture' by condoning corruption and impunity not just from elected officials, but also from ordinary people themselves.
The newly elected president and his government would therefore not only face the challenge of building credible institutions and establishing the rule law which punishes elected officials for delivering for self rather than for the people. It would also have to deal with a people that are essentially cast adrift by years of direction-less leadership to the extent that it has become a challenge to appreciate and be committed to the basics of civic responsibility.
Nigeria's future peace and prosperity will depend on not only curbing the excesses of the political class, but also rekindling the meaning of love of country in a people thirsting for change.
