New president...'New hope'????

On the 29th of May 2007, President Umaru Yar’Adua stood on a podium in Abuja and swore to serve Nigeria faithfully and by example. He declared that he would be a “servant leader” by calling for the revival of values such as “honesty, decency, generosity, modesty, selflessness, transparency and accountability”.

Goodluck Jonathan who hails from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was sworn in as vice-president. His presence in Aso Rock the seat of power would be very instrumental towards solving the Niger Delta crisis.

The president came out with a seven- point agenda that has at the top of its list power reform. He has declared a state of emergency in the power sector. Also included on his list is education, health and poverty alleviation. He said, “public schools and public hospitals have to be salvaged and developed for the majority of the people who cannot afford the prohibitive costs charged by private investors in the life-demanding sectors.”

A weakness that has plagued previous governments is when they fail to follow up on the projects embarked on by their predecessors. In this light Yar'Adua harped on “continuity and change”; continuity in areas like macro-economic stability and change in areas like the Niger Delta situation.

Yar’Adua’s message also embodied a sympathetic action towards the Niger Delta crisis. He has learnt from the mistakes of his predecessor by saying that, ‘though there might be criminals profiting from the legitimate protest of a cheated group; unless you remove the basis of the agitation it would be impossible to separate criminals from genuine agitators.” His approach hit at the root of the problem of developmental challenge. His plea is that the militants test the sincerity of the new administration and treat his concern with enthusiasm.

Not disregarding the allegations that his election was marred with irregularities, he promised to conduct an enquiry into the election process. Irrespective of this however, he wastes no time in putting his pledges into action to rebate the looming crisis in Nigeria as a whole.

Though the swearing in process went successfully, there was a lot of military presence both in Abuja and Lagos. Hundreds of protesters rallied in Lagos, they mourned the death of democracy. The riots symbolised the mock burial of outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo.

To a country in desperate need of national rejuvenation, President Yar’Adua added, “We must act at all times with humanity, courage, and forthrightness. I ask you fellow citizens, to join me in rebuilding our Nigerian family, one that defines the success of one by the happiness of many”.