Dear President Muhammadu Buhari, Your Time Starts Now! By Ogundana Michael Rotimi

First and foremost, congratulations to you Sir on your election and inauguration as the fourth elected President of the Fourth Republic of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Against all odds, your election has finally proven and shown to many and the world at large that Nigeria is determined to achieve greatness and that with great dedication, commitments and consistency nothing is impossible to achieve.

I must admit, that your ascension to the highest office in the land came at a time when the country is in desperate need of a leader. One devoid of greed and with a strong passion for excellence. It came at a time when everything seems crashing and the centre no longer holding.

However, there is a reason why you were elected, to restore the lost hope to many Nigerians that have believed that it is impossible for anything good to emerge from the country.

Secondly, your leadership is expected to bridge the gap between the northern and the southern part of the nation. To bring about unity, peace and stability between the two major religions in the country and to shrink the wide margin between the poor and the rich. Over 110 million Nigerians live below 2 dollars in a day. That`s a shame to the biggest economy in Africa, the most populated and the largest producer of oil in the region.

Additionally, your leadership is expected to go after those that plundered this nation ungodly and illegally. Those that milked out everything good from the resources of the nation out of gross greed and wickedness. They are the enemies of the nation and of our progress.

Meanwhile, I do not shy away from the fact that you are starting your administration on a stinking sheet created by the past administrations and not on a clean sheet has many have said. However, you are expected to make the stinking sheet clean. I know that you're aware with leadership comes responsibility, and I know the call to leadership isn’t an easy task. But if you display that same level of commitment, dedication and consistency you displayed in the last 12 years while you were seeking for the mandate of the masses before you finally got elected, there would be nothing and no limit to what you will achieve.

It is quite pathetic, as I am aware of the unprecedented $60 billion debt that you inherited. But Sir, you see, there is nothing to panic about. You may want to ask how you will pay the debt and where will the money to run your government comes from? When there is an end to the embezzlement of government funds, when public officials stop taking graft from the large companies that owe taxes to the State, when the enormous resources of the country are brought into full use, when there is more interest in educating the people than in killing them, there will be more than enough money.

Asides, some of these funds are in the hands of some rogues and cabals in high places. Go after them and you will be appalled by how much you will realize from them.

If you recover stolen funds, activate idle funds, reduce the cost of governance and prudently maximize revenues generation. There will be enough money for you to run your government and implements your plans. That is if you do not allow fresh rogues and criminals to cart away with what you realized.

The truth is; Sir, people will no longer give in for excuses for the failure of government and will no longer tolerate blame passing. From the day you were inaugurated, you have been in charge of both the assets and liabilities left over by past regimes. My sincere advice to you is; take glory in them. That’s the only way you can see it as your job to fix the country.

Whether the system is rotten or not, whether you need a whopping sum of about ₦4.1 trillion to kick start your administration or not, whether you inherit an unprecedented debt of $60 billion or not, the fact is after 100 days in office, your work will be reviewed, your achievements will be scaled and what you`ve done so far will determine how serious you are about bringing the well desired change you preached about in your manifestoes and during your campaign.

Dear Sir, let go of distractions, this is the time to work and there will be no room for excuses, your time starts now.

I pray for you; may God help you Sir.

God Bless Nigeria

Ogundana Michael Rotimi

I tweet @MickeySunny