BY every stretch of the imagination, 2012 was a horrible year for the ordinary Nigerian. What turned out to be a torrid year began with the subsidy with battle over the sudden removal of fuel subsidy by President Goodluck Jonathan on January 1, last year. That very audacious action on the part of the government at a time when Nigerians were still contemplating how to begin the new year, precipitated anger in the land. It went further to erode the goodwill that the President had earned from the electorate, when he won the presidency in his own right in 2011. It was an ill timed move, that continues to make Nigerians wonder whether a man they had so overwhelmingly given their mandate during the elections actually cares about them.

The argument canvassed by the civil society that what was being subsidised was not fuel but unbridled corruption was validated by the subsidy probe at the House of Representatives. But as if the betrayal of the Nigerian people had become the fundamental objective of political actors, the Chairman of the probe panel at the House of Representatives, Hon Farouk Lawan became embroiled in a shameful bribe taking scandal. What has gone down in Nigeria’s graft prone polity as the Faroukgate, served to erode whatever moral high ground members of the House of Reps had taken, especially by their earlier exposure of the mind boggling looting of Nigeria’s common wealth in the name of subsidy. The tepid state of the war against corruption, under the Goodluck Jonathan administration was apparent throughout last year. Many who felt that the subsidy thieves would have been used as scapegoats to teach a lasting lesson that acts stealing from the public till does not pay, once again had their hopes dashed. What many Nigerians saw in the dramatic arraignment of those involved in the subsidy heist was a charade that has now resulted in most of the suspects walking free, while billions of naira creamed off the country remain unaccounted for.  As such, the war against corruption, which many admirers of the vast potentials of  Nigeria have declared, must be won for the country to make any progress is floundering on many fronts.

On top of this dreary realities, the economy again did not create jobs in a way that would absorb the millions unemployed youths in the country. The result last year of Nigeria’s high youth unemployment came in the upsurge in violent crimes like kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and other forms of crimes. In 2012, Nigerians saw a Federal Government that was totally overwhelmed by a myriad of challenges that confronted. The capacity of the Boko Haram sect to carry out audacious attacks against soft targets increased. The sect’s activities in the North, which continued to claim the lives of members of the security forces and civilian alike further exposed the fragility of the Nigerian State.

All these notwithstanding, Nigerians welcomed 2013 with a new wave of optimism. They brimmed with renewed vigour that things will get better in spite of the quandary that the nation found itself in 2012. Hopeful as ever, citizens of the world’s most populous black nation have as usual made supplication for divine intervention in the affairs of their nation. Unfortunately, much of the hope is again being invested in the same crop of politicians and leaders that have failed the nation over and over again.

Therefore, it is up to the nation’s leadership to prove in 2013 that it is not a plague of locusts that has been unleashed to make life miserable for the ordinary Nigerian. Nigerians expect that as the new year gets underway, the lords of Abuja, the state capitals, as well as the local governments will begin to take their jobs with utmost seriousness. In 2013, the citizens of this country also want those occupying positions of power, who are also luxuriating in all the benefits that these positions bring, to take their jobs seriously. The people, to whom sovereignty belongs will be keen to see a political class that eschews all forms of primitive accumulation that has now become the directive principle of majority of the political actors.

Although the wish list of the average Nigerian, with regards to specific action he would like to see in the Nigerian polity, is long, below are some of the areas that citizens of Africa’s crippled giant would be interested in seeing concrete actions and quick wins.

Constitution review

Although not many like the piecemeal approach to the amendment of the 1999 Constitution, there seems to be a consensus that aspects of the nation’s grundnorm should be tinkered with for a better polity. Some of the issues of interest to Nigerians include state creation, fiscal federalism, autonomy of local governments, the immunity clause, and a bunch of other issues.

For majority of Nigerians, amendment of the constitution should be done within the context of bringing about good governance. The people are simply tired of the fact that it is their representatives that have been enjoying the so called dividends of democracy.

The people want a constitution that will entrench the culture of service in the country’s leadership, not the current personal aggrandisement that charcaterises leadership in the country.

Security

The orgy of bloodletting in 2012 has got many people wondering whether Nigeria can survive another decade with such disregard for human life. From the Boko Haram killings in the North to other forms of violent crimes in the country, many Nigerians ask how their country degenerated into a jungle where human life has no meaning.

This feeling of unease is about the chronic insecurity in the land.

Security of life and property is one of the very reasons why government exists in the first place. In 2013, Nigerians want to see a nation in which life is protected. The people are tired of seeing fellow human being slaughtered like cows or chickens. The security agencies must do more to ensure that Nigerians feel secure, wherever they may be in their country.

Anti corruption

In spite of the failures of 2012, the people will love to see much more robust action in the war against corruption. All the nation’s anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) buckle up and begin to make corruption a less lucrative business.

Here, the judiciary has a role to play by handling corruption cases with utmost dispatch. If politicians could tweak the constitution to give a specific time for the settlement of election disputes at the tribunal, why won’t they do the same with cases of corruption? As such, the institutional mechanism has to be put in place to ensure that the evil of corruption does not finish off the resources meant for the common good.

Job creation

The army of unemployed youths in Nigeria is one of the greatest threats to its stability. In 2013, the young people of this country want to see jobs being created. For this to be achieved, the current negative trend that has seen industries and factories closing down must be reversed.

Government must as a matter of urgency change Nigeria from being an importer’s haven to a producer’s paradise. The Jonathan administration must realise how grave the unemployment situation is in Nigeria at the moment. There has to be an attempt to theoretically understand the linkage between joblessness amongst Nigerian youths and the national security challenges the nation faces.

The Jonathan administration’s quick win programmes like YOUWIN may empower a few youths, but such will not generate the number of jobs needed to absorb the millions of idle hands in the system. It then means that government must work assiduously to create the environment for the private sector to operate competitively. In a global economic environment, where the likes of China are bent on flooding Nigeria’s markets with goods, government must device a means to change Nigeria’s fortunes from those a dumping ground to a place of opportunities for its young people.

Infrastructure

While the Boko Haram menace claimed many lives last year, the dilapidated state of infrastructure across the land also took its fair share of Nigerian lives. During the yuletide alone, figures by the Federal Road Safety Commission showed that hundreds of lives were lost on the nation’s highways.

From the federal to the states and the local government level, bad roads have been one of the most consistent pointers to irresponsible governance in the country. Nigerians wonder whether road construction and maintenance amounts to rocket science. In 2013, they are demanding better roads to prevent carnage on the roads. This brings to mind the role of agencies such as the Federal Roads Maintaenace Agency (FERMA). This crucial agency should wake up from its slumber and do its job. In 2013, Nigerians don’t want to see craggy and pot holes infested roads. The people are not asking for too much; they just want those in position to affect their lives to do their jobs.

Idaye Opi is the coordinator of the Niger Delta Project Group in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He told KELVIN EBIRI that this is the time for the leadership to move Nigeria beyond the realm of rhetoric.

What are your expectations from government this year?

GENERALLY, my expectations regarding governance are two things. One, I will refer to as immediate concern and the second not so immediate. The one that is very immediate has to do with corruption, lack of power and security. The government should do more than rhetoric. We have more of rhetoric in 2012. Anytime somebody dies, we hear of condemnation from the top and then everyone condemns it. And then they will say we are on top of it.

The next thing you will hear is that we are doing everything to arrest the situation. Before you know, another one happens and we repeat the same thing. Albert Einstein was the one who said when you repeat same thing over and again and you expect a different result, he said it is madness. So they should raise the standard. Find a way to do better than what they are doing. We cannot continue this same way. I appreciate the security forces; they have tried their best. This Boko Haram and the kind of security challenge we face in Nigeria today is new to our security agencies and they are operating from a disadvantage because of the structure and the way the offenders are organised. The Police is not properly trained, the same with the State Security Services. For the army to join them on the streets, I don’t think that is very fair. We should have a police force that is so strong that it does not require the army on a daily basis to work with it. Assuming now that Nigeria has an external aggression, what will the army do, because the whole army in Nigeria is being used to do what the normal police ought to be doing? So the government this year should try as much as possible to find a way to handle security.

Do you want to see a more aggressive anti-corruption crusade?

Corruption in Nigeria is different from that in other countries. I am not saying that there is no corruption in other countries.  But what makes Nigeria’s own different is impunity. Anybody can do anything and get away with it. In some other countries, when corrupt happens, the system will track them down. If it happens in other countries, the citizens know that they have an institution that will respond. If it happens in Nigeria, there is no system that will respond to it. That is why corruption is walking on four legs in Nigeria. Why do you have so much corruption in Nigeria? It because you have slush funds all around. There is cheap money everywhere. Unaccountable money. Funds not earned. The centre has so much money from oil, yet the people who own the oil are left high and dry. Governments don’t function that way. So I expect that government should strengthen its anti-corruption agencies and the police to combat corruption. If government can tackle corruption, then we will be better for it.

Are you expecting electricity supply to truly improve this year, based on government’s assurance?

If we can have power in 2013, that will be great because it will have a lot of multiplier effect.

The National Assembly is set to amend the constitution. What do you expect?

The major issue in the constitutional amendment is section 162 of the Constitution. If the Goodluck Jonathan’s government wants to do this country a favour, it has to work hand in hand with the legislators to make sure that the constitution is reviewed particularly this section. Section 162 talks about revenues of this country and how monies are shared. Section 162 and other supporting sections tell us how money is shared on grounds of population density, landmass and all that. I am yet to see a country where they share money every month. That is why we don’t have data. The entire census organised in this country cannot stand, because everybody wants to influence figures to be able to share from the federal purse. That is why we have people shouting for state creation because they want to position themselves to be able to share from the center. Everybody’s attention is geared towards sharing, sharing, sharing. No, countries don’t run that way. This system of sharing is fueling corruption everywhere. Mo Ibrahim foundation listed us badly in 2011 and 2012. Several other reports are coming in. We are seen as the kidnap capital of the world. One other report says Nigeria is the worst country where somebody should be given birth to in 2013.

Nigeria is not different from other countries that are trying to get it right. We are not difficult people. The problem is our constitution and I expect this administration to be bold and courageous this year to allow Nigerians review the constitution instead of the National Assembly option. When you ask a man who has left school to be coming to collect money everyday, you are invariably telling him not work. When you ask states, which should be generating money for themselves to come and collect free money from Abuja, you are killing the system. The present system is not sustainable. There is no creativity. Constitutional amendment is so crucial. Without amending this present constitution, there is no way this country can fly. And when I talk about amendment, it is not the type of thing they are doing in the National Assembly. With due respect to them, they were not elected to provide the type of constitution that we are talking about.

And I am surprised to hear in some quarter that there is nothing wrong with our constitution, that the problem we have are the people that operate it. Nothing can be farther from the truth. If you live in a building and the structure is faulty, if rain is falling and water is leaking, it will pour on you because the structure is bad. So what we are saying is that we have a structural problem in our constitution and we need to urgently address that this year. The constitution needs to be overhauled. What we are talking about is not amendment, which the National Assembly can do. We want a review of the constitution. There are two types of amendment. You can amend the constitution by tampering with a few clauses or you can amend by substitution, which is a total review of the constitution. We are talking about the second one. A review of the constitution is not the function of the National Assembly. The National Assembly was elected to make laws in accordance with the constitution.  When it comes to review, it goes outside their function. When you talk about review, you are talking about a total overhaul of the constitution. The constitution is the fountain that gives validity to all the laws made by the parliament. If the National Assembly wants to review the constitution, it means they want to give us the condition of service with which they want to work. A constitution contains the terms and condition of governance. How the government relates to its people, how the national Assembly should work. Now, if the National Assembly can review the constitution, it means that if you want to employ somebody, he can give you his condition of service. We are employing the National Assembly to work for us, so it is not for them to give us their condition of service. You are standing logic upside down. We should write a peoples’ constitution and invite them to come and work in accordance with what we have agreed. But for the same people that we want to checkmate to now write a constitution and give us, you are standing logic on its head. I want to agree to what a former American president, Jefferson once said; that there are two enemies of the people. The first enemies are the criminals. The second enemy is the government. But he went further to say, in case of the government, he said, we have to chain the government down with the chains of the constitution, so that the government does not become the official wing of the criminals.

In the constitutional review that I am suggesting here, we will want to look at the jumbo pay they are receiving. Should their job be part time of full time? They are not competent to take that decision. If a man is taking a decision that affects him, of course he will be bias. Nigerians need to decide whether they want a bicameral or unicameral legislature, considering the huge number of lawmakers. Again, this is a decision they cannot take, because it affects them directly. We need a constitution that is made by the people for the people. The preamble in the constitution that says ‘we the people’ is fraudulent. So why should the National Assembly make the same mistake? We can sit down and do what they did in Egypt and then pass it through a referendum and then let’s vote. Then we can elect our leaders based on the constitution, not for them to give us their terms of service, which is what they want to do.

Do you expect more jobs will be created this year as promised by government?

If government should remove its hands from sharing money, allow every region that has natural resources to tap it for their own development, you will be unleashing the creative ability of the people. Why do you think MTN is here? It is the market. What makes a country great? It is the talent of the people and the market. China has market and talent. If government creates the environment and allow people easy access to loans from the banks and allow them to be creative, jobs will naturally follow.  This idea of not working is working against the society. The country is making money without work. If the citizens are doing well, the country will do well. They cannot give the citizens jobs by creating ministry of employment. Nobody creates job by forming ministry of employment. It is strange. You need to unleash the creative ability of the citizens. Provide infrastructure and the jobs will follow. You create jobs by empowering your citizens. When you empower them, they now create jobs. The difference between rich nations and poor ones is talent. Government must begin from this year to unleash the talents of the citizens.

Chief Goddy Uwazurike, lawyer and former vice president of the Igbo Think Tank Organisation, Aka Ikenga, spoke to TUNDE  AKINOLA on the prospects of getting the constitution amended the in the New Year

Do you have confidence in last year’s public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution?

LET me put it this way, the National Assembly can amend the 1999 Constitution because the constitution gives it the power to amend it. They try to take in the interests of all, by saying at least, that a certain number of states’ Houses of Assembly must by simple majority approve that resolution to amend the constitution. The whole aim is to make sure that as many people as possible in Nigeria take part in the amendment of the Constitution, through the elected representatives.

I am aware of the clamour by some people right now that they want a referendum; that they want more people involved. The National Assembly has responded in part, by having what they called town hall meetings and public hearings in the 360 constituencies of the House of Representatives. In states where it held people were involved and all the professional bodies in those regions were allowed to make their input. Right now, without any fear of contradiction I will say the people have taken part in the attempt to amend the constitution.

Some people still think what we need is a new constitution

Everything we do today is based on the 1999 Constitution. It is the grund norm, the basis through which the National Assembly is doing what it is doing. If you are talking of a new constitution that means you are asking for a revolution, which means we must do away with the old one and make a new one. If you do away with this present Constitution, the president, governors, lawmakers and everybody loses power, and whenever they lose power it becomes a revolution. At the moment there is no provision for a new constitution, what we have is a provision for amendment and the procedures, which must be followed step by step. If you miss a single step then you have failed.

As a chieftain of the Igbo think tank, what are the demands of the Southeast in a new constitution?

The South East is in a unique position, unique because if you ask the problems they will tell you right away. They have five states in the Southeast zone; one has seven while others have six states each. So structurally, the Southeast has been marginalised. They cannot do what others are doing, so they ask for equity. Believe me it is equity that determines how balanced the federation is. We are asking for fairness and justice. As it is, the Southeast is being made subservient to every other region, so when they are asked what they want, it is simple.

First is state creation; secondly, the protection of the rights of its indigenes wherever they are, welfare of all indigenes, right to reside and take part just like every other people, irrespective of their states of origin. Above all, the average person in Southeast wants justice. By nature, we are travellers in the Southeast; right now, people are moving away from terrorist insurgents in the North. All we need is equity, justice and the right to live.

How feasible in your view is the clamour for presidency by the Southeast?

I will like to make a distinction between a president coming from the Southeast and the idea of ‘Igbo presidency’ as some media always say. We did not have a Yoruba presidency when Olusegun Obasanjo was the President; we did not have a Hausa presidency when late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was there.  Just as we do not have an Ijaw presidency now that someone from Southsouth is there, we cannot have anything like Igbo presidency. That is an erroneous assertion.

Obasanjo came from the Southwest, Yar’Adua came from the North and President Goodluck Jonathan from the South-south. For the sake of justice, we are saying the next president should emerge from the Southeast. We just want the system to do unto the Southeast as it has done to the other regions. They have given those concessions to others, why not us? It is painful when a beneficiary of that agreement gets up to say there is no way for an Igbo man to become the next country’s president.

At independence, the three regions were North, West and the East, then later Mid West. The balance of power has always been Hausa/ Fulani, Yoruba and the Igbo. The Igbo are not asking to be given what belongs to another region; all we are asking for is that we are given what belongs to us. The emergence of a president from the Southeast will be feasible if we want it, but from all indications it seems like President Jonathan wants to run again in 2015; and as long as he wants to run again he has the power of incumbency. And from what is going on, it seems Obasanjo wants to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. So it will be an interesting battle. The Igbo supported Jonathan 99 percent; they also demanded one other condition that after him the next president must be an Igbo man. So if Jonathan is contesting in 2015, it will put us in a dilemma. Dilemma in the sense that we will be faced with the hard choice of pulling down the man we built up or support him so that when he steps down in 2019 we can contest.

As a legal practitioner, what defects do you see in the 1999 Constitution?

The Constitution has a provision they call right of appeal, grounds of appeal, issue of law, appeal of facts and so on. To me it is absolutely irrelevant. It is nonsense because if a litigant loses at the High Court, he takes the matter to the Court of Appeal and the person over there simply comes out to say that this case has been lost because he did not come by right of appeal, but came by issue of law. The entire Part One of Chapter Seven of the Constitution should be looked at. Appeal shall be supplied in all cases, that distinction is unnecessary because it causes injustice. The movement of adjudication today is moving away from technicality to real justice.

Secondly, if you check the powers of the National Assembly, they do not have the power to make law on health. The only power they have is to make laws for quarantine and laws for health safety in factories.

They should also amend the Constitution to give independence to Local Governments. As it is, local governments are mere appendages of the states. I can tell you authoritatively that there is no local government that is achieving the purpose for which it was created. All they do is wait for the statutory allocation, go to the governors to say ‘how much do you want, how much can we keep?’

Back to Chapter Seven of the Constitution, the mess being made with the appointment and removal of the president of the Court of Appeal and so on should be remedied.

The Constitution is very clear, it does not give the president the power to do such, but for selfish reasons the National Judicial Council (NJC) simply messed itself up by asking President Jonathan to remove Justice Isa Salami. Since then, the Judiciary has never remained the same, they have to take a critical look at the section and make the decision of the NJC to be binding, independent of whoever is in power.

What about the appointment of electoral bodies at the states and federal?

Another critical area that should be amended is the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); it must never be done through the president, it is a mistake. State Independent Electoral Commissions are one of the worst creations I have ever seen. They are neither independent, neither do they go for justice, that is why, if assuming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governs a state they will win all the council polls, likewise the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The governing party wins all local government polls with the aid of the State Independent Electoral Commission. So I think the power to appoint the electoral umpires should be taken away from the executive at the states and federal level. National Assembly can as well include it in the powers of INEC to conduct local government elections.

What other areas do you think should be looked into?

The power to prosecute terrorism should also be decentralised and make all Nigerians have the power to bring to book whoever that is found wanting to book.

Communities should also be empowered to control their resources. This is to avoid a situation whereby, a community is environmentally degraded due to the presence of mineral resources in the area, yet the residents of the area wallow in abject poverty.

This makes some stranger benefit while the burden is being transferred to their indigenes. The Constitution has to be amended to give control of resources to communities and not to the federal government or the governors of such states.

When we talk about state creation, we must note that amending the constitution is not enough. We must follow the provisions for state creation enshrined in the constitution. State creation is what the Southeast is clamouring for and they should have it. True federalism is what comes after a proper amendment of the Constitution.

EDO citizens’ priority demands for the New Year is for government to tackle unemployment, frontally attack corruption, stabilise power supply and make healthcare seamless for the people.

They also cautioned the National Assembly and other interest groups to let equity prevail in the determination of the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Speaking to The Guardian, the first executive governor of Edo State, John Oyegun said government should be serious this year; “Talk less, let the government get serious; we’ve had time to think and talk seriously, now let us get serious and work the talk. Enough of speeches, we’ve had enough talks and lectures.”

Oyegun cautioned governors and National Assembly members of Northern extraction over their vow to kill the PIB, saying that there were already enough security challenges facing the country, especially from the North.

“This nation has enough challenges facing it and people should not create a situation where what they are doing may become the last straw on the back of the already overburdened camel.

“It is clear that there is need for a special attention to be given to the oil producing communities and for them to be given an interest in the survival of the oil industry. Proposals in those lines have been long overdue and they should not interpret them as anti-North demands.”

To a community leader in Igarra, Akoko-Edo local government council, Folorunsho Dania, 2012 was a year that was bedeviled with crisis, ranging from security to economic challenges, but he expressed hope that the country would do better in the New Year.      “As a country, we had a very worrisome year, the country was crisis-ridden; bombs here and there, Boko Haram insurgence and plane crashes. But on the other hand, we still have every course to thank God because the country is still one.

“We must make 2013 a year of rehabilitation for Nigeria, I expect that people who had been fighting will come together as brothers and sisters, because our collective interest is important to us as a nation. I see the economy improving to the benefit of our teeming youths so that they can be gainfully employed.”

Former Director General of the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS) Professor Omo Omoruyi said the country did not do well in 2012, but that he expected the President to give needed leadership in the New Year.

“The country is not doing well, politically it is not stable, and the future looks so bleak. I believe very strongly in Nkrumah’s dictum, which says, ‘seek ye first political freedom and all others shall follow…’ He was actually referring to King Solomon’s request from God. He didn’t ask for economic wellbeing, he didn’t ask for wealth, he didn’t ask for naked power, or naked force; Solomon asked for wisdom to rule over many tribes of Israel. What Nkrumah meant is, seek ye first justice, wisdom, political order, then all other things shall follow, but what do we have today, we don’t have wisdom, no political justice and we are just a naked force, brute force, stealing, armed robbery, corruption, you name it. This is what is killing this country. We are not seeking justice at all, we are not seeking wisdom; they are talking about trillions and billions and I asked, what happened to all that money between Otedola (Femi) and Farouk Lawan? Then you ask, what happened to all the issues we were reading in the headlines? They all died like that or buried? What happened to all those governors; nothing. When I met this young man, Nuhu Ribadu in the aircraft, I was sick, but he led me through many documents in the aircraft, I was able to read. I wish Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and Gen. Tunde Idiagbon’s anti-corruption crusade had been allowed to reign, it should have been allowed to clean the system. That administration, though draconian would have been allowed to clean this society of corrupt practices. It is too much, you don’t even know where to begin; and very soon this government will be doing its third year; fourth year is an election year. We need more achievements.”

Omoruyi said the federal and state governments should show sincerity to the people, that they want growth for the Nigeria, with healthcare topping the priority.

“I may be selfish on this. You can see how Obama commits himself to Obamacare, let us have Jonathancare to which some of us can benefit. We need employment; we need leadership on all fronts. Governors are not governors; nobody is leading them, they are not leading anybody. Local government leadership is in shambles, so society is leaderless at all levels and it is the President who can give it and he is not giving it.”

The national president, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, said government should address the issue of corruption and impunity. He said government should work towards stable power, healthcare, telecommunication, roads and security as priority areas. He said with these in place, Nigeria would be on a stable path to development.

“Government should address the challenge of corruption because it remains the most disturbing issue that must be tamed. They should show that they are committed to fighting it and check the level of impunity by most public and civil servants.”

He said the issue of power must be tackled because according to him, it is critical to many other sectors of the economy.

On health, Enabulele said; “politicians should patronise public health facilities and make them work, instead of flying abroad at every slight situation. There should be more security, because that is what would bring direct foreign investment into the country. No businessman would take his money to where security is not guaranteed.”

Chief Afam Ani, Enugu State chairman of Citizens Popular Party (CPP) spoke to LAWRENCE NJOKU on his expectations for 2013.

“I want to say that 2013 is not 2012 and we thank God that we have seen yet another year. As human beings we are full of expectations, we are full of new ideas and hope that the present should be better than the former. Governments all over the country did their best as far as 2012 is concerned, but in 2013, they should do more to enhance living standards and better the lots of the masses.

“Here in Enugu, for instance, I am not happy that in the last five years or more, government has concentrated her efforts working on roads alone and giving very little to other areas that require attention. I think government should spread her tentacles and tackle issues in others sectors, like health, education, housing for the masses and transportation. It is equally disheartening that these roads fail as soon as they are completed. Therefore, government needs to ensure that contractors do quality jobs and not just making payments for shabby jobs. Apart from one or two road contractors here doing quality jobs, other jobs have failed considerably, especially those done by the indigenous contractors. There are potholes everywhere and I do not think it is a good story.

“The masses need employment, they need things that will better their lives I think they should channel resources into doing creative ventures that could yield to employment.

“In 2013, I want to believe that the masses will be happy to see more health centres fully equipped. Government should provide the needed materials and employ people at health centres.

“On security, this has become a major problem. There is Boko Haram menace, kidnapping and armed robbery. Government should be more proactive, so as to guarantee safety of Nigerians anywhere they live.

“Again, the masses would want their government to get closer to them, hear from them and know where it touches them. You don’t stay miles away and make policies whether they are good or not and think everybody is happy.  This brings me to the issue of Governor Sullivan Chime, who has been away for some time now. The governor, like we were told went on vacation but I don’t think that issue has been well managed. When there is communication gap in any arrangement, it raises dust. I feel the government has created this communication gap, thereby giving room to rumour. They should tell the people the situation with their governor and government.   “Government should be more open and stop this attitude of secrecy.”