…By Ibrahim Yahaya 

Optimists, they say, pick out opportunities from the bowl of difficulty presented to them. I would like to assume President Muhammadu Buhari is one-he has to be to man the affairs of a country as complex as Nigeria, Africa’s giant.

The task of leading Nigeria has never been easy. It is like facing Athletico Madrid- you are certain of a ‘war’ for 90 minutes, during which you have to juggle around attacking, defending, pressing, counter-pressing and tactical fouls. Nigeria’s security situation annoyingly progresses from bad to worse. At this pace, Buhari risks being on the wrong side of history at the end of his eight years at the helm.

The bad news is “time waits for no one.” Since the beginning of Buhari’s reign, Nigeria has witnessed mixed fortunes in the war against insecurity. From Boko Haram to Niger Delta militants and Avengers, to herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and back to the base again-Boko Haram!

This terrible circle threatens to taint the Buhari presidency, and the fear is that it may, unless for a reversal of fortune against the tick of time. A lot of commitment and resources have been injected in the fight against insurgency that one would think its carcasses ought to have been laid to permanent rest.

This perhaps informs the call for the sack of service chiefs on the basis of incompetency. However, those that know Buhari know he won’t be cowed into making a decision on the grounds of public sentiments. But desperate time calls for desperate measures. Buhari must be decisive in dealing with the rising spate of insecurity that seeks to raze the country.

The public grouse is on a crescendo with every day that passes by, throwing forth constructive questions as to whether the country is getting better or worst. With the way things are escalating, our pints of optimism are being milked down the drain. It won’t be long until all hopes are dashed and that will be our greatest fall as Nigerians who are renowned for sailing through the stiffest of challenges.

Stressing that Buhari has the military experience to annihilate attendant insecurity is stating the obvious. At this moment, what Nigerians desire are results and not a litany of promises sandwiched in rivulets of best intention. Yes, we agree he has the best intentions, but results don’t come without action. It’s about time Buhari matched political will with action otherwise posterity will summarize his adventure as a generational disappointment!

Since issuing red cards to the service chiefs isn’t on Buhari’s desk, it becomes pertinent that he finds a way to motivate them to achieve their mandate. Adequate resources, intelligence and manpower should be availed to them to help make their objectives realistic within the shortest time possible. The Ministry of Information also has a daunting task upon its shoulders. It has to cough up strategies of orienting the masses to help security personnel with requisite intelligence so that perpetrators of violence can be mopped before they unleash mayhem.

Buhari must also make concerted efforts to fish out benefactors of Nigeria’s insecurity conundrum and put their ambitions to wretched shame. Hopefully, our security travails will be put to bed as we continue on the path of improving the nation’s economy. Buhari will agree with me that failure is not an option because not only will his name be patched on the negative walls of history, but will also be held in contempt by posterity as the species that gave him our mandates at the polls, twice! We have prayed, fasted, act in our own capacity, and now, we hope. That’s all we got, really. The clock is ticking!

Yahaya writes from Lugbe-Abuja