#CHANGE: A Victory for All Nigerians.

“General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared winner and is returned elected.” Those were the exact words from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega that heralded the dawn of a new era in the political history of Nigeria.

The announcement came to most Nigerians as a shock. While some are still finding it hard to believe that the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan could lose the election, others have quickly embraced the change that has come with it.

I personally, wasn’t startled by the announcement, as I was anticipating a victory for General Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. The truth is, President Goodluck Jonathan has become really unpopular across the country in recent years. This is quite evident in the everyday discussions of Nigerians in front of the newspaper stands, in beer parlors, markets, offices and even places of worship. The elites were also not left out of the discussion, some granted interviews to media houses, others wrote articles and open letters.

For me, I think that the misfortune of Mr. President, started as far back as 2012, when the #OccupyNigeria movement started to protest the removal of fuel subsidy. The high level corruption that went on unchecked, the impunity that was displayed by law enforcement agencies, the issue of Boko Haram and insecurity, then the chief of it all, the abducted Chibok School Girls, who have been in captivity for about a year now.

Majority of Nigerians are disappointed in the current administration, not because it has done any worse than previous administrations per say, but majorly because they believed so much in the promises of “Fresh Air” made by the President, and trusted him to deliver. But unfortunately, he couldn’t or perhaps he just needed more time to deliver.

My greatest joy is born out of the fact that finally, power now belongs to the people. I’m proud of my generation. We’ve done what others couldn’t do for years. We’ve just heralded a great era of change in Nigeria. I am also impressed by the way the INEC chairman has proved to the world that indeed credible elections can be conducted in Nigeria. Kudos to him for standing upright in the face of enormous pressure and for a job well done.

It is now left for the General Muhammadu Buhari led APC administration to take over the mantle of leadership on May 29^th and deliver on their campaign promises. I am very optimistic that they will. They just have no choice. They got there on trust, so in a bid to remain there, they would deliver the dividends of good governance to the people.

In the words of the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari; “I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.”

I see a new Nigeria, I don’t know about you. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.