The Year That Was: The Five Most Important Things That Happened In 2015

Editor’s note: In many ways, 2015 was a defining year for Nigeria and millions of Nigerians. A number of happenings proved pivotal — positively and otherwise — over the course of the year for Nigeria. ‘Yomi Kazeem, the Naij.com columnist, selects five of such game-changing events to talk about.

Elections

Given how things work in Nigeria, elections have always been cautiously anticipated, as more often than not violence and malpractice mar them. This year, with the margins as close as they have ever been in all of Nigeria’s democratic history, tensions were even higher. The rise of the APC, driven by the merger of major opposition parties, had set the tone for the general elections, as Nigerians, previously showing high levels of apathy towards getting involved in the electoral process, showed desire to participate.

The Independent National Electoral Commission also played a major role with critical reforms and changes which arguably altered the common trend of electoral fraud with previous elections. New security features played immense roles in limiting electoral fraud. Crucially, Nigerians went to great lengths to monitor and track results at various polling booths. Social media once again proved to be vital as it was an important tool throughout the electoral period not just for quick dissemination of results but also for verification of voting results despite a few anomalies. In the end, the APC emerged victorious at the polls and very surprisingly, for most who had anticipated significant breakout of violence, those fears turned were not validated.

Handover

Just like the elections were crucial, so was what came after. While the APC’s win at the polls ensured new dispensation in charge of Nigeria for the first time in 16 years, silent fears surfaced as to whether or not the transition from one democratic government to another was going to be seamless. Perhaps, it is a measure of Nigeria’s volatility and frail unity that politically epochal events such as these are dreaded. While it remains debatable and highly politicized, a big part reason for the smooth transition was President Jonathan’s concession call to the victor, Muhammadu Buhari, in the aftermath of the elections. While his tenure in office was vastly underwhelming, his concession, on a continent where self-perpetuation in power is usually the preferable option even at the risk of violence, deserves some measure of commendation. In the end, the handover ceremony came and went as Nigeria ushered in a new ruling party.

#DasukiGate

One big feature of Nigeria’s recent reality has been the existence of Boko Haram in the North-East. The sect’s reign of terror has devastated the economy in the region and led to the deaths of thousands of people and displacement of millions. In part, one of the reasons for the extended endurance of Boko Haram’s capability was the relative failure of the military to stop the sect. Now, we know why. Evidence and various accounts suggest that funds earmarked for the procurement of arms and upgrading military equipment were embezzled and illegally diverted by the erstwhile national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki. With Dasuki in custody and facing multiple counts which could end with a significant prison term, the scandal has been tagged #DasukiGate. The scale of the theft runs into billions of dollars and highlights the level of financial recklessness under the previous administration.

Anti-Boko Haram multi-national task force

While the #DasukiGate occurred in the latter half of the year, a key decision made midway through to year was crucial to changing the dynamics of the fight against Boko Haram. Long proposed, a multi-national task force materialized as neighboring countries joined Nigeria’s fight against the militant sect. One of President Buhari’s key early acts upon taking office was traveling to Chad and reiterating the country’s support for the multi-national task force as the countries collaborated to attempt to defeat the sect. It was a positive indication that Nigeria and its bordering nations were finally starting to understand that the threat the sect posed had evolved and had to be tackled differently. Even though Boko Haram remains in operation and still strikes fatally in the North-East, and even though the Nigerian government will miss its December deadline to defeat the sect, the general consensus appears to be that in 2015, Boko Haram’s whole-scale capability has been significantly dented.

Drop in oil prices

The dip in oil prices is a global phenomenon, but, given Nigeria’s overbearing reliance on the resource for its wealth, it has had reverberating effects on the country. With the government facing revenue shortfalls, salaries have gone unpaid as Nigeria dealt with this reality. While President Buhari’s plans have been hamstrung by the drop in oil prices, it also provides an interesting window of opportunity. For years, Nigeria has made unconvincing attempts to diversify its oil-dependent economy; now, faced with little choice, the government will finally have to truly diversify.

‘Yomi Kazeem is a media professional based in Lagos, Nigeria.

This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.

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