Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihin Rajiun
The late Maigaskiya has passed away but we will never forget him. Any objective Nigerian will unconditionally and wholeheartedly FORGIVE him for whatever his shortcomings were during his 63 years of unbroken and exemplary service to Nigeria.
Buhari didn’t live for himself, he lived for Nigeria.
Although I wrote my tribute yesterday almost immediately I heard the news that MaiGaskiya is no more, I must admit that I wrote yesterday’s tribute to late President Buhari in a jiffy hence i find it imperative to pen a PART 2 of my tribute to our leader.
Indeed, many Nigerians didn’t quite grab either the meat or the substance behind Gen. Buhari’s introduction of THE WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINE (WAI) when he was the military head of state (1983-1985).
Many Nigerians nay the world thought it was about arresting people and dumping them in jail.
Far from it!
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as head of state (1983-85) introduced WAI to change the mentality of Nigerians from perceived negativities viz corruption, indiscipline to apparent positivities viz fear of God, integrity, sincerity and holding trust.
Buhari’s WAI of 1982-85 was not only about arresting people and sending them to prison. It was about changing the MINDSET of Nigerians from negativity to positivity. Good thing, MaiGaskiya found a good, reliable and trustworthy partner in Gen Tunde Idiagbon (his 2ic) equally of blessed memories and together they set the tone for a NEW NIGERIA free of corruption and indiscipline but alas! Agents of darkness cut short that dream to bring us to our sorry state today.
The idea of clamping jail terms of up to 150 years on convicted public office holders who stole Nigeria dry in the second republic (1979-1983) during his tenure as head of state (1983-85) was to ‘up the ante’ and instil maximum fear into our corrupt politicians to stay away from corruption and abuse of trust. It was part of societal reconstruction. To prove to them that the law is no respecter of anybody and crime doesn’t pay. And that Nigeria is above any single corrupt individual or organisation acting separately or collectively.
Come to think of it, a 150-year jail term is illogical.
It actually means the convict will continue serving his term in his grave as people (if any) will last 150 years lifetime anyway.
Buhari was so passionate about changing the mindset of Nigerians as head of state 1983-85 but will Nigerians ever learn? NO
That was why in his tenure as elected President 2015-2023, MaiGaskiya didn’t really push himself too hard as he did during his time as military head of state in 1982 because it was clear that: WE NIGERIANS WILL NEVER LEARN’
We prefer to listen to corrupt politicians who are out to destroy us than an honest man who wants to fix our country.
The greed among us in Nigeria is unprecedented. Everyone wants to make money by hook or crook and FAST. MaiGaskiya is not greedy hence he finds himself the odd one out in this country of fastlaners.
Honestly, yours truely actually thinks Buhari shouldn’t be a Nigerian. He doesn’t seem to belong here. He should have find himself where the system works. In the U.S, U.K, China, etc where people obey rules and regulations to a very reasonable extent.
Indeed, people thought Buhari should have been born in a Western country. In those climes where people have minimal greed. Where discipline is the watchword, where there is law and it is obeyed pronto. Where your neighbour is your friend and brother. Not in Nigeria where a man who’s children play with his neighbour’s children, has no second thoughts about killing his neighbour simply because the neighbour doesn’t practice the same religion as himself.
The same people that Buhari trusted during his tenure as head of state (1983-85) in his efforts to fix Nigeria were the same people that betrayed him and caused his ouster from power. These detractors worked with the people that brought us to this mess to remove Buhari from power through a coup d’tat.
We want to keep Nigeria in the sorry state it is. We don’t want your WAI or integrity’ keep your interity to yourself’ THIS IS NIGERIA’ they told Gen Buhari.
The result is what we are seeing today. A very rich Nigeria where some citizens slump on the streets and die because they cannot feed as politicians have stolen all the money. Shame!
1. China is what it’s today because the Chinese people found a reformer in Chairman Mao Tse Tung. His people SUPPORTED him.
2. Iran would have been erased off the map by Israel if not for the fact that Ayatollah Khomeini carried out a successful revolution and built the country. His people SUPPORTED him.
3. Anwar Ibrahim stood as a symbol of resistance in Malaysia and is today the Prime Minister, building a country that Malaysians are proud of. His people SUPPORTED him.
4. Suharto of Indonesia was able to built strong institutions that made Indonesia what it is today because his people SUPPORTED him.
That was what Gen Buhari wanted to do for Nigeria. Build a decent country that will be the pride of us all. But Nigerians don’t like good people. We prefer those leaders who will destroy our country and keep us lamenting forever. All
We pursue are tribalism and ethnicity. Our so-called leaders use tribalism and ethnicity that we pursue to divide and rule us.
Forget about being labelled a DICTATOR. That was a term coined by the West to stop change in Africa and other developing countries. Once the policy is good for your country, it’s fine.
They called late Gen Sani Abacha a dictator and pushed our compromised media to ramp up the rhythm.
But ask yourself ‘Will Nigeria have been better-off today if Sani Abacha were alive as Head of state? The answer is YES.
Will there have been these level of killings in Nigeria if Sani Abacha was head of state or even an elected President? The answer is NO.
Insecurity will not last 24 hours if Abacha is in charge.
As Gen Abacha famously said; ‘If insecurity lasts beyond 24 hours, the government has a hand in it’
Gen. Abacha would have been too strong for any bandit, Boko haram or IPOB or any deranged terrorist.
By the way, is Donald Trump not a dictator by the West’s definition of a dictator with the way he is introducing sweeping obnoxious global trade sanctions on some countries and forcing these countries to obey: whether you like it or not?
MaiGaskiya was a symbol of integrity: that needs no emphasis. If you are taking anything away from Buhari’s legacy, you cannot take away the fact that he will never steal your money and will never engage in a shady deal.
Little wonder late Gen Sani Abacha entrusted in Buhari, Nigeria’s entire treasury when he appointed him in 1994, the executive chairman of the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) and he performed excellently constructing roads, schools, hospitals etc across Nigeria.
A lot of people do not remember how Gen Buhari single-handedly drove the feared Maitatsine from Nigeria in the 80s. Even when some people told him ‘wait for order from above’ he wouldn’t succumb. He didn’t rest until Maitatsine was defeated and dumped in the dustbin of history.
Gen Buhari was never a bad person who is happy to see people imprisoned and punished. If Gen Buhari sends you to prison, you deserve it. He doesn’t send you to prison, the law does.
MaiGaskiya’s motive for arresting corrupt politicians and sending them to prisons (through the judiciary of course) in 1984 was to send the right signals to every Nigerian from primary schools to universities to markets to motor parks to lawyers to judges to journalists to even the wheelbarrow pushers, to tailors, to craftsmen to the labourer to politicians that are milking Nigeria dry and to all public office holders- that crime, indiscipline, abuse of office, misuse of trust DO NOT PAY.
To Gen Buhari, what pays is FEAR OF GOD, HONESTY, INTEGRITY and DISCIPLINE.
One thing that was dear to MaiGaskiya was HOLDING TRUST. It is said that if you give Gen Buhari N1 billion to keep for you in trust and you mark all your notes for easy identification, you can come back after 10 years to collect your money IN THE SAME NAIRA NOTES that you gave Gen Buhari. He will not touch even one Naira note out of your money and you will meet your money intact.
In the opposite vein, President Buhari will trust you wholeheartedly even on his first day of meeting you but you must never disappoint. If you abuse the trust President Buhari bestows on you, he will never trust you again. There is hardly a second chance with Buhari. He may still be interacting with you but he knew where he kept you. He knows one day, you (not him) will expose yourself.
President Buhari has a glued connection with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the LAW.
Buhari’s belief in Nigeria’s constitution is so much that he believes the constitution is sacrosanct. That when you reach the constitution, there is no further argument. Just implementation.
His belief in the constitution, law, rules and procedures is unprecedented. The first question he will ask you is ‘what does the constitution say? What is the normal procedure?
He believes that any decision taking without recourse to the law and constitution of Nigeria cannot stand.
To Buhari, decision-making is very simple; just follow the law. If there is no law, form one. If the one you have doesn’t suit, reform it.
This is the reason why his highly incompetent cabinet ministers (2015-2023) took advantage of him to commit all sorts of alleged crimes including corruption and abuse of office. They simply bring memos to him and once
Tunde Sabiu (his PA) can get your memo in, Buhari will sign it. He believes that’s the procedure.
It is widely believed that President Buhari’s ministers 2015-2023 are the worse in Nigeria’s history. The problem is with the ministers not with Buhari. He gave them all the support they needed and they failed.
President Buhari is the best Oga you can have because once he gives you a task, he never interferes with your work.
He gives you all the space you need. Ministers during his tenure as elected President (2015-2023) also took advantage of this humility by using it to allegedly steal money and corner resources to themselves instead of working for the nation as Buhari wanted.
WILL NEVER BETRAY YOU
MaiGaskiya is never a betrayer else President Tinubu will not be President today. Even when a so-called cabal led by Emefiele, Abubakar Malami and Co. tried to convince him to betray Tinubu, MaiGaskiya will have none of it.
‘Allow every qualified person to contest the APC ticket and let the best candidate win’ He said
‘I can work with anybody’ he added.
The cabal had to let go.
Tinubu won the APC ticket.
The rest is history!
President Tinubu knows too well that Buhari is a good man else he could have blocked him from getting the APC ticket. Yes MaiGaskiya and Tinubu are not really on the same page ideologically; on anti-corruption, integrity, honesty, sincerity, discipline. Buhari and Tinubu are miles apart but although Tinubu is certainly not Buhari’s ideal candidate – not even close- Buhari still allowed Tinubu to win the APC ticket on his (Tinubu’s) way to winning the Presidential election. Buhari for who he was, thought about the role Tinubu played in 2015 leading to his (Buhari’s) emergence as President and he said to himself;
‘I can’t betray Asiwaju. Let him contest as prescribed by law. if he wins the APC ticket fine but if he doesn’t, that’s his problem.’
Throughout his tenure as President, Buhari never interfered with the work of the National Assembly in line with the principle of separation of powers as outlined in sections 4,5, and 6 of the Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). He never interfered with INEC on elections. Never interfered with the work of the security agencies Police, DSS or even his own staff in the Villa.
One other thing I can remember about MaiGaskiya, our late President is that he will be your friend but don’t cross his line. Indeed, the Fulanis are known for taking their pound of flesh when they are not culpable. This is not vindictiveness. It is knowing who you are.
If you insult Buhari, be sure to pay the price someday. After all, what has he done to you to warrant any insults?
The leader of the so-called indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has learnt a hard lesson through the law. This is a young man who finds fun in publicly insulting Buhari. He (Kanu) called President Buhari names including a paedophile. Buhari even with all his powers as President, maintained his cool and stayed patient until the law caught up with Nnamdi Kanu. The rest is history!
In fact, Umaru Dikko was a case study on the topic; ‘What President Buhari can do to fight enemies of Nigeria who desire to bring Nigeria down’
President Buhari didn’t arrest Nnamdi Kanu. The law did!
Mr Kanu will have to defend himself in court before the law.
Not what you may think. I have never worked with President Buhari but have always been a Buharist who believed in his integrity and ideology.
In fact, I study Buhari the way I prepare for an examination.
I was the chairman Buhari support organization (BSO) in the Diaspora (Scotland U.K) Chapter through which I spread his political philosophy far and wide and equally, through which we campaigned for his successful Presidential contest in the 2015 elections.
My attachment to MaiGaskiya is as a result of my belief in his way of life exemplified by honesty, integrity, holding trust and fear of Allah (SWT).
