We least expected the touted ‘ruthless’ and anti-corruption retired military general would fail, in salvaging our drowning country. Alas! We are where we are still in search for true messiah not the messiah accompanied by the likes of Sabi’u Tunde etc.
We are consoled by the fact that everything that has a beginning must definitely have an end. So is the same natural trend with the outgone Muhammadu Buhari eight-year administration whose hitherto soaring popularity tragically descended to its lowest ebb over the years.
But the negative reversal of the swaying of an erstwhile political hurricane was politically fatalistic. It is also conclusive that within just a few days, we happily and gladly bid farewell to the diminished era of Buharism and his baggage.
A man believed by many to be of impeccable character and also viewed as a new citizen in his own class, immuned of the deadly virus of bribery and corruption’s, had earlier won the hearts of million of his country men/women without hypnotizing them. Buhari himself read that conspicuous virtue as his political strength, but we knew less that he would degenerate from a legendary hero of yore to a bashing figure. Unfortunately, Buharism was a sort of revolution for the rebirth of Nigerian nation but lacked a visionary and solid foundation. Just as Buhari was eager as he said to vacate office on May 29, 2023 before 12noon, so also were majority of Nigerians in marathon prayers and anxious to see the end of his political disappointment, dogmatism and cluelessness.
Before winning the historic election in 2015 and its razzmatazz aftermath, the political climate was aggravated by the fear of losing Muhammadu Buhari as a potential president to clear the Augean stable and the fear of the continuity of the Jonathan’s presidency to co-exist with the then prevalent insurgency in the Northeast. It was partly the result of the escalating and ravaging insurgency that caused the defeat of Jonathan and the other factor of not returning power to the north as claimed to had, been agreed with those self-appointed northern political stakeholders who enjoy no mandate of northern populace.
Buhari’s ascension to power came with two glad tidings in 2015. We were psychologically intimidated that the country was collapsing gradually under Jonathan and was just about to be thrown into dooms. But that campaign of scripted anarchy was abruptly reversed after Buhari’s victory against Jonathan. Also, the gigantic mega merger project had a formidable force as the new political bride of Nigeria’s unity because the parties led by credible politicians of substance that signed the marriage were representing the larger segment of political Nigeria. However, the unity of the merger was quickly squandered by Buhari himself through the total withdrawal of frustration of those formidable forces and elements of unification.
Unknown to most Nigerians, Buhari’s emergence was both a personal and national tragedy. We saw how his lackadaisical attitude towards national cohesion drove the country to the verge of disintegration with the sudden eruptions of ethnic nationalities and religious gorillas. Not only that, he deployed some inimically economic policies that cemented the roots of poverty, inflation, unemployment in an unprecedented dimension never seen before. Frightening security challenges sprouted across the land and started becoming a national character with a particular reference to banditry, kidnapping for ransom, armed and pen robbery, extra-judicial murder by corrupt security agents at legal and illegal mounted roadblocks and other waves of crimes. Amazingly, the man whom we entrusted to be aggressive and ruthless triple of one of his predecessors, Olusegun Obasanjo against corrupt persons and thieves in public service, was later found to be more sympathetic to them by condoning their nefarious acts and granting some of those convicted state amnesty.
Buharism succeeded in producing several casualties including his very self. He is a victim of his own cluelessness, dogmatism and failure, a product of self demystification. He is also a casualty of his own unlimited self glorification who rates himself as sacrosanct. There is also the larger victim, the Nigerian nation. Buhari vacated office with Nigeria worse than he met it. The government itself was a victim of a degenerated leadership from all fronts. In a wider scope, democracy suffered as a casualty for two principal reasons. One is the legislative enslavement in which the negative influence of Buhari on the national assembly led by planted puppets (Ahmed Lawan and Gbajabiamila) resulted in the accumulation of a humongous debt. The judicial sector was rendered a casualty by Buhari’s constant refusal to comply with various court injunctions on crucial national issues. The general populace will have an everlasting and disgusting impression about Muhammadu Buhari for mortgaging their collective hopes and dreams of a better country than he met.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was also a big political victim of Buhari’s poor performance. Several Nigerians had the feeling that Buhari’s failure was the party’s making right from the onset. If not for the emergence of Peter Obi and Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso as presidential candidates which had a devastating effect on the chance of Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), APC could have lost in the presidential election. Even the so called Villa cabals were casualties. This was owing to the fact that Buhari had given them enormous unsolicited and unconstitutional power which they literally and grossly abused with impunity that culminated in their collective failure to impose on Nigeria their preferred presidential candidate who was their robot that messed the senate.
Those cabals are really victims because Buhari aided them to laugh severally while other Nigerians were suffering without smiling. But surely, at the end of it all, the cabals will not be laughing the last laughter!
For instance, for long, the Association of Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will continue to be a giant victim of Buharism. The prolonged strike action embarked by the Association did not only victimize and pauperized lecturers, but also students, their parents and the entire tertiary educational system. The immediate future will also be a waiting casualty as the prevailing socio-economic upheavals will have a long lasting effect. Even those who held different positions and acquired ill-gotten wealth and perhaps, may likely escape the long arm of justice but definitely not that of nemesis have since joined the class of casualties living in fear. This is because their perpetrated felony will not go down in vain in the hereafter and must account for their misdeeds. In a nutshell therefore, we were all casualties of Baba Buhari’s cluelessness, dogmatism and incapacitation. Agreed, Buhari may not be corrupt as trumpeted, but why did he allow members of his nuclear family and close relative amassed so much wealth within his tenure? Sabi’u Tunde Yusuf as a case study who was known to be a roadside Gsm recharge cards vendor in Daura but now in the billionaires club for just serving Buhari as a Personal Assistant (Domestic Affairs). What was fundamentally wrong with Buhari’s brand of leadership? Several lapses can be recorded for scrutiny, but the major ones can easily be stated.
Buhari lacked the political will and intelligence to administer both politics and government effectively. That gave rise to the display of self indulgences by people entrusted with responsibilities. With immunity, they had played the destructive game of putting themselves first before the Nigerian people and Nigeria.
Though Buhari’s incorruptibility is still unquestionable, yet he is dispossessed of vital qualities of good leadership such as competence, courage, foresight and vision. On competence, it is imperative for a quote from a renowned Islamic philosopher Ibn Taymiyya who said: “I will prefer a person with competence without integrity to a person with integrity but lacks competence”. His basic argument was that integrity affected the individual only but incompetence had a devastating effect on the society.
Buhari’s philosophy of leadership was also inclined to misrepresented perception. For instance, the political chemistry between him and his horde of followers was not well articulated to justify the essence of his leadership and the trust the mass of the people reposed in him, but he wanted his followers to always justify their followership even though the means to achieving that through quality leadership was wasted.
How long will it take the nation to heal from the deep wounds of those eight years of waste and fear? Has Buhari ever agreed that his poor leadership is responsible for all the casualties? If not, why was he apologizing to Nigerians and begging for forgiveness? You couldn’t add value to poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity and corrupt practices and still expect forgiveness from the shortchanged on a platter of gold. No, please!
For Nigerians to forgive but not to forget, let there be a general probe of the eight-year Buhari administration ministry by ministry, parastatal by parastatal and agency by agency. The outcome of the probe will determine the next line of action from Nigerians. Cest fini!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
