About time the real Buhari stood up!

It is a sad day indeed when those of us who subscribed to the change promised by President Muhammadu Buhari start feeling that we have been dealt a bad coin. Don’t get it twisted, if the same set of circumstances and barefaced looting bazaar that happened under the ousted government were to be repeated and […]

It is a sad day indeed when those of us who subscribed to the change promised by President Muhammadu Buhari start feeling that we have been dealt a bad coin. Don’t get it twisted, if the same set of circumstances and barefaced looting bazaar that happened under the ousted government were to be repeated and another Buhari were to emerge, I would still cast my lot with the new Buhari. I am not about to forget in a hurry that Nigeria was at the precipice when Buhari came in.

What worries me is that the no-nonsense Buhari we voted for is not the Buhari we are seeing today. Those who accuse Buhari of being a dictator should re-check the meaning of the word. In my own analysis, he appears to be more of a hostage, which is the last thing Nigeria needs now. There are several power centres around the president. Two are dominant: one unobtrusive irresistible force and another blatant in-your-face immovable machine. Both are responsible for the crass nepotism and stasis manacling this administration.

It is not a good sign for any nation when there is a doubt as to where the buck stops. The joke during the Jonathan administration was that the country was being ruled by five women and the president was thought to be the weakest of the five. (Wicked humour if you consider the fact that the president was not a woman.) Those who know former President Jonathan closely swear that he is a simple man with a good heart. And that could be true. But leadership demands more than that.

The biggest thing going for Buhari is the fact that he is not a thief. Although the opposition has made strenuous efforts to put the babanriga of corruption on him, the ugly garb doesn’t fit. However, Nigeria requires more than just a man who is not a thief. Nigeria needs a leader in every sense of the word; one who will be a rallying point for the whole nation and inspire us to be the best we can be.

These testy times in Nigeria calls for a leader who can reach deep into his being to bring out the dormant qualities that can catapult the nation to achieve its potentials; a leader with Obasanjo’s native intelligence, Murtala’s doggedness, Abubakar Umar’s commitment to principles, Donald Duke’s organisational acumen, Mbakwe’s populism, Hassan Kukah’s cerebral expansiveness – and more.

The history of Buhari’s second coming is already being written in instalments. Posterity will have kind words for him if he can wrestle corruption to the ground. But what feelers are we getting? Several insider trespasses beg for resolution: the N233 million grass-cutting scandal linked to the suspended Secretary to Government, Babachir Lawal; the $43 million ‘loot’ stashed in an Ikoyi apartment by operatives of a security agency; the recent frightening disclosures of shady deals in NNPC, to mention but a few. Obasanjo would have thrown such people under the bus as he did SM Afolabi and Tafa Balogun.

Then, there is apparent disconnect between the presidency and the ruling party, APC. For the first time since 1999, the party in power is taking a back seat in the affairs of the government it brought to power. The spectre of ‘Babacracy’ which we roundly criticised under Obasanjo, is rearing its head and carrying in tow its handmaiden of sycophancy. Courtiers seem to have carved out fiefdoms for themselves, each group with its own Cap’n. 

As I said at the onset of the Buhari administration, this country has had enough of underachievement. It is in our collective interest for Buhari to succeed. It would be a great tragedy if he dashes the hopes of the millions who voted for him. One more betrayal would be too many.

Now, there is talk of unprecedented nepotism in federal appointments, the latest being the appointment of Aisha Ahmad as Deputy Governor of Central Bank allegedly after being catapulted from her relatively ‘lowly’ position of Deputy General Manager in Diamond Bank to Executive Director within 24 hours to enable her fit the bill. I would love to hear that the allegations are totally without foundation. Otherwise, we are in more trouble than we think.

The Buhari that I voted for is incorruptible, pan-Nigerian and fair-minded. I don’t understand the signals I am getting now. It’s about time the real Buhari stood up!

BUSINESS VISA ON ARRIVAL?

It appears the Nigeria High Commission in the UK is colluding with the External Agency it contracted to issue Visas, to frustrate the Federal Government’s Business Visa on Arrival initiative launched recently to make Nigeria an easier place to do business. The aim is to remove critical bottlenecks and bureaucratic constraints to do business in Nigeria.

Foreign business people who have contacted the Nigeria High Commission recently for information have been told, in no uncertain terms, that the High Commission is not fully aware of the Business Visa arrival initiative… One frustrated caller was told, “We have not instituted the visa on arrival initiative yet. Apply for your biz visa online in the UK.” Another caller was scared off with, “You may not be allowed to check in at Heathrow airport”.

The option of obtaining Business Visa in Nigeria is not stated on the Nigeria High commission website! Vice-President Osinbajo, what is happening to the much-vaunted Ease of Doing Business initiative?