Buhari har Mahdi

Drug trafficking by increasing number of Nigerians, many on death row in foreign countries, has reached alarming proportions. Examination malpractices have become commonplace. Indiscipline, arson and armed robbery have become routine in our daily lives. Official lies and government propaganda have turned the citizens into cynics. Abandoned projects dot the length and breadth of our […]

Drug trafficking by increasing number of Nigerians, many on death row in foreign countries, has reached alarming proportions. Examination malpractices have become commonplace. Indiscipline, arson and armed robbery have become routine in our daily lives. Official lies and government propaganda have turned the citizens into cynics. Abandoned projects dot the length and breadth of our country. After about 16 years in charge, the ruling party has continued to churn out phantom statistics that have no bearing on the lives of the poor, hungry and almost hopeless people of this country.
Neither do I agree with the arguments marshalled by Jideofor Adibe (‘Deconstructing Buhari’, Daily Trust, October 30, 2014) that “honest and incorruptible” virtues are not “sufficient to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.” Even the cloth we wear today may not be useful enough for us tomorrow; but the question is have you chosen something good enough on you today that can serve the purpose of the day? Does Buhari seek to govern Nigeria for a century or even a decade? On the contrary, he may preside over our affairs for no more than four years and during this time our country should jolly well benefit from the sound moral qualities of accountability, honesty, integrity, modesty, simplicity and incorruptibility for which Buhari is universally known. If you don’t push forward honest leaders and show commitment to combat corruption, how can you face the 21st century? As a country, we need to take advantage of the positive attitude our leaders can share with us and continue to ask for even better moral conduct from them. In my own opinion, these virtues we are talking about confer an advantage on Buhari and make him a better and more useful person than the rest of the pack. We are told in the scriptures that unless people show sufficient interest in their affairs and are willing to change themselves for the better, God will not aid them. Glad tidings to you all; there is an “honest and incorruptible” man in town asking for your mandate to govern the country, give him your consent, vote for him and let him lead the change. Can the pigs for once take a break from the trough?
Like Obafemi Awolowo, Buhari has consistently, since 2003, campaigned for a presidential mandate and three times he was rejected. Are we going to be propping up others who lack the conviction to be what we want them to be and rely on them to supplant those with the capacity, vision and commitment to serve in that office? Is Tinubu, is APC going to abandon Buhari and look again for someone else to convince to contest for the presidency? Is Buhari still unknown to Tinubu? Is Tinubu truly threatened by Buhari’s records and moral credentials to lead our country in these termagant times? Let us give the job to the man who has consistently asked for it and demonstrated some leadership values. Let us not deny Buhari the presidency of this country and then begin to eulogise him when he dies. We are all agreed now that despite whatever shortcomings he had, Chief Awolowo would have been a good leader for the whole country. Let the Awolowo case inform our subsequent choice, particularly for those of us in the North and South West.  
How dare you accuse Buhari of religious bigotry? Was Buhari as Head of State and commander-in-chief moving about with the Sultan of Sokoto or some Muslim religious leader every time he travelled? Did any Muslim leader receive a private jet on his birthday during the Buhari regime? Indeed, did Buhari remember or attend any Muslim leader’s birthday when he was Head of State? Did Buhari hire any Muslim leader’s private jet to launder money or attempt to buy arms in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Did Buhari go to any mosque to speak about policy or utter his worries about so called nation-building? Did Buhari rejuvenate a hitherto comatose pilgrim’s commission for any faith and ask governors and public officials to pay for people to go on pilgrimage using public funds? Did Buhari go to Mecca and pray to continue as Head of State? Did he announce afterwards that his prayer for same had been accepted? Did Buhari mention and commit the name of any electoral umpire into the hands of God? Did Buhari allow the executive secretary of any pilgrim’s commission to follow him all over the place and take undue advantage of him? Was it Buhari that registered Nigeria’s membership of the so called Organisation for Islamic Conference (OIC)?
We’ve not in any way benefitted from Jonathan’s relatively younger age. Although Buhari may be considered old at 71, he is of sound health. Those who are now complaining about him being too old to govern didn’t vote for him in 2003, 2007 or even 2011 when he was deemed younger.  Buhari leads a simple life. He doesn’t eat bush meat. His breakfast is kunu and kosai (pap and bean cake), his lunch/dinner are tuwon alkama and miyan kuka (wheat paste and soup from baobab leaves). If he were our President, this wouldn’t cost the treasury much. He doesn’t drink alcohol or wine or import women (whom his right hand doesn’t possess) for pleasure. His garments also don’t cost plenty amount of money because Buhari dresses modestly.  Buhari’s austere life contrasts loudly with the ostentations of our present day “humble” transformers.
 (To be continued.)