Buhari, the president Nigerians yearn for

The assassins failed, good triumphed over evil. After his stint as military governor, General Buhari became Nigeria’s oil minister in 1976 and subsequently chairman of the newly created Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This was a period marked by a high sense of transparency in the oil sector of the Nigerian economy. No doubt, this was […]

The assassins failed, good triumphed over evil.
 After his stint as military governor, General Buhari became Nigeria’s oil minister in 1976 and subsequently chairman of the newly created Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This was a period marked by a high sense of transparency in the oil sector of the Nigerian economy. No doubt, this was made possible by the personal integrity of the man in charge – General Buhari. Every kobo of the income accruing to the nation through oil revenue was not only accounted for, but was judiciously expended to provide goods and services to Nigerians. This rapid reformation process was unsettling to a group of renegade military officers who attempted to overthrow the government. Even though they succeeded in assassinating General Mohammed they failed to unseat the government.
The military government under General Olusegun Obasanjo who succeeded Murtala proceeded to hand over power to a civilian administration under President Shehu Shagari. The military returned to the barracks and Buhari was appointed General Officer Commanding the 3rd Division of the Nigerian army. When the Shagari government faltered, the military struck again and General Muhammadu Buhari was the choice of the military to lead the new military regime. This was inevitable. Buhari was the most credible senior military officer at the time – incorruptible, highly disciplined and imbued with an unmatched sense of responsibility.
As military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari quickly embarked on programmes to cleanse the public sector of corrupt officials and restore discipline to the Nigerian society. Like the regime of General Murtala, a group of military officers felt he was too tough and deposed him in a palace coup. This was perhaps the greatest disservice to the nation because shortly after, the country was to fall back to the old ways as a nation that was fraught with corruption, indiscipline and disregard for purposeful progress. Nigeria is yet to recover from these ill many years after. After his overthrow, he decided to go back to Daura. Being Fulani, he went into mixed farming.
When General Sani Abacha became Nigeria’s military head of state in 1993, he realised that under the highly corrupt and undisciplined scenario he met, there was no way he could bring meaningful progress to the nation. He, therefore, set up a Petroleum Special Trust Fund (PTF) where incomes accruing from petroleum resources could be used to put in place meaningful infrastructures that would provide goods and services to the Nigerian populace. The likely choice of who to head this Fund fell on the shoulders of General Buhari. Here, again, he acquitted himself with distinction and quit as soon as the military handed over power to another civilian administration in 1999.
A few years into the democratic governance, with former military ruler, Olusegun Obasanjo as the new civilian president, it dawned on many Nigerians that all was not well with the new democracy. Things were sliding badly with disastrous consequences to the nation. Corruption, graft, nepotism and a total disregard for the rule of law were threatening the nation. Social services such as the provision of education, security, water supply, electricity and much more were becoming endemic. To make matters worse, sectionalism, ethnicity and religious intolerances were becoming commonplace. There were serious cries of marginalisation and some sections of the country were threatening to break away.
It was under these difficult circumstances that well-meaning Nigerians prevailed on General Buhari to join politics and contest for the presidency. They had absolute confidence that with him on the saddle, he would be able to reverse this dangerous trend. He bowed to pressure and joined the opposition and became its flag bearer in the 2003 general elections. The elections took place and many believe he lost the race because the ruling party massively rigged the election using the enormous resources in their power. Agencies of state such as police and the military were used to deny the opposition the chance to rule the country. Two other subsequent elections in 2007 and 2011 were similarly conducted.
Today, not only is the nation facing decline in infrastructure and social services, insurgency has taken centre stage. Thousands have been killed or injured by the notorious Boko Haram in the northeast of the country.  Suicide bombing raids are being carried out almost on a daily basis in many major cities including the capital, Abuja. In the south of the country, illegal oil bunkering, kidnap of foreign national and piracy on the high seas has also become rampant. No one feels safe anymore in any part of the country. More than at any time there is yearning for change, even among members of the ruling party – a situation that has led to major defections of prominent politicians of the ruling PDP to the opposition. To all intents and purposes, the ruling PDP is now dead.
A new mega party, the All Progressives Congress has been formed with General Buhari as the leading choice to lead it to victory.  There is growing confidence across the land that with Buhari on the saddle, Nigeria will be restored to normalcy. The attempt to assassinate him was meant to truncate that. People are now waiting for the programme of action or blueprint of the APC to salvage Nigeria from decline.
 
Ibrahim is chairman, Katsina State APC Stakeholders’ Forum