My only grouse with Buhari’s administration

Only a recent drive to Akwanga, Nasarawa State, a former federal lawmaker asked me a question.  He’s the chairman of a tertiary institution and wanted me to give a talk to the council.  We were supposed to be rehearsing what I was going to discuss with his members, but as is often the case, the […]

Only a recent drive to Akwanga, Nasarawa State, a former federal lawmaker asked me a question.  He’s the chairman of a tertiary institution and wanted me to give a talk to the council.  We were supposed to be rehearsing what I was going to discuss with his members, but as is often the case, the problems of Nigeria distracted us.

 

“Which is the biggest constituency of President Buhari?” Hon. Idris Yahuza asked me.  Sensing it to be the I know the answer, but I don’t understand the question kind of query, I hesitated.  He helped me.  “Those who form his biggest constituency are the masses. They are his main support base.  But I don’t think they are being protected,” Hon. Yahuza said. 

 

I recalled that conversation when I   read the Daily Trust’s report which listed five conditions the senators have before they would negotiate peace with the executive.

Senators with pre-conditions for peace?

Those entitled degenerates who think the world revolves around them and  deserve to be worshiped?

Na Baba cause am! They didn’t dare do this at the beginning of the administration.

Why? Because the people were completely with PMB. But the resolve is not that strong now. Sometimes you want to stand with Baba, but then you look at the executive and realize that it also stinks. Then you just keep quiet.

Why?

It’s not recession! It’s the little things.

The simple answer is that PMB has failed to give power back to the people. And many of our leaders are guilty of this. There’s one rule in leadership: when people give you power, don’t take it, give it back to them.

How do you do that?

Protect the people.

Sleep and wake with their thoughts on your mind. Don’t make decisions that the masses “don’t get.” The people shouldn’t be asking how “does this action benefit me?” That Baba has failed to do.

When we cried out that children of the big shots were being employed through the back door in government agencies- giving zero chances to the poor candidates, Baba didn’t protect them. He didn’t cause the recruitments to be cancelled.

It was at this time that I reduced my hope in the government by 30%.  The people should feel that this is their time.  They can get employment or enjoy other services from government without knowing anybody.  The time of impunity and the big guys who carried themselves as if they own the world should be over.  PMB and his government should belong to the masses.

But when you travel along major roads and even within our cities, the police still collect bribes from the people, but they don’t collect from the big shots. Only the poor people HAVE TO pay. Baba has not protected them.

Yet, the poor people form the largest constituency of Baba. They practically and tenaciously dragged him into the presidency until others grudgingly agree to lend their support. They are still the majority of his supporters. So protect them. Talk to them. Visit them.

My cousin told me he wasn’t employed in the recent Federal Civil Service recruitment. He applied with a 2.1. Someone from the same local government with third class applied to the same ministry and was given employment. Baba didn’t protect him and others like him – and they know.

A senior police officer told me that out of 10,000 recent recruitment into the police, we should expect only about 3,000 fit and proper policemen. The other 7,000 are candidates who didn’t write the exam or the interview.

He said after they had shortlisted 10,000, they had to drop 50%, then 10%, then another 10%, because the Police Service Commission, the National Assembly and the traditional rulers all wanted their candidates to be employed. Baba didn’t protect those who were dropped.

Baba now has two daughters in “juicy” government agencies. How does that benefit the poor man on the street?

Thus, how can we fight behind a commander who hasn’t sufficiently shown that he cares? Of course we don’t know what is in his heart. That’s why the actions have to be SHOWN. He may care a good deal and I believe he does. That’s why this is so painful to write.

Ordinarily, no one would ask which side to choose between the NA and the presidency. The choice was clear. Not so clear now.

Even the Npower that I was celebrating has many spots of bother. A young man told me in BIDA yesterday that he hadn’t been paid for three months. Many others have told me same thing in Minna.

The forms for food vendors for the Home Grown School Feeding programme were simply shared among politicians. This is not the fault of the states alone – we expected Abuja to give them a template on how to recruit – not just give forms to politicians and LG chairmen.

Of course we should all be patient with the administration. That’s why I gave examples about which Baba can do something – sometimes even a phone call would do.

If you give power back to the people, they would stand with you.

The only reason Gov. Almakura of Nasarawa State wasn’t impeached was because the people said no to the legislators because he showed that he was with the people.

When Murtala Nyako tried it, he was easily impeached because he took the power and had no people behind him.

All in all, I’m a member of the APC and still believe Baba is the right leader for us at this time. But our conscience should weigh us down if we don’t point out injustice.

The Qur’an urges us to stand for justice even if it’s against ourselves.