By Lucky Okoedion
Thanks to how Buhari has turned out, the politically illiterate masses in Nigeria who vote primarily on the basis of religion and tribe, especially the “Sai Buhari” fanatics have learnt a huge lesson. They will never again think that voting for one who is of the same religion as them or the same tribe is what would guarantee effective governance and development in their region or Nigeria at large. By now, it must have become clear to everyone that governance is a complex process that requires unbiased competence. The competence required is so complex and so critical that you should be ready to vote even a supposed enemy of your tribe, so long as you are confident that he or she has that scarce competence.
The bitter and agonising consequences and impacts of the increased hunger that his kinsmen and die-hard supporters currently suffer under Buhari and the worsening situation of insecurity even when their beloved and supposedly messianic Buhari is in charge has completely erased the assumption that problems will disappear simply because your tribe man, “mosque member” or “church member” is in the helm of affairs.
Nigeria is so complex and diverse that even at the level of state and local government, the interests are so competitive, the expectations so enormous, the problems so complicated and the process of bringing about sustainable development so multifaceted that it has been foolish, it is currently foolish and it will be forever foolish for us to compromise competence in the choice of our leaders. No amount of sentiments should ever come in the way of choosing our leaders based on merit. A journey down memory lane will help us to understand this truth better.
Here is a quote from a BBC publication of 2014 when Buhari was being sold as a messiah, even when nothing in his past was an objective basis on which to expect good governance from him.
“ …the majority of Nigerians have come to accept that Jonathan, even if re-elected for 10 terms, will never fight corruption. The courage is lacking, the political will is nonexistent, the desperation for re-election is so consuming that he would not hurt the weakest of his corrupt political allies. So Nigerians are prepared to turn to Buhari…” so the publication reads all in the bid to sell Buhari as what he is not. We all knew that Jonathan was not doing enough. We needed someone more competent. But there was no objective basis on which to expect that Buhari would be that kind of leader. He was rather just a tool used by the opposition to snatch power from the incumbent, without caring for the consequences of installing an incompetent leader. National interest was sacrificed on the altar of politics through massive propaganda as they tried to package the man as what he is not.
Another paper, The Economist has the following quote in their publication of February 5th of the year 2015
“Worse, on Mr Jonathan’s watch much of the north of the country has been in flames. About 18,000 people have died in political violence in recent years, thousands of them in January in several brutal attacks by Boko Haram, a jihadist group that claims to have established its “caliphate” in territory as large as Belgium. Another 1.5m people have fled their homes. The insurgency is far from Mr Jonathan’s southern political heartland and afflicts people more likely to vote for the opposition. He has shown little enthusiasm for tackling it, and even less competence.”
Our World newspaper, May 2, 2015 also read thus:
“…Muhammadu Buhari can make a huge difference in this regard, thanks to his long military experience. Under Buhari’s tenure, I expect to see nothing less than a total reform of the Nigerian military. First, professionalism, meritocracy and discipline need to be reinstated. There should also be better recognition and incentives, including superior training, access to modern technologies, and cutting-edge research and development in intelligence gathering.
“Despite the ‘success’ records of President Obasanjo’s anti-corruption agencies, two popular criticisms remained: political interference and selective prosecutions. Nigerians expect not only that Buhari makes anti-corruption a strong priority, but to rise above political interference and favouritism in the work of anti-corruption agencies.”
But just one year into his presidency, BBC publication of 26th May, 2016 already had the following to say:
“In the months preceding last year’s elections, the popular chant on the streets was “Sai Buhari, Sai Buhari”, which means “Only Buhari” in Hausa – the most widely-spoken language in the north where the president originates.
“Sai Buhari” became an almost magical greeting, capable of earning you a discount from the sweaty chap pushing a wheelbarrow of tiger nuts or sugar cane.
“It could even elicit a smile followed by permission to move along, from the miscellaneous airport officials who usually ensure that your passage through Nigerian customs and immigration is fraught with agonising delays.
“A year later, the chant has changed to “Buhariya”, which roughly translates to “Buhari’s way” or “Buhari’s time”.
The slogan is now used to explain every unpleasant evidence of Nigeria’s troubled economy and a time of austerity.
Q: “A basket of tomatoes has gone up from 3,000 naira ($15) to 18,000 naira?”
A: It’s “Buhariya!”
Q: “How come the naira is plummeting against the dollar on the black market?”
A: It’s “Buhariya!”
The Northern Youth Coalition (NYC) according to a Pulse Newspaper publication of February 2020 made a statement that we can consider as proof that the eyes of many of the supporters of Buhari have been opened to learn that never again should competence be relegated in choosing a leader over a nation like Nigeria.
“As a coalition that represents millions of youths from various parts of the North, we are pained by the insecurity that threatens to consume the North. It is glaring that the security situation in the country is deteriorating and our agony as victims aggravating.
“The lingering insecurity is one of the major reasons why we clamoured for change and voted Jonathan out in 2015.
“But instead of a permanent solution to the problem, killings and other forms of criminality have been resurfacing under the watch of someone that vowed to be our saviour.
“It is almost five years now and Nigeria, from all indications, is either worse than the Jonathan administration or it is not different from the previous government despite the fact that in his first term, President Buhari pledged that his government would bring an end to the national suffering caused by insecurity,” the statement reads.
The coalition said the youths have grown weary of excuses, while “the lives of the youth are being wasted on a daily and hourly basis”.
“We cannot continue watching while our region is being turned to ashes and cemetery.
“President Buhari has failed to secure the lives and property of Nigerians probably due to lack of political will, commitment or competence and he should therefore, resign to save the country from collapse”.
Lucky Okoedion is a believer of a new Nigeria where true democracy and effective governance is practiced. He writes from Benin City. And can be reached on +2347038820118 .
