President
Muhammadu Buhari fiddles while Nigeria burns. The truth of this phrase lies in
its evocative description of national chaos, crisis, disaster, and failed
leadership that
have become permanent features of Buhari's regime. In the
history of a nation, each historical moment presents a distinct set of problems
for its current leader. Each leader in different ways and with varying degrees
of success sees himself as a protector and provider for his people.
President
Buhari faced the task of renewing Nigeria after the unprecedented rupture of
socioeconomic problems and political conflicts of Jonathan years. Open looting
and corruption binge had produced significant anxiety, unrest, and fear. Even
today, these anxieties have become more potent and combustible. The criticisms
and condemnation of Buhari capture the tale of his abysmal performance.
The
reputation of Buhari has vaporized like his administration. Driven by myopic
northern hegemonic order, a visceral longing to be president and obsessive
inaction, he poisoned the Nigerian political atmosphere with his cowardice,
hypocrisy, and nepotism. Many of us who campaigned for him have been consumed
by guilt and shame that we have settled for a subtle, primitive tribalist who
is addicted to parochial and selective governance. His indifference, inaction,
and palpable slowness atrophied his physical courage. His bias and prejudice
undermined his moral courage.
The
importance of any government lies in the security and protection which
government has been devised to provide. Government is a means to an end, not an
end itself. Candor, concern, transparency, truth, decisiveness are
characteristics of a good leader. Dishonesty, deception, and pessimism ridicule
a leader.
In his new
year address to a restless, jobless, hungry, hopeless, and jittery citizens,
Buhari's speech adds insult to injury. There's nothing elevating, inspiring, or
comforting in the speech. The particular one that sets off the antennae of
Nigerians is the reference to the burning issue of restructuring. “When all the
aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered,” Buhari argues, “my firm view
is that our problems are more to do with process than restructure,” says
Buhari.
The summation
of his “aggregate opinions” is not only untenable and unreasonable, it's a
false and fraudulent claim. In fact, the reverse is true: the overwhelming
opinion of Nigerians support restructure. To put it diplomatically, Buhari is
dishonest in his assessment of the Nigerian situation.
Mr.
President, what do you mean by process? What has process got to do with
restructuring? Are you substituting process for restructuring? Process for
what? The process of governance or process of restructuring? You sound like you
have been away from Nigeria since the very day you moved to Aso Rock. Even the
illiterate of illiterates by now knows what restructure means and why Nigerians
want devolution of power. I'm sure you know what restructure means. But because
of your oath of allegiance to Hausa-Fulani oligarchy and to perpetuate a feudal
anachronistic regime, it's safer for you to feign ignorance of the term
restructuring.
Restructure
is not negotiable. Except for the herdsmen, no one is buying Buhari's offer
that restructuring will happen after the elections. Why not now? Nigerians have
become wiser. Buhari cannot fool us this time around. He has betrayed our
trust. His political capital squandered. He's callous, insensitive, and unmoved
to what happens to Nigeria and Nigerians as long as he's the president and as
long as Hausa-Fulani controls the machinery of government. He lost it – big
time!
It's obvious
that Buhari has no plan to move Nigeria forward. He's not ready to embrace the
needed reforms and transformation that will unite and keep Nigeria as one
nation. He has subscribed to cowardice and nepotism as new normal in the
Nigeria political engagement. Buhari is a classic example of a leader who lacks
the courage to do the right thing. He yields to his lesser self and fails to do
the right thing.
The
cowardice of a leader at the very top is disheartening as it is damaging.
Buhari promised change, instead, we're given chaos. He promised to kill
corruption before corruption kills us. Corruption has not only killed us, we're
buried under the rubble of corruption. He promised security, but we've never
been more open to insecurity. The country is worse off today than at any other
time. One of the most important attributes of a good leader is the willingness
to seek feedback and listen. It's also important for a leader to have the
humility to expose his views to scrutiny and analysis and to engage feedback on
same.
Buhari
should welcome criticism and correction and must be willing to embrace
restructure in the face of compelling wisdom for restructuring articulated by
Nigerians. Buhari lacks the capacity to say what needs to be done. A good
leader shows he's fearless and willing to sacrifice himself. A good leader is
capable of expressing what needs to be said.
A courageous
leader knows he's not omnipotent or omniscient, and he's not fazed by the idea
that others may be better at some things than him. But more importantly, he
knows he can benefit from the ideas of others. It is a coward and insecure
leader who is unable to accept suggestions, advice, or contributions of public
opinion. A leader must be able to hold others and oneself accountable.
From time to
time, the break up of Nigeria becomes inevitable to many of us who believe that
“In the course of human events, it is necessary for one people to dissolve the
political band which have connected them.” We're in one of those periods now.
Those who still see future or unity in one Nigeria, are deluded, ignorant,
blind, and unrealistic. They don't know what's real, what's possible, and can't
differentiate fact from fiction.
President
Buhari looks the other way while his kinsmen – Fulani herdsmen – have turned
Benue and other states in the country to killing fields. It is evident that he
tacitly approved the killings. With his waffling, wobbling, and shuffling, on
restructure, and the genocide carried out by Fulani herdsmen, President Buhari
hastens Nigeria's break up.
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com
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