President Muhammadu Buhari’s followers, therefore, created in him the image of an ascetic, beyond reproach, and so canonised him as a saint. And he also did his best to fit into that picture. Ramrod, bare of any fat and wearing the cheapest materials around, the story was said to have seen it all yet refused to be tempted into taking anything from anywhere he worked.
He was a military governor with executive powers over what are now six states, then a federal commissioner of petroleum, and later a military head of state. Yet he depended on nothing other than his salary in all these places. Giving strength to those who view him as a man of integrity and a high moral standard, he has many times challenged all those who have served in such capacities to come and swear like him that, like Caesar’s wife, they are also beyond reproach. No one has picked up the gauntlet yet.
All this is good. A nation that does not have a person, even if it were one, that it can showcase to the world as the symbol of all that is positive is indeed unfortunate and, perhaps, hurtling towards doom. Maybe what went wrong with Nigeria is that people, by all means, wanted to believe that in a country of 200 million, only one soul was light and all the rest were pitch black.
This was the impression harboured by millions, and it is still held by many. And this view skewed public opinion in the run-up to the 2015 elections. This led to an unprecedented victory for Buhari’s party, during which an incumbent president was bested. His party, overall, trounced the ruling party and had a majority in the National Assembly, more governors, and state houses of assembly under its banner.
It was common, especially in the first term of the Buhari administration, for people to accuse everybody but the president of any failure in governance. To them, it was the National Assembly that did not want Baba to work, or he was alone. The refrain was that the NASS was sabotaging him, and where his appointees showed incompetence, they would say that “Baba is alone.” Some will add, in indignation, “What can he do without helpers?” He can’t be everywhere.”
But are they right? A leader who wants “help” will appoint those who can provide it. The moment they are not rendering that “help,” people expect them to be shown the exit door and replacements brought in. But here, that does not happen except if the public forces a change, as we saw in the case of the service chiefs, or when circumstances force them to resign, as with Kemi Adeosun, the erstwhile finance minister.
This made Hajiya Zainab Suleiman Okino, a veteran journalist and columnist with Blueprint newspaper, ask: “Why does the Buhari government indulge some people in his administration even when they have not performed maximally?” They say he (the president) trusts easily, but why trust and extend the tenures of people who are not adding much value to your government? “With so many qualified Nigerians, why extend the tenures of government officials that are statute barred?” Since 1999, this is about the first time a president has kept ministers throughout his eight years in office and has constantly renewed the tenures of heads of parastatals and MDAs whose terms have expired, even where most of them have failed to perform well.”
That he means well for the country is not in doubt. He is a leader who gives people responsibilities and allows them to express themselves. And he does not keep looking over their shoulders to see what they were doing. He trusts them with responsibilities, and he expects them to vindicate him. He may not even think he should be vindicated; maybe he wants them to show good examples to the people.
And this is where the problem lies. Many think he trusts a lot. And in most cases, those he has confidence in disappoint him and the people. Or maybe just the people, because he hardly ever complains. Some say he is shy, the hallmark of a typical Fulani man.
All right, he means well and is desirous of leaving behind a positive legacy, if not in anything else, at least in how elections are conducted. Not only from his body language and statements, but even his government’s policies lend credence to that fact. Many people may be shocked, but the nation would have him to thank while the international community would hail him as it did for Generals Abdulsalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
And contrary to what people think, Buhari has helpers, especially among those he encourages. The Independent National Electoral Commission’s boss, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, a first-class brain, is one. Even though President Buhari once accused the Central Bank governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, of giving out billions of dollars based on notes written on “ordinary paper” or “bread paper,” he kept him on the job. Now, he is supporting the president’s dream to divorce money from our politics with the naira redesign and withdrawal cap.
The president, therefore, cannot be alone. There are many others who also want to help. The Honourable Gudaji Kazaure, for instance, is one. He came out with documents accusing the CBN governor of squandering about ₦90 trillion. He has been shouting himself hoarse from one radio station to the next and on television stations.
The honorable Gudaji said he wanted to help the country and the president’s fight against corruption. With that amount, he claims, Nigeria could pay off all its debts and service its needs. And the president’s avowed fight against corruption would get a mighty boost.
Many people expected some sort of inquiry to find out the veracity of his claims. But perhaps the honourable member is just a busybody, and no one needs his help.
Gimba is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.
