A CONUNDRUM IF BUHARI RE-EMERGES

As the thoughts of the 2019 general elections lingers in the mind of every Nigerian, The past few months have been laden with questions like:

-Will Buhari’s experience count in his potential second term in office ?

-Will his health stand as a stumbling block during his second term?

-Is he democratic enough to align with the modern concept of change?

-Is the war against corruption our only problem as a nation?

In the absence of an accurate response to any of these questions, a quick check into his past, and present, might help in providing glimpses into the future of Nigeria if he re-emerges as the President.

President Muhammadu Buhari [GCFR] was born on the 17th of December, 1942. This means he will be 78 years old and, in a short time, we will be under the leadership of an octogenarian if he re-emerges in 2019. The world has gone beyond the idea of putting power in the hands of old aged leaders who are very close to their grave. President Buhari’s current administration has also been plagued by heavy symptoms that indicate his old age might be pulling a fast one on him. Everyone still remember how he forgot the name of his running mate during the last election. He was also involved in another incident in 2015 when he forgot the meaning of his political party [APC] and INEC. Few weeks ago, Buhari couldn’t produce a clear and simple line at a political campaign. The poor old man kept failing at pronouncing and differentiating gubernatorial from Presidential aspirant. I particularly went mad when he used the word “governotorial”.

Any sane being must have realized that APC’s only chance to stay in power is to pull their weight in support of a “Puppet President“ in office . This political party is well aware he’s unfit to continue as our president but they seem to be caught in the habit of putting their personal interests before ours. No one needs to tell us we are in a ship heading towards an iceberg if we leave our future in the hands of an old, forgetful and non-intelligent leader like President Buhari.

Age might not be on President Buhari’s side but it has not affected his zero tolerance for corruption. During his tenure in the military regime, more than 500 public office holders were arrested and prosecuted on the charges of corruption. The Umaru Dikko Affair was a defining moment in Buhari’s fight against corruption during his military administration. Umaru Dikko, a former minister of transportation under Shehu Shagari’s administration, had fled the country after embezzling $1 billion in oil profits. Buhari’s government took it upon itself to have him kidnapped in a plastic bag back to the country for trial, the plan was however foiled by officials of the British airport authorities.

His current administration has carried on this tradition even though it’s a one-sided model of getting rid of corruption. Our President might not be the perfect man on most fronts, but his nature is one that strongly frowns at the idea of stealing public funds for personal use.

President Buhari’s form of education might not be in the best interest of every Nigerian. He was strictly educated on the military concept of warfare. His only formal education was acquired in secondary school. He went on to acquire military education at the Nigerian military college, Mons Officer Cadet School and U.S Army War College. Such a man is built to tailor the major part of the national budget towardsthe fight against insurgency and terrorism, while formal education suffers. Its no wonder he allocated the sum of $1 billion to fight insurgency few months after declaring he had technically defeated Boko Haram.

Its also not a secret that , as the saying goes, “once a soldier, always a soldier”. The likes of ASUU, NUC and others should be prepared for several strike actions because formal education will be the opportunity cost forgone in the quest for quelling insurgency.

President Buhari might not be the most educated leader but he is not the type who leaves his nation defenceless. Allocating $1billion to the insurgency in 2017 might not have sounded so good to everyone but it will improve our level of security and place the Nigerian Army high in its rightful place. Terrorism, insurgency and war, as expected, have so far been bowing at the feet of a man who has spent billions of dollars equipping the Army. Hence, it is only normal to pick President Buhari as our best answer if we are looking to stay further away from the reach of terrorism and insurgency.

In 2017 and recently Nigeria has declared herself to be in the worst financial position since Independence. As a fact, Our President isn’t the best person to oversee the financial affairs of this nation. Unlike his political opponent Mr Atiku, President Buhari barely has any financial intelligence. The economy seems to have the habit of turning out bad under his administrations. Every businessman still harbor the bad taste Buhari left on their tongues between 1983 and 1985. He made economic policies that crippled many industries and organizations. He also severed bonds with other countries and placed a ban on importation. This ban would later affect the productivity of many industries as well as the loss of jobs in their thousands.

The naira has never been so devalued before, all thanks to his poor financial education. The level of poverty in Nigeria has been so alarming that it has outgrown the rate of poverty in India. Without doubt, we shouldn’t expect financial prosperity under a man who finds it hard to reckon with the naira.

Recently President Buhari’s integrity has been questioned on various grounds. First it was his political ambition, he had previously promised never to campaign for the post of the president after 2015. Its a surprise we can no longer trust him for his words. He also made another promise to abolish the office of the first lady. Till date, Madam Aisha Buhari is still enjoying the luxury of that unnecessary office. The most controversial allegation occurred when his WAEC certificate was called into question. The examination body might have presented a certificate after various investigations but even the blind knows it’s a fishy scheme. Again, Buhari seems to fall into the list of politicians lacking in integrity.

Passion seems to be President Buhari’s most potent weapon for success. He might not be super intelligent like his opponents but he has, on many occasions, demonstrated why he is capable of leading Nigeria back to the good old days. No other politician has attempted to become the president of Nigeria four times. Come next year and he will be making it his 5th attempt. While others may have the brain power and good statistics, it is still rare to find a man who cares his heart for the nation like President Buhari

In 2001, Buhari fully supported the proposed establishment of the Sharia law. He made it clear the Islamic law should be enforced in every state in Nigeria. Such statement is one that deprives non Islamic Nigerians of their right of religious practice. It was only under his military governments that the military was granted the right to arrest people without charges. Till date, Mr President is still not a fan of public opinion. He hardly listens to whatever advise or complain that comes from the public. We should expect this same practice for the next four years if he wins in 2019.

Yet again, we are saddled with yet another experienced leader who claims to know the path to the Nigerian future and still blames the past government for the outcome of his own government. Its left for Nigerians to decide where to place their hopes, will Buhari work or not?

Let us keep asking and keep observing his tenure as we move closer to the judgment day.

Will Nigerians make the right choice?

Will the world applaud our choice?

I’ll rather fold my hands and watch!

WHAT AND WHO WILL IT BE?