Pendulum : The Empty Promises Nigerians Must Reject Today By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, finally, hopefully, the appointed time has
come for the most anticipated Presidential election in Nigeria. It
is not that the other elections are not important but the stakes
are much higher because the President of Nigeria is probably the
most powerful man on earth. He can do and virtually get away with
any atrocity. A regular and normal human being instantly
transfigures into a god or spirit on attainment of such
monstrosity. And everyone including those you thought were already
made in life and need no government patronage suddenly turn into
jelly-fish genuflecting in the presence of the new deity. Such is
the tragedy of our situation.

About this time in 2015, we were all excited about the new
possibilities offered by our new President, Major General Muhammadu
Buhari. Though I had many personal reservations about his
inglorious and ignoble antecedents as a coup plotter and bloody
dictator, many Nigerians like me were ready to give him another
chance. Despite the regrets I harbour today, I’m glad I did with
all my heart. Had we not, we would have been feeling extremely
guilty that we wasted a good leader who could have turned our
long-suffering country into Paradise on earth, like we wasted Chief
Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Moshood Abiola, both of blessed memory.
Awolowo would have been the best Manager of people and resources
while Abiola would have been the best unifier ever who would have
spared us the total breakdown of law and order and the menace of
nepotism and terrorism that we have all over the places today.

On a personal note, my expectation of Buhari was hinged on the
possible fact that having spent three decades outside power, after
being sacked ignominiously, he would have improved his human
relations and public image as a caveman whose obstinacy is just
irredeemable. I was doubly assured that whatever was still lacking
in the man could still be polished and garnished by the brilliant
minds around him and beyond. But we were very wrong. Today I’m one
of the leading wailing wailers, as the Buharideens call us, but I
have no apologies to offer. God knows that I love my country above
any soul and will passionately defend its interest without any
shade of doubt. There is no unprintable name in the lexicon that I
have not been called since I committed the supposed heresy of
jilting Buhari, the last saint standing in the world. But I’m also
as stubborn as President Buhari, if not worse. The more they attack
and insult me, the more hardened and resolute I become. In my
growing up years, I paid my dues for democracy in my own little way
and corner and no one can bully me today for exercising the rights
we won on the platter of pain and anguish.

I’m happy for a day such as this. Those who designed democracy
were cognisant of the fact that leaders must go through periodic
examinations called elections. Examinations are meant to test
abilities in varying and various subjects. These days, course works
have become integral parts of the final examination. If you did
well ahead of the final examination, you may not have to labour
much eventually. This has been the case in the matter of President
Buhari who wasted the better part of four years with no remarkable
marks but suddenly woke up when the main examination was knocking.
A man who did not do his homework well, who was absent from
seminars and tutorials, and acted rudely to his examiners is now
asking to be promoted to the next class by all means, fair or
crooked. He is being goaded on by his co-travellers in indulgent
rascality who fail to realise that the world has since moved beyond
their celebration of mediocrity which they see as achievement. A
lot of stupendous investments have gone into preparing the head boy
for this epic journey. To whom much is given, much is usually
expected. The most nauseating excuse for the failure is the endless
blame game. All the promises of performance and good behaviour have
since gone up in smoke and what is left are the ashes of
disappointments and gnashing of teeth.

A powerful and resounding message must be established from now
onwards. No man or woman shall be promoted to the next class if
they perform below average. Buhari was expected to deliver
spectacularly in three key areas. The first was general insecurity
in the country. At the time he ascended the throne, Boko Haram had
become a major menade marauding in some parts of Northern Nigeria.
A lot of faith was placed in Buhari to win the war against the
recalcitrant fellows being a retired Major General. He succeeded in
containing their expansionist ambition to some extent but not to
acceptable standards. The unfortunate side to it is the breakout of
other types of menacing hoodlums like the rampaging herdsmen who
audaciously forayed into several states southwards and wreaked
despicable havoc on farmlands and their hapless owners. What was
worse, our head boy carried on as if nothing happened. There is no
country where hordes of people would be killed like cows in
abattoirs and life would continue as normal, the way it has been
under this government. Nothing seems to move Buhari to show the
human side of him except when it touches those very close to him.
The case of Benue State would remain indelible forever as the
bereaved were left to bury their dead with little or no empathy
from the leader who is seeking re-election today.

The last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was
accused of uncommon profligacy in the disbursement of security
votes allocated to the fight against Boko Haram. The then National
Security Adviser, Retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, a blue-blood from
the Sokoto Sultanate, has remained in detention ever since Buhari
arrived on the scene, on the allegations of gross malfeasance. He
has neither been properly tried nor convicted by any law court.
Bails have been generously offered by the Judiciary but not granted
or obeyed by President Buhari. Strangely, President Buhari’s
government has also bullied his way into getting approval for its
own one billion dollar security votes despite large scale protest
from the people of Nigeria. What is sad and saddening is the fact
that not much has changed. Our usually gallant soldiers have become
miserably exposed to danger at every turn. Many have lost their
lives at such tender age leaving their loved ones to morn
prematurely. Our fighters have been grumbling aloud about their
poor welfare and wellbeing. How can a retired army General find
himself in this embarrassing situation?

The next subject Buhari flunked is the war against corruption.
Despite the commendable efforts of the anti-corruption agencies, it
seems not much has happened due to the subliminal body language of
the Buhari government in the open protection of friendly criminals.
Unashamedly, the only point Buhari and the Buharideens are using to
campaign is their phantom war against corruption. The bold face
with which they label and attack members of the opposition is so
brazen and daring. Wale Olaleye of Thisday newspapers and I had to
plead with a mutual friend recently to stop calling PDP a party of
looters when he had been one of its most prominent members and
beneficiaries ever. “We won’t be able to defend you if you continue
to say this in public…” I told our controversial friend.

The brand of Saint Buhari has deteriorated to the extent that he
no longer discriminates in who joins him in campaigning or funding
his party. It is so bad that even the President has become the
Defender-in-Chief for some of his supporters caught red-handed on
hot tapes. He has been speaking in staccato fashion in defence of
his inner circle of friends. As the National Chairman of APC
recently boasted, “once you join APC, all yours sins are forgiven.”
It is apparently true.

The Buharideens have since unleashed a blistering campaign of
calumny against the PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar. He has been labelled as the worst demon and biggest
looter in Nigeria. First, they conveniently forgot that he was a
major benefactor of their idol of worship, Buhari, pre-2015
election, pumping billions of naira into his campaign and releasing
his private jet. He was not a devil at that time. If you remind
them that he was only the Vice President, they will tell you he
used his position to sell government companies to himself and
cronies. Ok, let’s agree that wasn’t good enough. What became of
those companies that others did not sell to themselves? Failure,
perhaps. Atiku has established himself as a consummate entrepreneur
in a country in dire need of jobs and opportunities. And if you ask
them to pinpoint what Atiku stole, you will draw a deafening blank
from them.

Let’s move to what binds all humans together, the economy. Even
if Buhari could not improve on what was bequeathed to him by
President Jonathan, the least expected of him was to stabilise the
economy. But Buhari came with his usual braggadocio of big talk and
little action. If truth must be told, his traditional negativity
led to the manner Nigeria went straight into coma and recession. It
was the same ill-informed decisions that led him and his acolytes
to Golgotha between 1983 to 1985, when Nigeria from hero to zero. A
new President was expected to offer hopes and confidence to his
citizens and foreign partners but Saint Buhari had to first of all
flex some muscles and pontificate on why he is the Messiah. Nothing
else is impotant to him than the deification of his person and
persona by his brainwashed supporters.

For Buhari and his ardent followers, there is always a ready
answer for every act of commission or omission on the part of his
government: what did PDP do in 16 years? PDP did so much in those
years but it is not my job to defend them. If nothing else, PDP
produced more quality leaders, and formidable teams than what we
have today. Yet we dismissed them for non-performance. The reason
we sacked them was because we believed they did not meet current
standards in the world. But Buhari and his goons have now limited
our search to finding a Pope to lead us as if we live in the
Vatican. No. Who Nigeria needs and desires urgently is a performer
who has enough experience and exposure in the corporate world and
not a man fixated in the Stone Age acting as an avuncular
leader.

By far the biggest problem caused by the Buhari government is
the gory manner he has divided Nigeria along ethnic and religious
lines. If a man who would come to seek votes from every part of
Nigeria could act as recklessly as he did in the first term when he
reduced Nigeria to a miniature Fulani nation, what won’t Buhari
attempt to do when he no longer needs the rest of Nigeria. This
should be the serious food for thought. I have no doubts that
Nigeria cannot afford to waste another four years in endless strife
and senseless ethnic and religious cleansing. I need not say more.
God save Nigeria.