Frankly Speaking:Buhari double standard as a style of nation building
By Tunde Abatan,tunde2013abatan@gmail.com 08165660217
Two important issues dominated the independent anniversary speech of President Muhammadu Buhari few days ago.
Though, the speech was as usual full of sound and fury signifying nothing . The speech is devoid of anything new as regarding the manner and style he has adopted in governance since his return to power in 2015. It never fell short of passing the buck when it comes to taking responsibility for his actions and inactions as the number one citizen when it concerns national issues.
During his first term in office between 2015-2019, one of the excuses often given by the Presidency, the ruling All progressive Congress,APC, and his minders both in and out of the presidency was the refusal of the then national assembly headed by both Senate President Bukoka Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara to cooperate and give support to the executive to enable it carry out governnave and fulfill his capamign promises to Nigerians.
This accusation is in spite of the fact that both Buhari and the two leaders of the national assembly belong to the same political parties.
Indeed,matters got to head when in 2013 uncivil attempt was made to forcefully remove the Senate President from office via a coup organized by state operatives.Sarakis saving grace was then acting President Yemi Osibajo who put his feet on the ground and condemn the action. He fired Buharis ‘man Friday’, Mamman Daura from office as head of the Directorate of State Services,DSS ,though the later was later reinstated into ‘relevance’ by Buhari when he returned from medical vacation.
On Sarakis ‘neck’ also hung the excuses for Buharis inaction.
In spite of all powers of state at his disposal, Buhari also lay the blame for the comatose economy on the 26 years rule of the now opposition People’s Democratic Party,PDP which it always quick to accuse of having laid the foundation for his low performance for four years..it is without argument that every living Nigeria knows that blame game was the policy of Buhari during his first term.
Ironically, now with Buharis ‘yes men’s in both arms of the National Assembly in the person of Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, Nigeria has neither felt better in terms of ever wobbling economy and worsening insecurity in the land.
In his independence speech last Friday, Buhari maintaining his usual buck- passing attitude, has again shifted the blame on Secessionist agitators as threat to Nigeria’s continuous peaceful existence . He refused to acknowledge his shortcomings on his lack of adopting diversity in running the affairs of the country; the attitude of his ethnic Fulani hegemonist in and around the corridors of power and also in the Miyetti Allah cattle breeders association which has graduated from a trade association into a powerful non- state actors threatening the existence of other stakeholders in the country.
President Buhari has also laid the blame for inaction this time on the same National assembly which leadership he has kept on his firm drip for the past two years.
Among the NASS members, his government has discovered sponsors of secessionist agitators like Nnamdi Kanu of the Independence People’s of Biafra,IPOB and Sunday Adeyemo,of the Yoruba separatist movement.
It is not impossible the government as usual is working towards an answer.
But after six years of waging war against Boko Haram insurgents and herdsmen who have become laws into their hands,the federal government has not find it necessary to implicate any of the sponsors or bring them to trial.
What is more, both the United States of America and United Arab Emirates,UAE,has put notice asking federal government to allow it disclose the identity of sponsors but as usual, the Buhari regime has sacrificed protection of Nigerian citizens for that of its kinsmen sponsors of the terrorists acts. Their actions has caused thousands of death and billions of naira that shouldve been used for development to fight a needless war, it is not disposed to winning.
That the Buhari government is running away from reality on all fronts is not in doubt.
What, you may ask is preventing it from prosecuting the 400 sponsors of terrorism it has arrested and also
put on trial the 800 terrorists in it’s custody.
If the government is serious why applying double standard in solving serious crises of nation building.
While in one breadth Buhari is calling for dialogue on the resolution of national crises, in another breadth he is defining the no -go area for the dialogue….Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable. This is a sing- song that is as old as Nigeria itself.
Conversely,while President Buhari beliefs the state of Palestine who he canvassed separate states for, has a right for an independent nation while back home,agitators for Restructuring and separate states,( which are inaeliable rights under the United Nations Freedom of association) which the government of Nigeria subscribe to, are the problems of Nigeria.
As a government that choose which court judgements to respect and define the rules of law in its own perception, of what it should be, it is doubtful whether President Buhari and the government he heads can ever accept the stark realities of it’s distance from the people which elected it into power.
With the commanding heights of the nations economy like Education, Agriculture and health services now comatose, it is doubtful whether the President will ever accept the grim reality that having a listening ear will go a long way in dousing tension and ingrained mutual suspicion which has given birth to endless agitations for break- up of the union brought together in 1914 but have been serially abused by successive government since independence in 1960.
Yet, until the emergence of Buhari,separatist agitations has never been a market place discussions throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria.
If after having the armed forces, legislative,judiciary and other commanding institution at its disposal, it is not impossible that the next independence broadcast of President Buhari will again lay the blame for apparent failures on both the judiciary and the armed forces which has never faced any challenge to its power not even during the 30 -month civil war period.
By October 2022, when President Buhari has only eight months to the end of his eight year tenure ,his government will suddenly discover to its chargrin that it has created a ground swell of mutual suspicion between Nigerians, leaders and government that it will take a new generation of values and newly breed set of leaders to return the country to where it was before it took over power. This was , at a time, it promised Change but ironically ended up giving none.
