BUHARI: Much Ado About Change

BAYO OLADEJI

 

Your excellency, when you came in as the head of state in 1984, you were so busy with the war against indiscipline and corruption. People were whipped by your soldiers for failure to cross the highway without using the pedestrian bridge, for urinating in the public places (though there were no public toilets), civil servants lost their jobs, the lucky ones were demoted for their failure to sing he National Anthem. Politicians were given long sentences for looting our commonwealth.

But when the man who funded the coup that brought you into power, General Ibrahim Babangida moved against you, he told us that you were not listening to those who were your lieutenants and colleagues. He opened the gates of prisons and those who were jailed by your tribunals regained their freedom. Those who were held in the then National Security Organisation (NSO) under the watch of your trusted ally, Rafindadi were also let off the hook. Some of the politicians who regained their freedom could not survive the aftermath of their ordeals in prison and few days later, they passed away. The then Ogun state governor, Bisi Onabanjo was a case study. They were lucky unlike Busari Adelakun, the Lion of Ibadan politics who died in the prison.

Not a few celebrated your ouster not because they liked the corrupt leaders but there was nothing they could point to as your achievements that reduced their burden. You met Naira at per with the US Dollar but you supervised its demise! Common provisions became so scarce that people were on the queue for hours, the way we are doing for fuel, before buying them.

Those who funded your second coming did so not because they loved you but they saw you as someone whose fanatical fans in the North could be used to chase away the PDP. Now they are grumbling the way the Babangidas were doing in your first coming. If the Law had permitted them, they are willing to replace you because they are yet to recoup their investment in your presidency. I have it on a good authority that the brain behind the APC, Bola Tinubu has to wait for hours before seeing you in the State House, no thanks to the Buharideens (apologies to Olusegun Adeniyi) who are holding you captive. You heared what he said against your Minister of state for Petroleum, Kachickwu recently, the arrow was targeted at you as the Minister of Petroleum, in case you don't know. My people say "He who abuses my dog is targeting me". Your press guys must have been keeping some copies of the NATION from you where the media belonging to Tinubu has taken you to the cleaners on some of your policies.

You are about to clock one year in office, if you dare called for a People's Opinion Poll (POP) about your government, you would be shocked to the marrow that not fewer than 85% of the Buharists have joined those verbal lashing your policies. To borrow from President Olusegun Obasanjo, your economic policies if you have any are against the masses who voted you into power. To compound the problem, the elite who could hold the brief for you today are also at the receiving end of your policies.

The youths who were sleeping in the cyber cafe to ensure the exit of Jonathan and his party are still waiting for the fulfillment of the N5000 monthly promised them. Up till today, there is no one where you stand on the controversial policies. Two of your ministers who have spoken, Chris Ngige and Lai Mohammed merely succeeded in adding to your woes.

Your anti-graft war, which is widely believed to be after the PDP, has not made life easier for the people. Once you are two years on that seat, you will begin to see those who voted for you at the APC Convention in Lagos asking you to go. Unfortunately for you sir, the on-going persecution of the Senate President Bukola Saraki is not acceptable by the PDP rebels whose presence in your party helped you into power. If Saraki lost that seat, the PDP may likely take it and that will be the beginning of the end of your party. Mark my words.

The late Yar Adua and his successor in office, Jonathan have great respect for the rule of law but even your fanatical supporters agreed with your critics that you only respect the court rulings that tally with your position. This is undemocratic sir.

If you armed yourself with the number of politicians you may have jailed and the amount of money recovered, the voters would ask you, "What have you done for us?" "Has our life better or worse since you came into the office?" Let the anti-graft agencies face the war against whoever has looted our commonwealth while you and your team face the business of governance. Resist the temptation of travel

From all indications, the stage we are in as a nation deserved the attention of all and sundry irrespective of their religious and political persuasions if you wanted situation to change for the better. Review your economic policies and if possible, bring in the best hands to manage your govt. Your Finance Minister, with due respect is a successful banker but we need a renowned economist and your assignments are bigger than to add the portfolio of Petroleum. Remove fear from your style of leadership, otherwise your lieutenants would be afraid of telling you the home truth.

I wish you success on that hot seat. God will help you out.