Nigeria 2019: It is Time to Wish Buhari Goodluck

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“Sai baba! Sai baba!” People chanted on the streets as the new President delivered his famous I AM FOR NOBODY I AM FOR EVERYBODY speech. That was like May 29, 3 years ago since President Buhari got into power, and a motorcyclist almost broke my leg out of mad excitement at the arrival of his messiah. Anyway, the madness aside, I could still see the respite on people’s faces that very day.

The respite for many was because President Buhari had vowed to tackle the issue of corruption and promised to end the carnage of Bokoharam immediately he gets into office. There were other promises of a million jobs per year, and the plan to make naira equal to a dollar, and also the reduction of fuel prize to 45 naira per litre. For these promises, he became to many like the saviour they had long waited for.

A lot of people were tired of the bomb blasts here and there and needed it to stop since it was evident that former President Good luck had proved himself incapable of fighting corruption and in tackling the spate of bomb blasts.

Most northerners during that period were clearly unforgiving and impatient and had believed the conspiracy that the FG must have had a hand in all the misfortunes which were befalling the northern region. Therefore it was without surprise that they had to vote for the change promised by President Buhari.

I was not a fan of Buhari in all entirety, but I was a fan of his promised change. And if you were not a core northerner or from the north but you are living in the north earning a living for yourself, I am sure you would have wanted Buhari to win like I did. Not for the fact that he preached change but for the fact that it prevented the country from being thrown into chaos.

In 2015, before the election, a lot of non-indigenes had to flee or relocate from the north since they could still remember the 2011 post-election violence which claimed many lives in the north after Buhari lost the Presidential election to Good luck and had wept bitterly on TV. The violence during that period was so devastating that mobs covered the roads ready to lynch those who did not share their political love for the Messiah. During that period, chanting Sai Baba was the only way to save your life. Thus for many who did not want another chaos, and who were tired of the insecurity and bloodbath, Good luck had to go for the Messiah to take over.

And sincerely, voting Buhari did bring stability to some issues. Instantly the bombs seemed to cease in the north, the military had fought the insurgents to the state that they were no longer in charge of territories in the country. For months there was non stop power supply in Kano where I live. Looters started returning the funds they had looted from the previous administration out of fear of prosecution. Indeed Nigerians were excited as they began talking about how the President’s body language was changing things. Suddenly, there was hope but the hope became short-lived when in the country “recession” became the buzzword on everybody’s lips.

I could remember being in the middle of a traffic jam closed to Kofar Wambai market in Kano when a beggar had stretched his white suffering hand to me and then speaking in Hausa sai:d “please help me with something, buharia is affecting me and my family”. I have never heard of the word ” buharia” before and this was like the first time among many times which I later heard the word. I never knew it was the latest word being used to describe the economic hardship being faced by the masses. There were other words like “buharinomics” to describe the harsh unintelligible and inconsiderate economic policies of the President. It was evident. The economic policies of the government was biting hard on the people and technocrats kept on discussing it daily on TV and radio while the common man frustratingly frowns since he does not understand all the terminologies of recession, inflation, currency exchange etc and how they relate to why he cannot eat three square meals or buy things at a cheaper price since President Buhari came to power. Slowly, disappointment began to creep in. Those who didn’t vote the President started criticising while those who voted; some struggled to defend the President while some kept quiet somewhat as if to regret in silence.

The President’s failure for many was obvious in his selection of cabinet members. They had described it as one of the most unintelligent lot who were not technocrats but political-rats compensated with the post of ministers and advisers. Not because of what they can offer per say, but because they had supported the president in his attainment of the office. The government was sadly not a patriotic one but a sycophantic one in which things were not done for the majority sake but for the sake of few. As a result, it was only a matter of time before the people started having the sense that the government of Buhari was not the Messiah they had hoped before.

The people had voted for an uncompromising change, but what they were getting was certainly not different from the past government. Its fight against corruption was selective, its appointment was accused of being biased which were similar allegations levelled against Good luck. It was becoming evident daily that the messianic President was not totally in control. For how could he be in charge when he was brought into power through the finance of some strange fellows? He definitely will not go against his sponsors. Even the first lady confirmed this, but she was jokingly secluded to the “kitchen and other room” by her husband. The fact that the IG of police could disobey the order of the President and go untouched is a pointer that the President is not in charge. The people have therefore lost their messiah to the politics of indirect control of leadership by sponsors.

Anyway, whether he is in charge or not is not the issue. The issue now is the president is going for a second tenure. My thought now is what will be his campaign? How will he be packaged to the masses? Will they still package him like they did in the last election? The incorruptible president who will fight corruption but is presently incapable of fighting corruption in his government?

The security-conscious President who promised to end BH with a snap but constantly had to lie to the masses that BH has been destroyed when they still attack daily and kidnap school girls? Since this year, Zamfara, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi, Nassarawa, Taraba and Enugu have had to constantly deal with insecurity from unknown gunmen? And how come, a government that was quick to quell the IPOB issue but feels the headsmen and farmers crisis in Benue was too hard for them to tackle? A government that promises to be for nobody but for everybody but recently released a one-sided list of names of corrupt persons and looters, thereby protecting those in their party? A keeper of his words when so far one cannot clearly pinpoint any of his campaign promise that has come true?

Sincerely, the campaign team of the president has a lot of jobs to do to sell the President to Nigerians this second time around not minding his success in agriculture or the huge crowds that had welcomed him when he went to Kano, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Katsina. This is why all I can but wish him is GOODLUCK this coming 2019 elections. For he obviously deserves it.

– Lucky Negedu, a writer, poet and classroom teacher, wrote from Kano

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