President Buhari is in love with words that end in 'ism' except one

Though I never knew President Buhari well when he was a military Head of State in 1984 through 1985, but when he was overthrown by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), I wept for the country because of his War Against Indiscipline (WAI).

But from what he has demonstrated as his style of leadership as the President of Nigeria today, I doubt if he was the same man behind WAI then.

In the appointment of his cabinet members, he has clearly demonstrated that he is in love with words that end in ism (nepotism, tribalism, sectionalism, favoritism, cynism, ‘marginalism’ if such a word exist and other similar ism ending words except one (criticism). I believe he also hates patriotism with passion.

Unfortunately for our dear country, these ism ending words has given rise to corruption which President Buhari promised to fight to a standstill during his campaign. Because of his love for ism ending words, some parts of this great country which feel marginalized are agitating for self-determination. I am not part of those blaming President Buhari for the present economic woos of present day Nigeria as I am not an expert in economic matters.

However, appointments of his relations, old time friends and party members is largely responsible for today’s adverse economic predicaments which in turn, has given ‘birth’ to armed banditry, school children abduction, herdsmen activities, unknown gunmen operation, kidnapping and other societal vices in Nigeria. In the early days of this administration when I saw the direction of appointments made by President Buhari, I wrote an open letter to him even though he does not know me as a person. But I believe, he read the letter from his reaction a day after the letter was published, when he made a statement that he was going to be fair to all parts of Nigeria. Similarly, when he won again in 2019 general election, I wrote another open letter to him advising him on the need to be fair to all parts of this nation. The letter may however be read here.

When President Buhari took over the mantle of leadership from the ever smiling and gentleman to the core, former President Goodluck Jonathan on 29th May, 2015, in his address to Nigerians, he said and I quote “ I belong to everybody and also belong to nobody”. Nigerians were impressed by that statement including the author of this article. Little did Nigerians know that he was actually making use of sarcasm, a word similar to the words President Buhari is deeply in love within that statement.

My personal analysis of the statement is that President Buhari belongs to everybody (everybody in this context means all the Northern people especially Katsina people and APC members). Again, when President Buhari said he belongs to nobody( nobody in this context means all other parts of the country outside North and other political parties apart from APC). That statement was meant to deceive Nigerians. Well, every human being on earth has one weakness or another. It is possible that President Buhari is on a revenge mission.

May be, President Buhari believes that Nigerians supported General IBB to overthrew him and put him in prison in 1985, it will be good if President Buhari should borrow a ‘fresh’ leaf from the great world leader in the person of Nelson Mandela of blessed memory who was in prison for twenty-seven years, but when he came out of the prison to become the president, he preached the gospel of forgiveness to South Africans and the entire world including his white counterparts who threw him into prison and also demonstrated that by his appointments.

It is not that I so much like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but when he too came out of prison to become the President of Nigeria in 1999, he set up Oputa Panel for the purpose of reconciliation to unite all parts of this country. Also, former President Obasanjo was not partial in his appointment into position, otherwise, people like the former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu and great women of modern day Nigeria like Professor Dora Akunyili of blessed memory would not have been discovered. I am sure those appointments were not based on any of the word ending with ism which President Buhari is in love with. When his kinsmen who thought that President Obasanjo was going to be a stooge in their hands realized that he was not, they brought in Sharia to disrupt his administration. But as a leader who understands his onus, he responded by saying that ‘Sharia will die a natural death’ and today, ‘sharia is no more’.

I am a Nigerian and will remain a Nigerian and as such, I wish the President the best of luck in his administration.

Okike Benjamin is a teacher in the Department of Computer Science,

University of Abuja.