By Lloyd Ukwu
Prelude:
The problem with dictatorship is that it
usually lacks the capacity and patience to understand the meaning of the rule
of law and due process. Both doctrines are often slow and therefore require
patience. Dictators don’t have patience, they want it here, now and by any
means necessary.
In 1984, Muhammadu Buhari overthrew the
democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. It is true that
every coup plotter is guilty of breaching the Nigerian constitution and
shooting his way into power. But arguably, unlike Ibrahim Babangida that
overthrew a military junta, Buhari’s offense was more egregious because he
overthrew a democratically elected government – an expression of the collective
will of Nigerians. In his false feeling of importance, Buhari has always
believed in his messianic mission. He thinks that he knows it all, and that,
unlike any other Nigerian, he knows what is best for Nigeria . His twisted sense of
superiority and inordinate craving for power found expression in his 1984 coup
and his subsequent, repeated run for the presidency. Before he finally won in
2015, he had been defeated in three earlier presidential elections.
On his third defeat, he broke down and
wept in public, an action that would have ended his political career if he were
an American politician. Politicians hardly weep in America . To me, that unrestrained
public effusion of tears signified his utter desperation for power. His
frequent threats to Nigerians were also indicative of his excessive hunger for
power.
After he lost the 2011 presidential election, he made his threats;
vowing to make Nigeria
ungovernable. And true to his word, he attempted to make Nigeria
ungovernable. Through his Boko Haram connection, he unleashed terror on Nigeria . Some
say that if Buhari had no relationship with Boko Haram, why did the terrorist
group nominate him as one of its negotiators? And before the 2015 election, he
threatened to spill blood and cause mayhem if he loses the election.
Unfortunately, in 2015, Nigerians buckled under Buhari’s threats and
shenanigans, and elected a dictator-president.
It is obvious that successive military
regimes contributed immensely to our societal woes: the erosion of our moral
standards and the perversion of our values. By overthrowing the Shagari
government, Buhari truncated a nascent democracy, retarded our democratic
evolution and contributed to the problems military rule visited on Nigeria .
Ironically, the same problems the military dictators created for Nigerians are
the very ones Buhari is promising to fix. Leadership is not, and can never be
by force.
Buhari,
Nigerians say, remains uninformed. Before the elections Nigerians raised a lot
of doubts that he even has a West African School Certificate (WASC). But
even without this basic academic qualification, he didn’t seem to have the urge
to improve himself over the years. So, that when elected president, he would be
better prepared to serve the country. Sadly, dictatorship means force and
that’s all you need to get things done. His fixation was on grabbing the
presidency at all cost. He sounds as though he does not have the finesse to
relate smoothly with the other branches of government. He has never displayed
any intellectual capacity in governance in the past thoughtless of delivering a
lecture, as presidents sometimes do, to the academia, professional associations,
etc. In his ignorance and obscurantism, he is blind to the heterogeneity of
this country. No wonder, he once advocated making Sharia the supreme law of Nigeria . During
his first coming to power in 1984, he pretty much ruled by proxy via Idiagbon.
This time around there is ample evidence that he is going to govern through El
Rufai and co. Is it then not a bit surprising that Nigerians voted for a
dictator in 2015? In my viewpoint this implicates a major drawback for Nigeria .
Politically and otherwise.
Were Nigerians browbeaten by his threat to
unleash violence and wreck havoc if he is not elected? Having, with our votes,
dignified a man that shoved aside a democratically elected government and
seized power, what message are we sending to young, coup-thirsty military
officers? Are we not telling them that it is alright to plot and execute coups?
Evidently, we are a country of cowards. Have we, out of fear that Nigeria might
break up if Buhari does not win, rewarded him for his coup and extra judicial
killings?
Oh, the Americans supported him? Yes,
Obama did. Secretly, he sent his former Chief of Staff, and renowned political
strategist, David Axelrod, to Nigeria
to work for the All Progressive Congress (APC). Obama’s support for Buhari
was motivated simply by American economic interests. Africa is the new frontier
and Nigeria
is a major player in this emerging frontier. The former president, Goodluck
Jonathan, was in bed with the Chinese. The Chinese economy is expanding and
will soon overtake the American economy as the world’s largest economy. The
government of Goodluck Jonathan was awarding billion dollar contracts to
Chinese companies. This piqued the Americans. So, they embarked on what they do
best: regime change.
They approached their cousins, our former
colonial masters, the British, to find out how to deal with Nigeria . Piece
of cake! The Brits told them: the road to Nigeria must pass through the
North; we did so when we colonized them. So, Obama went through the North.
Buhari, thrice trounced in his quest to be president, was available, ready and
willing. So, Obama’s secret agent in Nigeria , David Axelrod, from his
vast repertoire of political intrigues, came up with the CHANGE slogan for APC
and projected Buhari the dictator as a reformer. For their strategic
interests, the Obama administration tried something similar in Israel but
failed. It supported an opposition candidate against the incumbent Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. But with Israel being a more sophisticated
democracy, and the Israelis, gutsy, they were not swayed by the Obama
administration’s political stratagem.
The Americans are always prone to
installing dictators that will later turn against them, and instead of serving
American self-seeking interests, subvert them. There is evidence of these
American installed Frankenstein monsters in Libya ,
Iraq , Syria , Egypt , etc. With time, Buhari may
prove another Frankenstein monster.
Lloyd
Ukwu, Esquire, writes from Washington, D.C., USA .
This is a fluent article that recycles old prejudice. It is doubtful if the author has any proof that GMB was the mastermind behind the Dec 31, 1983 putsch! I expected to read an analysis of his performance since democratically elected. The article reeks of "Biafra-eccentricity".
ReplyDeleteLet the "Andrews" who fled Nigeria, give the Nigerians who stay or are forced to stay determine their, fortune, misfortune and future. Stop being acidic to those who grant you refuge (USA, UK and other nations) and do Nigerians a favor; they are no puppets. They know when "enough is enough". They rejected GEJ and PDP and are trying GMB and ACP. Should they not?
Give them a chance, collaborate positively or "step aside " and wait for the next election. OR am I missing something here? Has the campaign for 2019 started?
Complain, criticism, condemnation and judgment (3Cs&J) are the stock in trade of those who lust after power, who cannot accommodate defeat and suffers from "malignant narcissism".
Give GMB and Nigeria a chance or go and see a psychotherapist!