By Musa Toyyib Olaniyi
APC! Change! The crowds were mammoth and so was the frenzy generated
by the idea of the new coalition which had as its presidential flag bearer, a
man reputed to possess the talisman that will conjure out of existence, all the
problems of the country.
Today, Nigeria is directly experiencing
the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari which was built on great expectations. Alas,
the presidency has been mired in incredible contradictions.
*Buhari |
The presidency of a nation carries
its sovereignty and in most cases, come with humongous powers. In Nigeria , the
presidency is a leviathan. Because the presidency is an administrative or
governmental entity that surrounds the office of the president of a nation or
state usually personified by a man or a woman elected for such purpose, it is
usually powerful and awe-inspiring. The news making the roundabout rodents
eating up the office of President Muhammadu Buhari is a new low that we never
bargained for in this administration.
Sometimes, we wonder what might be going through the minds of people of power
and their handlers when they do certain things. When the news filtered in, the
reaction was a mixed one. The news elicits both a sort of disbelief and at the
same time uproarious laughter because of its incredulity. We never thought that
a time will come in this country that such lines will emanate from the
governing authority. In an administration that budgets billions of naira for
environmental services in the Aso Rock villa, rodents ravaging the office of
the President to such an extent that major renovations become imperative is a
sad development. What sorts of media handlers are these? Is mediocrity so
pervasive in Nigeria
that the pinnacle of power in the country is not spared the unfortunate
reality?
President Muhammadu Buhari came to
power on a groundswell of hopes, expectations and goodwill but the way and
manner he has been going about the administration of the country leaves so much
to be desired. Nigerians voted out a president that was thought to be clueless,
colourless and incompetent and the hopes and expectations of the people were
that the APC and more specifically, President Buhari will be antitheses of the
ousted leader and sacked political party. Strangely, for a President and a
party that came to power on a mantra of change, a good many things about the
administration have portended grave contradictions.
The President has been sick and we
all wish him well, at least majority of Nigerians wish him well so that he can
have the stamina to govern and deliver on his promises. But the secrecy that
shrouded his sickness seems quite unnecessary. In an age when information is
the currency of the government and at a time when leadership is measured by
such things as openness, accountability, transparency and responsiveness, such
nondisclosure is never a plus to the administration.
Part of the talking points of the
APC during the last election was the embarrassing level of medical tourism
among Nigerians, particularly the political elites. But in the second medical
vacation of the President, he spent more than 100 days in London where he was receiving treatment. The
absence of information about the status of the President’s health gave room to
wild rumours and insinuations about his well-being. Initially, those around him
were mute and when questions were being asked, they began to release pictures
that did more harm than good about his true state of health. This erroneous
interface with the public on the President’s health was followed by the
pilgrimage of the political class to Abuja House in London to catch a glimpse of him. It was such
a huge honour to the select few among the public officials who got such honour
as to have a glimpse of the President. All these could have been managed
better. The dwindling goodwill or public opinion rating of the President could
have been saved so also the taxpayers money that were spent by the public
officials who relished the pilgrimage to the President in London .
The President’s speech on return to the country has been mired in controversy.
While some hailed the 6 minute – long speech, others have given it a put-down.
The attempt by the police to gag the ‘OurMumuDonDo’ coalition that was
protesting the prolonged absence of the President from his duty post was in bad
taste. The fact that the police gave protection to the counter protesters who
came to support the President while mishandling the Charly Boy -led protest was
egregious. The right to peaceful protest is inherent in democracy as it is inalienable
in man.
For the sake of posterity, our
leaders should wean themselves off the monarchical instincts that seem to drive
their interactions with us. When addressing the nation, My Dear Citizens is
inappropriate. Fellow Citizens would have been better. No President or Governor
is a monarch in our constitutional democracy. They are all in power by virtue
of the people’s will, therefore, the people must be respected not only as the
real sovereign but also as the employer of these public officials. That is the
minimum standard that should not be breached again.
To be frank, Nigeria is
presently facing serious existential challenges that require tact and
forthrightness to address. Being stuck with the idea that Nigeria ’s unity
is settled and non-negotiable is erroneous. Nothing is settled about our Unity.
The numerous agitations and fissiparous tendencies within the country belie
such position and mindset.
President Buhari cannot claim
ignorance of the cries for the restructuring of this country before his
election and restructuring was part of the carrots dangled before the
electorates by his party, All Progressives Congress(APC), in the run-up to the
last election cycle. The President should again wean himself off such illusion
of unity of the country. The country is anything but united.
However, what partisanship could
do to the psyche of people is quite worrisome. Despite the annoying romance of
APC with blunders and the unforced errors of President Muhammadu Buhari, some
dye- in- the wool supporters of the President are incapable of seeing any wrong
in the administration nor are they ready to tolerate opinions that run contrary
to their perception of the President’s leadership style. Such hailers (the
adjective for Buhari supporters on the social media) are anything but
patriotic. Blind loyalty is a disservice to both the President and the nation.
Such disposition will make the President set in his beliefs and worldviews and
render him incapable of considering alternative view points while the nation suffers
collateral damage for such rigidity in thoughts.
The wailers (those who will never see any good in the President), who in most
cases, members and sympathisers of the Peoples Democratic Party, are pure
mischief makers as they find it difficult to come to terms with their loss of
power. Being in opposition does not preclude rationality from public
engagement. Deliberate fabrication of rumours and willful distortion of truth
are as deadly as blind loyalty. The two are at variance with patriotism.
The continuous romance of the APC-
led federal government with blunders has once again strengthened the narrative
of persistent slide in leadership quality globally. Today, from the East to the
West, and from the North to the South, the world is alarmed at the level of
mediocrity and incompetence that characterise the leadership of many countries.
Those that are not plunging their nations into debts and economic guagmires are
busy erecting walls and amplifying imaginary differences that divide humanity.
In Nigeria ,
at the local levels and micro units of the society, what are in bold display
are incompetence, mediocrity, oppression and exploitation. No wonder the
country is in a mess. No level of the society is spared of this lamentable
decadence in quality of leadership and unintelligent decision making in
administration.
Dealing with the identified menace
of declining quality in leadership requires improving our educational system
and strengthening the processes of our socialisation.
On a final note, President Muhammadu
Buhari is half-way into his administration, despite his best efforts, a lot
more still needed to be done. It is hoped that the President will reach deeper
within himself and summon the courage and resourcefulness needed to discharge
creditably the hopes reposed in him by the people of this country.
God bless Nigeria .
*Toyyib wrote from Owo, Ondo
State .
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