He directed the affairs of Nigeria with the late General Tunde Idiagbon and sought to develop her competitively when they held sway as leaders of government in the 1980s. Analysts say that the country was plagued with a lot of ills and needed a knight in shining armour to redeem her from a state of ruin. One of such recently said, “Let’s be brutally frank, if Mohammadu Buhari had ruled this country in the fourth republic, Nigeria wouldn’t have been in this jumble we find ourselves in.”
But news media coverage about the General is frequently negative leading some to describe him as Nigeria’s most acerbic leader. Are the elites truly frightened of Buhari’s popularity? If not, why is he misjudged, blackmailed and smeared by the cream of the crop who many have said are determined to erase him from the pages of the nation’s history?
He remains one amongst a small number of poor heads of state who led a Spartan life whilst in office unlike some who saw the nation as their fiefdom. He could have become very wealthy, but bucked the trend.
Maybe people with influence do not love him because of his painstaking, serious, non-partisan demeanor. Maybe they don’t see him as a perfect gentleman because he never tolerated idle talk, illogical arguments, laziness or poor judgment. Maybe because he is intolerant of corruption, a major fault of the privileged elite.
This country needs leaders whose body language bespeaks action and who will not waffle when it matters most. Waffling on big decisions has today made Nigeria a laughingstock, needing foreign intervention, because leaders can’t handle internal challenges leading to international embarrassment.
The ever-burgeoning state and private armies of opposition against Buhari should eschew religion, tribal bias, regionalism, and promote the cause of humanity which would leave our doors open to all people and also forgives them. They should also concentrate more on encouraging national consciousness for a greater Nigeria by rousing the youths and all people from their state of disinterest for national growth.
Why are the elite scared of letting Muhammadu Buhari become President of Nigeria?
Simon Abah,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State