By Yazid Ibrahim
July 23, 2014 will go down as one of the sad chapters in Nigeria’s history. On that day an assassination attempt was made on General Muhammadu Buhari, the leading political opposition figure in Nigeria, a war hero, former military head of state and elder-statesman – acknowledged to be one of the sane voices in Nigeria’s democratic march. Buhari has left an indelible mark as a man of integrity who has dedicated the best part of his life towards building a Nigeria that is not just an economically stable nation, but a country where justice, fair play, equality of opportunities and discipline reign.
The assassins failed. Whosoever they were – terrorists or political opposition – their attempts to silence the voice of hope for the neglected Nigerian masses, failed. This is a triumph of good over evil.
Born on December 17, 1942 in Daura, Katsina state, Buhari, after his primary schooling, was enrolled into the then Provincial Secondary School, Katsina where his honesty made him the best choice to become the head boy. He joined the army in 1962 where he led a very distinguished career. Buhari gallantly fought in the Nigerian civil war to keep the country together.
The January 1966 coup which ousted the first democratic government in Nigeria after colonial rule ushered in a long period of military rule characterised by coups and counter coups, including the unfortunate civil war. The effect of the civil war was that the military had to hang on to power to speed up the reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation processes.
During this long spell, Buhari was called upon to render various services to the nation, in what could rightly be termed as ‘beyond the call of duty’. In 1975 the military staged a palace coup which deposed the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon. The coup brought General Murtala Mohammed to power and he immediately embarked on a rapid reformation process. Military officers like General Buhari were selected to spearhead this process. Firstly, he was appointed member of the Supreme Military Council (the highest ruling body in the land) and was made military governor of the then North-eastern state comprising the present-day Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. This is the area that is currently facing insurgency.
Buhari later became Nigeria’s oil minister in 1976 and subsequently chairman of the newly created Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). This was a period that was marked by a high sense of transparency in the oil sector. No doubt, this was made possible by the personal integrity of the man in charge – Buhari. Every kobo accruing to the nation through oil revenue was not only accounted for, but was judiciously expended to provide goods and services to Nigerians. This rapid reformation process was unsettling to a group of renegade military officers who attempted to overthrow the government. Even though they succeeded in assassinating Murtala they failed to unseat the government.
The military government under General Olusegun Obasanjo who succeeded Murtala proceeded to hand over power to a civilian administration under President Shehu Shagari. The military returned to the barracks and Buhari was appointed General Officer Commanding the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army. When the Shagari government faltered, the military struck again and General Buhari was the choice to lead the new military regime. This was inevitable. Buhari was the most credible senior military officer at the time – incorruptible, highly disciplined and imbued with an unmatched sense of responsibility.
As military head of state, Buhari quickly embarked on programmes to cleanse the public sector of corrupt officials and restore discipline to the Nigerian society. Like the regime of Murtala, a group of military officers felt he was too tough and deposed him.
This was perhaps the greatest disservice to the nation because shortly after, the country was to fall back to the old ways that was fraught with corruption, indiscipline and disregard for purposeful progress. Nigeria is yet to recover from these ills many years after. After his overthrow, he decided to go back to Daura. Being a Fulani man he went into mixed farming.
When General Sani Abacha became Nigeria’s military head of state in 1993, he realised that under the highly corrupt and undisciplined scenario he met, there was no way he could bring meaningful progress to the nation. He, therefore, set up a Petroleum Special Trust Fund (PTF) where incomes accruing from petroleum resources could be used to put in place meaningful infrastructure that would provide goods and services to the Nigerian populace. The likely choice of who to head this Fund fell on the shoulders of Buhari. Here, again, he acquitted himself with distinction and quit as soon as the military handed over power to another civilian administration in 1999.
A few years into the democratic governance, with former military ruler, Obasanjo, as the new civilian president, it dawned on many Nigerians that all was not well with the new democracy. It was under these difficult circumstances that well-meaning Nigerians prevailed on Buhari to join politics and contest for the presidency. He bowed to pressure and joined the opposition and became its flag-bearer in the 2003 general elections. But he lost the race because the ruling party massively rigged the election. Two other subsequent elections in 2007 and 2011 were similarly conducted.
A new mega party, the All Progressives Congress has been formed with Buhari as the choice to lead it to victory. Buhari is well read and well informed. His discussions at local and international meetings display his patriotism and nationalistic credentials. He is not loud, boisterous, boastful and irritating but a special man with impressive demure.
There is growing confidence across the land that with Buhari on the saddle, Nigeria will be restored to normalcy. So, Nigerians here is your man. Give him your mandate so that he can harness our resources and energies to tackle the massive problems facing this country today. He has the will. What is lacking is the political power. Nigerians here is a candidate that you have been looking for.
Alhaji Ibrahim is Chairman, Katsina State APC Stakeholders Forum