M. Muazu Nguru
Before the electrifying response that greeted President Muhammadu Buhari’s return from a trip to London, the Fifth Columnists had a field day suggesting that the president’s popularity was waning.
It’s however gratifying that Nigerians from across the divide proved them wrong considering the historic manner they welcomed the Mr President on Friday, March 10.Nigerians were ecstatic to see President Buhari much stronger and the emotions were visible.
Mr President, your sojourn outside Nigeria for those days left a large family without a father or house master; but it is gratifying that you left behind an able most senior brother who took care of the house adequately. He is no other person than our colossus and iconic Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Many comments passed under the waters during your absence, but the few people who made the malignant comment are now in shame. Your stay in London brought to the fore, how you are endeared to Nigerians.
While you were away, many of us were worried and anxious, endlessly praying for your quick recuperation and urgent return.
And on the day you returned, the simultaneous celebration was momentous; traders and food vendors shared their wares and food freely; taxi drivers and tricycle riders offered free services. Thousands of people slaughtered cows, rams and goats to give gratitude to God for your safe return.
The reason is very simple: Your life exemplifies love, selflessness and service to your people. No one will deny the fact that your life is full of achievements and accomplishments.
You alone held exalted and astral positions of a one-time governor, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Minister of Petroleum, Head of State, Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and came out unblemished.
Now that you are the president, there is no contesting the fact that you are steadfast and focused and this will continue while you remain in the exalted office.
You participated in the Civil War in the 60s, ridded the country from rebels and saved her from falling apart. And when you came this time around, the savage and untamed lots in the northeast have been surmounted and their remnants are being snared and entrapped.
It is pertinent to also mention that it is during your time that Nigerians got to know of words like “padding” and “whistle blowing”.
These words and many others exist in all conventional English Dictionaries, but they were not known in the Nigerian English parlance.
Most of the previous governments themselves were advocators of this odious and abhorrent practice. It is very unfortunate and lamentable to see our lawmakers went to bed with the word padding.
One can see how corruption has deeply eaten into the fabric of our society. This delineates the magnitude of the abyss of our lowlife and despicable behavior.
In light of the above, the most fascinating and bewitching point is that he has never been corrupt. To date, President Buhari is an average Nigerian in terms of wealth, while others who held less prominent positions are now swimming in the ocean of ill-gotten billions of dollars and Naira, engrossed in wanton monopoly of wealth, boasting of mansions, estates, and stately residences.
For someone to be making news and events at the age of 74, that person must be a blessed and chosen one. These are some of the words of one of Nigerians who is just and patriotic, Mr. Oni Gbolabo:
“Those who were young and vibrant, and led this country before him during the last administration, what had they done apart from awful failure and fiasco. Is it not an ignominy for us to see a man of 74 years old fighting malfeasance in particular and corruption in general to extricate the future of this country from further entanglement? Is it not a shame to see young men looting or supporting looters? An important question to be posed here is that, how many of those people’s elders live up to 74 and still relevant.”
Mr. Oni further put it correctly that if President Buhari dies today, it’s the younger ones that will be left with the problem of how to tackle corruption and salvage our future. Buhari’s name is in Gold while some of the younger ones names are in mud. Many people who work with Buhari as his juniors are dead today; even the few ones living are simply relic of ignominy and disgrace. President Buhari is not a failure or subnormal, but he is a pride and an achiever. Posterity will attest to this.
Buhari is one of the successful Vicegerents created by Allah to construct this earth, as it is mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an that, Almighty God created mankind to construct the world. During the last regime, it was said that Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa. That was nothing but a deceptive marketing.
I will like Nigerians to know that recession has not started with Buhari’s regime. It started since 2009 and reached its peak during the last administration of the young ones.
If the President dies today, it is not something queer or strange, for he is not an immortal; every living being is a mortal.
I wish to advice as Nigerians, we must unite and put our hands together to build our beloved country; we should not allow ourselves to be driven by hatred and animosity.
We challenge the wailers of good governance to tell us where they were when large part of this country was dreadfully afflicted and many local governments subdued?
Finally, the National Chairman of APGA, Dr. Ikeoye aptly captured what all of us should ponder on when he said, “Buhari would have done better if Nigerians had wished him well. All these enemies fighting him left, right and centre, they are not fighting Buhari. They are fighting against the destiny of Nigeria.
If he dies tomorrow, it is his time, all of us will die. But if President Buhari dies today, he dies for Nigeria because we gave him the trouble that killed him”.
May Muhammad Buhari live longer to purge this country from graft, insurgency, militancy, kidnapping, communal conflicts, political rascality and devilment
We hope the subversion and the militancy which ceased to be during the absence of Mr. President will continue to remain so.
Prof. Nguru is the Director/CEO, Nigeria Arabic Village, Ngala, Borno State.
