By Ali Abubakar Sadiq
Legends and myths, are reminiscences or remnants of the past that are regular features in human societies, from the cave-dwellers down to spage-age. President Muhammad Buhari became a legend soon after his exploits in the jungles of eastern Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war as Brigade Major of the Third Infantry by escaping death by whiskers from a rebel sniper bullet that killed the person next to him as reported in John Paden’s book. The three year civil war claimed the lives of 2-3 million others: through bullet, hunger and disease, but not the legend who was meant for far greater roles in the Nigerian Project.
Buhari’s legendary history continued after the civil war, as from Director of Transport for the army, General Murtala appointed him as Governor of the North-Eastern states. Obasanjo later appointed him as Federal Commissioner for petroleum and natural resources and the first Chairman of the newly created NNPC. Later on assumed the responsibilities of secretary and member of the Supreme Military Council.
By 1983 he became the only person to have commanded three out of the four divisions of the Nigerian army as GOC in 2nd Division Ibadan, Third Division Jos and Fourth Division Lagos.
When Abacha and Co made the 1983 coup they appointed Buhari as C-in-C and head of state. His resounding claim “Corrupt official and their agents will be brought to book” gave birth to an anti-corruption myth that will span a generation to come. Immediately, Buhari cut Shagari’s budget by 15%, halt capital projects, raised interest rates, cut imports and sacked 200,000 federal workers. Decree No 2 was promulgated and the mass arrest and trials began. The elites, including some in the Army started getting jittery while the cacophony of applause from the masses echoed across the land. The myth is born and so was the word “Buharism” meaning his political ideology during his stint as military dictator that found its way into the English language decades later.
Babangida’s palace coup in 1985 and subsequent imprisonment of Buhari helped in strengthening the Buhari Myth up to the advent of his foray into politics in the fourth republic. In 2003, 2007 and 2011 Buhari contested the presidency and lost. He cried publicly and announced his resignation from politics. The death of Yar’Adua, Jonathan ascension and his glaring incompetency forced many politicians, including Bola Tinubu, persuaded Buhari to come back.
The formidable APC alliance, thanks to the seven defectors from PDP and Asiwaju’s support, Buhari was finally elected president in 2015.
“I belong to everyone and belong to no one” resonates well with the euphoric public as Nigerians continue to expect perfect delivery of good governance from their assumed “Saviour”. Soon after, two of the contenders that slugged it out with him in the APC primaries, Atiku and Kwankwaso, were farsighted enough to realize the rudderless ship Nigerians had paid for, thus jumped ship. Buhari surrounded himself with master propagandists and merchants of deception that rolled out popular policies that is certain to feed our imagination as we continued our legendary voyage into the myth.
What escaped many of us, thanks to our euphoria, was how could anyone that vies 3 consecutive times for the presidency, spent six months unable to form his cabinet? The initial focus and commitment to fight Boko Haram, which proved to be a success in the beginning continued to fuel the myth to the extent that when labour called for a strike against petroleum products increase, for the first time in history, they were shunned.
The former petroleum Minister and Chairman of NNPC inherited 3 epileptic refineries but before his first term ended in 2019 they were all comatose. Power generation improved significantly but distribution continued to worsened. In the first four years, many Nigerians including myself continue to give Buhari the benefit of doubt. With the way and manner the 2019 elections were conducted, especially with the introduction of the “Inconclusive” and APC’s strong inclination to delegates voting or consensus instead of popular voting, leaves no one in doubt that democracy is being strangled systematically. The Babachir corruption case, re-appointment of Emefiele, Gandollar issue, televised accusation of late COS (Abba Kyari), recent pardon and release of convicted felons (Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame ) the removal of EFCC Boss (Ibrahim Magu), arrest of serving AGF (Ahmed Idris) and Anti crime detective (Abba Kyari) had clearly rubbished the anti-corruption stance of the present administration.
On the eve of the 2019 elections, something unprecedented in the history of politics throughout the world happened here in Nigeria, as the first Lady granted the BBC a full length interview de-campaigning her husband. Unfortunately we were madly in love with the myth to even listen to her caution.
Even though Boko Haram was weakened, another hydra-headed scourge as deadly, in the name of banditry and kidnap, had overran the North West including Buhari’s home state. When Buhari came in, petroleum prices had hit rock-bottom but as i write, those prices are on record level without anything to show for it but rising inflation and poverty in the land.
Buhari’s regime had the record of taking loans as DMO predicts its peaking at 45 Trillion in 2022 from the inherited 12 Trillion in 2015 as well as increasing petroleum prices more than any other regime in the past and forex exchange nose-dived from 197 in 2015 to 610 in 2022. The only high profile and visible infrastructure the president has commissioned in the country was the Lagos-Ibadan rail project, while Kano-Abuja and Lagos-Ibadan highways are still unfinished despite the humungous budget of over 40 Trillion in the last six years.
As 2023 elections approached, we have seen the horse-trading in the APC primaries, the covert plans by the Presidency and APC leadership to impose a candidate of their choice through consensus, a norm that APC in its eight years championed, receiving a death blow from Asiwaju. He foiled their plans with his outbursts last week in Abeokuta by reminding Buhari and the APC that he was instrumental in enthroning both to power. Their last attempt through Abdullahi Adamu’s NWC declaration of a consensus candidate also failed. APC, Buhari and Osibanjo were shamed by the master of the game, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He collected personal donation during the run-off to the 2015 elections but presided over APC’s exorbitant amount of 100 million for presidential contest form.
The whole lot of us, Christian and Muslims, we believed that God will eventually judge us in the hereafter for our responsibilities whether we discharged them or not. But lest not forget, God’s judgement doesn’t necessarily wait until judgment day, it also happen on earth and i belived God had judged Buhari in this world by according him the opportunity to rule Nigeria as a civilian for two terms. He was given strength like never before, ability to control the 9th National Assembly, with rising oil prices, while we were given 8 good years for us to see with our own eyes the lies and propaganda of Mambila Hydro Power, AKK, Roads and Rail lines promised, Nigeria Airways etc. besides the sham commissioning of Bauchi Petrol extraction and Baro Inland water port. Had Buhari died at the height of his illness in 2017, i am sure, another Hubbare (Dan Fodio’s tomb) would have been erected in Daura as we tropped enmasse to pay homage to a hero-legend. Alas, in eight short years, the half a century myth had been completely demystified.
Sadiq writes from Kano