NIGERIANS ARE UNRULY : MAY 29, 2015 AND 1ST OCTOBER, 2015 – Muhammadu Buhari
Recall that on October 1, 2015, Nigeria’s
President Muhammadu Buhari in his independence day broadcast called
Nigerians unruly people who do not like to obey rules and regulations.
He went further to say progress could not happen without a change in
citizens’ attitudes. The BBC and other
international media immediately started raising fundamental questions
about the comments of President Buhari on that occasion. The first
question that came to my mind when I heard the statement from Buhari
was: when did he suddenly become a good Nigerian? Because the Buhari we
all know has always been unruly throughout his entire life. He was
unruly as a soldier by staging a coup against a democratically-elected
government and suspending the constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. You will agree with me that it is only unruly soldiers who
would do that. More questions to Presdient Buhari Is this the same
unruly Buhari who, on May 15, 2012, in Kaduna promised to soak Nigerians
in blood if he did not win the 2015 elections, or was it some other
Buhari? In his exact words: “If what happened in 2011 [alleged rigging]
should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon
would all be soaked in bloo”. You will, of course, agree with me that
it is only unruly citizens that threaten bloodbath in their country if
they do not win elections. Is this the same Buhari who has promoted
religious and tribal sentiments in the past above national interest, or
was it some other Buhari? You will agree with me that it is only unruly
citizens who promote tribal and religious sentiments above national
interests. Is this the same Buhari who never conceded defeat at any of
the elections he lost between 2003 and 2011, no matter how free and fair
the elections were deemed even by credible international observers? Is
this the same Buhari who, by his various outbursts and actions, is
responsible for the killing of more than 1,000 Nigerians by the hands of
his supporters? You will agree with me that it is only an unruly
citizen that could have uttered such words to his supporters at the
Minna rally in 2011: “Go out and vote on election day, escort your
votes, make sure your votes count. Anyone who tries to rig or manipulate
the process or even try to stop you, kill him”. Is this the same Buhari
who refused to appear before the Oputa Panel, or was it some other
Buhari? Is this the same Buhari who was planning to form a parallel
government if he had lost the 2015 general elections, or was it some
other Buhari? You will agree with me that only lawless citizens threaten
to form parallel governments against constituted democratic government
of their countries. It is only an unruly president who is chanting
change that will block Abuja road for more than half an hour because his
convoy wants to pass, and subject motorists to untold hardship, as seen
in this amateur video which was posted on the Internet just recently.
It is only an unruly president that will detain people without trial,
like Nnamdi Kanu, a pro-Biafra agitator, has been locked up without
trial or charge. You will agree with me that a decent and law-abiding
president would have charged Kanu, allowed him access to his family and
lawyer, or at most brought a charge against him by now. It is also only
unruly people who invade people’s houses with the sole intention of
implicating them for crimes they have not committed and detain them for
over 24hrs on Sallah day because of vendetta, as was done to the former
national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Looking for someone to blame
President Buhari also keeps shouting Nigerians are corrupt wherever he
goes. My question is simple: is it Nigerians that have been looting this
country since the 1970s when he was petroleum minister, in the 80s when
he was head of state, and in the 90s when he served under Abacha — or
is it our leaders? This nation has gone beyond the primitiveness
witnessed under Buhari when he was a military head of state. He should
get over his juvenile military behaviours; they can never happen again
under a democracy. Nigerians will never do frog jumps if they are late
for work again. Enforced queueing which he implemented for the purchase
of food items can never happen again. Nigerians are very much aware of
Buhari’s tendencies to return to his old habits since old habits die
hard and will do anything to guard this democracy. President Buhari,
please start building foundation for our future Yes, I agree with
President Buhari that change does not just happen. We have to make it
happen. That is why he, the president, must change his habits first and
become a changed man, a democrat, use the best democratic ways to build
institutions and then strengthen such institutions to enforce laws and
ensure order.
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