The ideal leader for Nigeria in these trying times
It is endemic in Nigerians to gainsay and complain against their leaders. No one has ruled this country without being bastardised or condemned. No one has escaped the venomous criticism of the public. No one was appreciated by us. Right from our independence, starting from our first prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, up to President Muhammadu Buhari of today, our leaders have been variously condemned for one reason or another.
All the heads of state that have led this country so far received unsavoury remarks that dented their achievements and images. What puzzles me is that, among all these leaders, no one deserved commendation and appreciation in the society. And they were also products of the society.
In Nigeria, leaders are judged by their religion, region, ethnic group or tribe, not by their achievements or merit. Unfortunately, our first assessment of any leader is based on where he comes from and the religion he professes. If that leader is not from our own side of the divide, then whatever he does will not impress us. They will rather look for his shortcomings, failures or defects.
The prime minister, who was known for patriotism and a sagacious personality, was killed unjustifiably. General Aguiyi Ironsi was killed on the charge of sectionalism and tribalism. General Yakubu Gowon was toppled in a military coup. General Murtala Muhammad was murdered in a cold blood. Up till now we don’t know the reason for that brutal murder. Olusegun Obasanjo handed over power to Shehu Shagari but not without accusations. Shagari was ousted in a military takeover. General Muhammad Buhari was removed. General Ibrahim Babangida handed over power involuntarily. He did so under pressure because of June 12, introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), Zangon Kataf crisis, devaluation of the naira and so on. The Chief Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government was short-lived. General Sani Abacha died in power, There was a lot of agitations or discontent during his time because of his plan to hold on to power against the people’s wish. General Abdulsalami Abubakar did not stay long in power as he handed over to Obasanjo again. He handed over power involuntarily because there were a lot of clamour and dissatisfaction against him. Other things like retiring soldiers, mostly from other parts of the country, also worked against him.
Umaru Yar’adua’s tenure was also shortlived as he died in office. Within the time he led, he was called all sorts of names. Goodluck Jonathan, who took over from him, was also called unprintable names. And our Buhari came on board again.
To be candid, some of the leaders mentioned above did not perform well, but others performed wonderfully. We should not put all of them in one basket. It is not possible for all of them to be graded as inapt and inept.
Having said all these, the questions I would like Nigerians to answer are: Who do we want as a leader? What are the qualities we want any person who wants to rule this country to have?
Although we are governed by sentiments in this country, I want to say that we have come of age to outgrow these weaknesses and debilities. We must discontinue with them. Why don’t we take some countries in the world as our guide? For instance, among African countries, we have Ghana, which is also a multi-religious and multi tribal country. They have Muslims and Christians living together peacefully. It is the same thing in Niger Republic. In India, you will see mosques, churches, synagogues, temples and so on. Followers of all these religions are happily living together and coalescing into a single force when it comes to choosing their leaders. In Malaysia, you have the Malays, Indians, Chinese and other people living in unity. In some Asian countries, one will see the followers of many religions living together, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, Hindus, Jews and so on. In some places, you find followers of Taoism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Bahaism, Zoroastrianism and so on living as one people and one nation. Why is this not possible in our beloved country, Nigeria?
Furthermore, which system of government do we desire or prefer? Is it democracy, aristocracy, egalitarianism, or dictatorship, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, fascism, military junta, kingdom, imperialism or technocracy?
A renowned historian of Africa, the late Professor Ali Mazrui of Tanzania said that in Nigeria, during military rule we tilted towards dictatorship but moved towards anarchy during civilian rule. Well, to me, civilian rule is the solution, but we must do away with all the sentiments I earlier mentioned.
In the light of the aforementioned, I feel it is not incongruous for me to comment briefly on anyone of the leaders. This will be in accordance with my personal view. Being a Nigerian, I am entitled to my opinion.
I suggest that President Buhari is the person who can extricate this country from the economic and social entanglement we found ourselves. Buhari held very lucrative and juicy positions in this country and still remained an average Nigerian in terms of wealth. Buhari is the only president who is patriotic and honest. He is the only leader who denounced corruption and is fighting it vehemently. He is fighting terrorism seriously. Under the Buhari administration, many Nigerians got employment in various ministries, agencies and departments in the country. It is, therefore, not true that there is no employment during this government.
The Social Investment Plan from the Office of the Vice President has never been done in this country. Look at the N’Power programme going on in the country. This programme started in 2016, where about 200,000 volunteers were engaged.
I have no doubt that if Nigerians support Buhari, he will do more. The volunteers now receive N30,000 every month. He has redeemed the name of our country abroad. He is the first Nigerian president to be acclaimed by African heads of state. He also got commendation from the American president.
Our army has restored their lost glory, and the artificial farmers/herdsmen clashes have now vanished. Our balance in the TSA has hit N13.53 trillion. That’s fantastic. .