Buhari is a team player – Ex-press secretary
Alhaji Wada Maida retired from public service more than a decade ago as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), after rising through several editorial positions. He was far from Nigeria as the Europe Correspondent of NAN when he was invited to the State House in Lagos and appointed as Press Secretary to the then Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari in January 1984. He tells other details of his appointment which enable him to work closely with Nigeria’s current president-elect. You worked with the presidentelect when he was a military head of state as his chief press secretary. What was your relationship with him in terms of work and other affairs?
I got into the country and went to the State House and I was told this was why I was asked to come. So, I took up the job. My first meeting with him to tell me what should not be part of my schedule which he said specifically that he does not want any publicity in relation to his family. He did not want it. He said it was strictly an official business. That basically was the brief I received. And of course I was the spokesman of the government. I went to work and I did what I was supposed to do.
It suggests that you did not know him before you were offered the job. It was not as if you curried the favour of the job to be given to you?
No. In terms of personal relations with him, no. The only connection I had with him was we attended the same secondary school, the Katsina Provincial Secondary School. But at different times? Yes, at different times. Two years after he left. Incidentally, he was the captain of the house I also belonged, the Magaji House. He was the head boy of the school. So, he was a very popular figure. Those of us that came behind him actually heard a lot about him. And for the second time, I knew him through his nephew Malam Mamman Daura. The third one was I was in India undergoing a post-graduate diploma in journalism at old India Institute of Mass Communication and he was coming to do a course in India. He had his first child then who was I think less than one month or two month. And he came with the wife and the child. And he was detained by the authorities because the child had no immunization. There was a diplomat called Yalwaji Azare at the Nigerian High Commission in India. I was close to him and he told me this was what happened. So, when the wife was detained in New Delhi for about a week or two, we used to go and see her. Yalwaji Azare took care of her while the then Brigadier Buhari proceeded to his course. That essentially was my relationship with him prior to the appointment. I was made to understand that I was recommended by one of his officer friend to be his press secretary.
Was it difficult or easy working with him?
Very easy! I think one thing I saw at the campaign headquarters is what the Americans called WWY, meaning “what you see is what you get.” Because for General Buhari, what you see is not what you get. Unless you come close to him, you really do not understand him. I found it easy to work with him because one, every morning his key personal staff have breakfast with him. We start work in the office around 7:30am. And before 7, we are all in the State House and we have breakfast with him every working day. That was the normal routine. And that was myself, the principal secretary, the personal secretary, the personal physician and his ADC. We kept to that routine every morning. And we close by around 5pm. And then we go back home with him and have dinner. Because we sit down and discuss with him, you can see that that kind of routine makes work with him very easy.
But that may not be possible under a political dispensation, because all sorts of politicians may be barging in, demanding attention, demanding the ears of the president. Don’t you think he may change?
Even at that time power attracts people. Even at that time people still barged in especially when we are having lunch and so on. But it was not possible during breakfast because it was so early. From breakfast we all go to the office. Whether it will be different with political dispensation, I cannot tell because I have not worked under him as civilian president.
What do you think he will be thinking of in terms of trying to assemble the kind of people that he wants around him for him to be an effective president?
I think General Buhari has a good circle of contacts. This will give him a good chance in selecting those people. If you remember in his cabinet in 1984-1985, he had distinguished people like Prof. Tam David West, Dr Bukar Shuaib, Rilwanu Lukman.
But it is a different ball game now because you have to go and start picking one minister from each state and the party wants a say?
Even though at that time there was the Supreme Military Council it did not play the role the party is playing now in terms of the appointment.
What do you think is going to happen now because is a different Buhari, a much older Buhari, he may not have as much energy as he used to have. He has to work with a legislature, all of that. How do you think it is likely to work now?
I think there is one thing that Buhari has adopted over the years. He is a team player. Sometimes you will think he gives people too much power. He is someone that if he gives you an assignment he does not want somebody to be interfering.
He wants you to allow that person assigned to do his job while you do your own. I think General Buhari has been misunderstood because he is a very hard working person. When we were in government like I told you, he worked from 7:30am to 5pm straight. After our lunch/supper, he go to play squash for an hour or so, when he has time to do it. And then if anything takes you back to the residence, you will find him on the table reading and taking decisions. And I tell you there was never one single memo throughout his 20 months, that was brought to the Supreme Military Council which Buhari has not read or asked questions before it was tabled.
I do not think the question of age will affect him. Probably his reading capacity has reduced, but I knew him to always be on top of things. Because what he does not want is someone to take advantage of him that was why he wants to be always in the know before he made up his mind.
He seems to be too concerned about corruption, because I was watching his speech when he received the certificate of return and I saw how his face hardened when he mentioned corruption and that they would put an end to those who think they have so much money through questionable means and think they want to buy the government. Don’t you think that may still scare people away?
I think Buhari’s leadership brings out clearly the role a leader can play in transforming societies. Because people who really did not know what happened between January 1984 and August 1985, always ascribed the hard stance of the government on corruption to other people not Buhari, particularly Idiagbon. If General Buhari was not at the helm of affairs of that government, nobody would have gone straight to the bedrock of corruption. And what I am sure of is that like someone said at one of the campaign rallies, the moment Buhari is announced as president, corruption will drop by 50 percent. That was what happened on Wednesday at the stock market and the value of the naira. People believe that this man is serious. Institutions will be strengthened and I am sure he would have an active EFCC and ICPC under him.
But it will not be to the extent of him being seen more like a strongman dictator who had cowed everybody even under a civilian administration?
Buhari is a very compassionate person. He is somebody who is just and wants equity. I can tell you that during our time in government, there were people who were in the government but their brothers were detained. But they could not interfere with the process. That was what he said on Wednesday that nobody will be above the law no matter how high you are.
You said he was also a compassionate person. In what way?
I think General Buhari is a very compassionate person. This is because anything that affects his staff, Buhari will be concerned. Like I said, I have been with General Buhari now for 32 years. As a result of that he is now like my senior brother, not someone I work for. There is nothing that happens around me that General Buhari does not take interest. This is what he does to all people he works or associates with.