The Guardian (Nigeria)

Is President Buhari re- beginning May 29, 2015?

- By Tony Afejuku

TODAY, Friday, May 29, 2020 transports our country and GMB’S presidency back to this same day in 2015. It was also a Friday, a Friday which ushered GMB, PMB, as I then sentimenta­lly styled him, into his presidency. Of course, since then our president has been fondly and universall­y known by my sentient coinage, by my sentient abbreviati­on, which I have since re- abbreviate­d to GMB after the last presidenti­al election characteri­zed by military and Gestapo methods that sprouted the president’s colours as a soldier and ex- general of our fantastic Army that can’t crush Boko Haram, the iron terror of the north east of our country. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidenti­al candidate in the last presidenti­al election ‘ lost’ to the incumbent not because he truly lost but because of the electoral nightmares deliberate­ly created, sustained, launched and directed at the head, mind and body of the collective opposition, which included the collective of voters and judiciary. In other words, force cowed voters and supporters of the opposition and the judiciary. What does this tell me? It is precisely that our president was precisely callous in his use of the advantage of incumbency negatively and inhumanly against the people contrary to the grand emotions of happiness and hope he gave us this same moment and time in 2015. Perhaps our president wants to reawaken in us new emotions and memories that ushered in for us and him radiant thoughts on Friday, May 29, 2015. Perhaps our president wants to reawaken in our country emotions and memories of happy dreams that wrenched the presidency from Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Perhaps now he means very patriotica­lly to start a new presidenti­al epoch that will thrust our current debasement into patriotism that is patriotism of dreams of happiness and of beauty. Perhaps he now wants to give our country the catholicon it badly needs.

Why am I saying all this?

About a week ago, GMB who wishes our radical company to revert to our PMB nomenclatu­re for him signed an executive bill giving financial independen­ce, financial freedom, financial autonomy, financial authority, financial influence, financial power to our judiciary and legislatur­e. Without any superfluou­s remark or commentary and with perfect warmth devoid of lacklustre sensibilit­ies, I say and insist that we should give the president our commendati­on for downsizing, for ‘ restructur­ing’ the financial power of our imperial governors many of whom rightly we can call moronicall­y imperial governors of horror whose horrific knives have wounded the financial resources of our respective states. While the iron governors of horrors are reportedly sad and lachrymose over this novel developmen­t, the speakers of the states’ parliament­s are brilliantl­y happy and are full to the brim with the vitality of happy happiness. As for the judiciary, silence is the word, the kind of silence that the accustomed praetorial uncommunic­ativeness of judges underlines. But their torrents of joy are certainly undergoing interrogat­ion of judicial justice in their well- guarded lips of pretty taciturnit­y. No potential traitor of a governor will frighten and corrupt their clean hearts and minds of justice any more. This is not by any means to suggest that there will be no fallen judicial angels among them. But shall we ever get decisive proof of this our novel hopeful season for our legislatur­e

Is this Friday, May 29 a new May 29 that is going to underline President Buhari’s new turn of mind? Will he now restructur­e his mind and excise every iota and ounce of nepotism and favouritis­m and ethnic bigotry therein? Will he now cease to terrorize us by way of halting the menace of brigands and Fulani herdsmen everywhere especially in the south and middle- belt of our dear country? and judiciary? Is this Friday, May 29 a new May 29 that is going to underline President Buhari’s new turn of mind? Will he now restructur­e his mind and excise every iota and ounce of nepotism and favouritis­m and ethnic bigotry therein? Will he now cease to terrorize us by way of halting the menace of brigands and Fulani herdsmen everywhere especially in the south and middle- belt of our dear country? Will he put a true halt to his alleged encouragem­ent and support of the Fulani daredevils called Fulani herdsmen? Does GMB now want to be a true president and supreme patriot who must have a clean and clear conscience as president of our country hence forwards? If he is re- beginning May 29 of 2015 from now on he and his lieutenant­s, cronies, acolytes and kitchen or inner parlour cabinet in power and authority and spaces of influence must be possessed of honeyed voices and flourishin­g patriotic means to put an end to un- justified human ignominy in our country. All of us are aware that there is a strong revolution­ary sentiment in the country today. Whispered and un- whispered propaganda tortures and torments us each day as several militant groups and organizati­ons give us this impression in precise terms that blacken our hearts that gradually nurse thoughts that they should not nurse.

Again, very recently, precisely on Monday of this ending week, this paper’s front page led with this report: “Panic as Buhari Probes Abba Kyari’s office, others.” If this is true, if this can happen I will truly believe that Mr. President, our one and only Buhari, who is truly and truly one of a kind, is turning a new leaf. If the reported event can ever see the light of day, I truly will believe that GMB will become the PMB that wants to re- begin Friday, May 29, 2015. Has he at last been admitted into the knowledge that all the elements and things that impeded his Friday, May 29, 2015 victorious march into Aso Rock and his presidency are hidden somewhere in Aso Rock and the presidency? Has he now gained true and patriotic perspicaci­ty and circumspec­tion of watchful presidenti­al power and authority? Does he now want to be our truly and sincerely prudent president? These are not addressed to him and his followers as mere rhetorical questions that are merely rhetorical. President Buhari, if need be, must pull out the nails of those whose nails must be pulled out in order to make them talk when the probe and interrogat­ion begin. All those who have impeded his presidency since 2015 by way of taking advantage of his niceness and good health that has not been good enough for him to run his presidency as he envisaged it since Friday, May 29, 2015 must be known, brought to account for their respective acts of treasonabl­e betrayal and discharged from their duty posts accordingl­y. But does he have the pluckiness to resist them and do to them what he must do to them as a fearless military general and a constituti­onal president who, and must do so in accordance with the tenets of loyalty to this land, our dear land that must be corrupted no more?

By the way, who, for example, are those in the presidency and in the respective Ministries, Department­s and Agencies ( MDAS) who have flagrantly been compelling members of the Academic Staff of Universiti­es ( ASUU) to have their backs to the wall? Who are all the bad Nigerians who want our universiti­es to die? Who are the bad Nigerians who are stifling the correct tertiary education of our children thereby denying our country’s educationa­l advancemen­t in the right direction? And who, too, are those who are killing our public hospitals and health system generally? And who are those who are happily happy to destroy our economy and energy and power sector( s)? How nice it will be for many of them to be found out We want them to be caught by President Buhari’s probe. We want to know them, GMB, as we wish you to give us a new beginning and epoch starting from today. President Buhari should make our country our country. Will he? Can he?

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