'I will make the Naira equal to the Dollar', 'I will pay five thousand naura monthly stipend to unemployed and vulnerable Nigerians', etc.
These, and many more, were the promises made by President Buhari while soliciting votes during the 2015 electioneering period. Suffice it to add that there were many other promises made including forming a cabinet within a short time frame, building one million housing units per year and paying sums of money to senior citizens (I heard this from the APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun during one of the campaign rallies). Nigerians, obviously thrilled by thus manifesto, eagerly moved to the Buhari-led APC camp with the hope that, finally, 'change' was coming to Nigeria. Buhari, who rode on the wings of anti-corruption, became the messiah Nigerians had been seeking. Perhaps, God nade him lise election three previous times in order to prepare him for such a grand victory. The age factor could not stop him, hate speeches could not stop him, the absence of his secondary school leaving certificate could not stop him. The international community apparently supported him. Indeed, it appeared that if there was a time for Nigeria to be great again, it was then.
In a sharp turn of events, when President Buhari had won the Presidency and shortly before he was sworn in as President, he began to tell Nigerians not to expect a miracle from him. Quite frankly, with that statement, he had begun to set himself for failure. As a leader, he should have tried to give Nigerians hope. Besides, he had started limiting his possibilities because hus mindset had become limited. Moreover, Nigerians only voted him because they expected a miracle from him. If not, they would have remained with Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President. It would be difficult to believe that Buhari did not know this while contesting, especially with the promise if making the Naira equal to the Dollar. This statement raises questions about Buhari's sincerity.
Furthermore, Buhari seems to have committed a 'sin' too many. One of them is that he reneged on his promise of paying five thousand Naira monthly as stipends to unemployed and vulnerable Nigerians. President Buhari openly declared that he would not carry out the project, rather, he would channel the miney for more infrastructural development. The problem with this plan, hiwever good it might sound, is that the message being sent to Nigerians is that they were lied to by Buhari during his campaign. Thus,calling to question his sincerity.
Another'sin' of Buhari is his frequent travels. It is so much that he is at times being referred to (though mockingly) as 'Minister of Tourism'. Others say that Buhari only comes for a short holiday in Nigeria, after which he would travel again and resume duties. There are two major faults that can be found with this action. The first is that Nigeria is broke (a fact frequently reiterated by Buhari) and as such, why will the President spend so much on overseas transportation whenthe country is broke. The second fault is that Nigerians keep wondering what these trips embarked on profit Nigeria. In other words, is it necessary to always travel? No doubt, a lot of trips bear importance to Nigerians, but Nigerians are yet to be convinced on some trips.
Another 'sin' of Buhari is his delay in forming his cabinet. He had earlier promised to form his cabinet in a short time. He was sworn-in as President in May, 2015, and it took him almost six months(1/8 of his tenure) before forming his cabinet. Surely, six months cannot be said to be short in this regard. This delay, and some other actions, earned him the nickname "baba go-slow". The problem with this slowness is that it calls to question his preparedness for governance as opposed to all he had said during his campaign.
An additional 'sin' of Buhari is his anti-corruption war. Ordinarily, it is good to be an anti-corruption czar. It was upon the wings of anti-corruption that he (Buhari) won the election. However, the perception among many Nigerians,of the anti-corruption crusade is that it is selective and a witch-hunt of those who are not in the good books of the ruling party (APC). This perception is not unfounded, having regard to the people so far indicted. In addition to the alleged selective witch-hunt, there has been a flagrant disobedience to court orders. Take the case of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd). He was arrested, inter alia, for an alleged $2.1 billion arms deal scandal since the last quarter of 2015. Up till now he has been in prison despite having about three bails from different courts. The reason behind the refusal to release Dasuki is not far-fetched from the fact that the President (Buhari) is not disposed to Dasuki's release. In fact, in a media chat, Buhari, when asked about the failure to release Dasuki, stated that Dasuki could not be granted bail. This statement was inconsistent with the various Court orders and, thereby making Buhari assume judicial powers (as the Court of Appeal). This is the same situation with the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu who was arrested since last year and has not been released despite being granted bail. This begs the question whether he (Buhari) still has the autocratic traits he possessed while as military Head of State.
On the promise of building one million housing units yearly, the President has again come out to say that it may not be possible. He however said that it may be possible with a joint effort between the Presidency, the twenty three APC State Governors and the Private Sector. The question to ask is...
To be continued.
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