President Mohammadu Buhari was not scrambled out of his hibernation in Abuja House, London, scampering to Nigeria. Nay! He left for a purpose, which the nation saw and heard in his national broadcast since returning to Nigeria, after 103 days medical vacation.
Despite that he still remains unwell – thanks to their lies about office fumigation/rodents and working from home, he came back to speak to Nigerians in the strongest possible terms.
And in doing so, he never minced his words. True to his taciturn nature, he spoke for about five minutes.
At 7a.m, August 21, 2017, as lanky as ever, the president appeared before the nation, even before he transmitted a letter to the National Assembly on his arrival. He referred to Nigerians as ‘‘My dear citizens’’ (sic), instead of Fellow Citizens or Fellow Countrymen/women. That’s is, even before he regained his position as the sitting president of Nigeria. ‘‘He does not own Nigerians exclusively’’, many have argued.
Nigerians speculated and expected much from the national broadcast. They expected that they would be told the cause of their president’s illness; whether there will be further medical follow-ups overseas; some words of gratitude for our prayers, before even they were brazenly chastised in a military fashion in that broadcast.
It was clear that the soul of that broadcast was to decisively deal with Biafran agitators. Regarding the menace of criminal herdsmen, the address presented it as a feud between two parties: farmers versus herdsmen clashes. Then there was also a mention of kidnapping and Boko Haram. In an indirect reference to the Northern youth’s quit notice to other Nigerians, the president said ‘‘every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.
But regarding the Biafran agitation, the president reminded Nigerians of the private discussion he had with his visitor, Chief Emeka Ojukwu, in 2003, at a time the nascent democracy glistened the hearts of Nigerians with joyful hope for their future. ‘‘Over two days’’, the concerned citizens ‘‘discussed in great depth till late in the night and analysed the problems of Nigeria’’. They agreed that Nigeria must remain one and united. That was in 2003, when Nigerians were hopeful.
Nowadays, the circumstances of Nigerians considerably changed, due to the failure successive governments, from then, to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of many. President Buhari told Nigerians the logical conclusion he agreed with his two-day visitor in Daura, Katsina State. He said emphatically that Nigeria’s unity is settled and not negotiable. Like, ‘‘Gaskiya!’’ And the next day, he began to ready his military for a crackdown.
Although many of us – the so called pro-Nigerians – believe in the indivisibility of Nigeria, the fate of almost 180-million Nigerians cannot be hinged on a two-day private discussion between a concerned host and his concerned guest. Such a thing doesn’t happen.
As if to add insult to injury, the president said that the matter is settled. Like a pure case of ‘‘school dismiss! Hurray!’’ And within 24-hours, the military assembled itself for a crackdown on citizens who express opposing views other than the president’s, including what is now generally termed ‘‘hate speech’’.
Between 2003 and 2012, and then mostly 2013 to 2015, Nigerians used what was known as ‘‘the freedom of speech’’ to scramble the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led federal government out of office, which president Buhari was the main beneficiary. So many caricatures of the former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ), many of them zombies, still litter the social media, especially those by ‘‘electronic-rats’’ [e-rats] made out of him.
All Progressives Congress party (APC) coasted to electoral victory, in 2015, on the back of social media propaganda, under the guise of freedom of speech. Had General Mohammadu Buhari made his infamous ‘‘Baboon and Monkey soaking in blood’’ in this era when ‘‘freedom of speech’’ morphed into ‘‘hate speech’’, he could have probably cooling off in jail or had some sort of disapprobation. Times change really.
In many civilised societies, such as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the different peoples often have the urge to divorce their union. This is why the Scotts asked and got referendum. And they are ready to have a go at it again, despite that the last one isn’t up to five years.
As soon as the Scotland got hold of the referendum they asked for, the UK government moved in to provide counter narratives. While Scottish referendum campaign centred on the things that divided them – their differences, the UK government amplified the things that united them – their similarities. At the end, after the referendum was lost and won, Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
So, after staying for about 150-days, altogether, in the UK, Nigerians expected their president to have had some sort of hand-outs – like hearing from the horse’s mouth.
It is something repugnant to justice to therefore weld, with impunity, unwilling people together, without any form of consultation or dialogue, not even for the purpose of socio-economic structural adjustment.
The year 2016/17 has been a far cry from 2003, when concerned hosts and guests private talks meant something. Chief Emeka Ojukwu wasn’t an emissary of his people to General Buhari in Duara. General Buhari in Duara wasn’t the government of the day. And what if Chief Ojukwu was what he wasn’t as at that time, like a deity? It is still possible for his people, judging by the present circumstances, ‘‘to point to his face and show him the wood from which he was carved out from’’, as a matter of an Igbo proverb.
The bottom line of the matter is that Nigerians have the right to express themselves within the law on whatever tickles their emotions. They have the rights to self-determination, which include the right to question their continued membership of the Nigerian union, as presently constituted. And it is the duty of the government to provide answers to the numerous questions bugging the hearts of Nigerians.
From the desk of Nigerian government, and rightly so, the unity of Nigeria is settled. But there is a moral and social burden of responsibility to it. Government must prove it, in order to relief itself.
When next a president returns from medical vacation, which cost the earth, Nigerians will want to know in figure of merit the cost on tax payers, especially as billions of naira had already been earmarked for the State House clinic and the National hospitals. Nigerians pay the president’s medical bills. So, they ought to know how much they cost, including the stationing costs of presidential aircraft at Heathrow Airport for such a long period and other comforts.
While this presidential address still peppers Nigerians, the presidential media team – reputed for keeping Nigerians speculative – told Nigerians that mice invaded and took over the president’s office. As the media Adviser told this blatant lie, he forgot that it could come back to him. If the president isn’t fit enough to run the affairs of the nation, we should be told.
By the way, it isn’t anymore the eviction and the problems from political ‘‘Hyenas and Jackals’’, but a menace from mere ‘‘rodents’’. Nigerians wonder why the fumigation of rodents was not proactively done while the Lion King was away for 103-days.
All of a sudden, as he returned, the management decided to fumigate and renovate, which forced the president to use an adjoining room in his private residence as a temporary office. Later, there was the impromptu cancellation of the Federal Executive Council meeting, in order to receive the report of a probe panel on suspended Secretary to the Federal Government, Babachir Lawal and the suspended Director of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke.
The logic of these tales –be they true or false – is what is fuelling these speculations on Mr President’s true state of health. President Buhari’s media team is the dumbest media team in Nigeria’s history. Rodents wont defeat Nigerians.
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