President Barack Obama recently reportedly told his Canadian counterpart that President Muhammadu Buhari was doing such a “good job” in running the country. Expectedly, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was elated by this. After all, it is not every day that the leader of the world (literally) gives anyone a pat on the back. Obama never said anything close to this when he met former President Goodluck Jonathan. Or did he? And an assessment by the leader of the free world must, therefore, be viewed seriously.
So, yes, I understand the gloating by the APC. And, perhaps, Buhari is actually doing a great job but people would have issues with that first because even that trip for a nuclear summit to the United States largely was seen as unnecessary. So, the first thing Obama should note is there are Nigerians who think his friend, the new Nigerian leader, is not such a great guy for travelling too much. In fact, some feel that he is either suffering from a peculiar air borne ailment or he is escaping the crisis at home, which are almost becoming intractable. If President Obama had been listening, he would have noted that the trips are becoming a butt of many jokes. Buhari gets admonished every day to stay more at home and deal with internal issues.
Back to that Nuclear Summit in the US, Nigerians don’t even understand what business we have with it, in the first place. They have a saying for that (wetin concern agbero with overload) meaning what is a nation like ours doing with nuclear matters. The plausible ex
President Barack Obama recently reportedly told his Canadian counterpart that President Muhammadu Buhari was doing such a “good job” in running the country. Expectedly, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was elated by this. After all, it is not every day that the leader of the world (literally) gives anyone a pat on the back. Obama never said anything close to this when he met former President Goodluck Jonathan. Or did he? And an assessment by the leader of the free world must, therefore, be viewed seriously.
So, yes, I understand the gloating by the APC. And, perhaps, Buhari is actually doing a great job but people would have issues with that first because even that trip for a nuclear summit to the United States largely was seen as unnecessary. So, the first thing Obama should note is there are Nigerians who think his friend, the new Nigerian leader, is not such a great guy for travelling too much. In fact, some feel that he is either suffering from a peculiar air borne ailment or he is escaping the crisis at home, which are almost becoming intractable. If President Obama had been listening, he would have noted that the trips are becoming a butt of many jokes. Buhari gets admonished every day to stay more at home and deal with internal issues.
Back to that Nuclear Summit in the US, Nigerians don’t even understand what business we have with it, in the first place. They have a saying for that (wetin concern agbero with overload) meaning what is a nation like ours doing with nuclear matters. The plausible excuse that we can address the current light problem with it fell on deaf ears. Many Nigerians believe we should rather be harnessing all the other energy from the sun, gas and water to generate enough electricity. They believe it is a waste of time junketing round the globe trying to find eclectic solutions where simple ones would suffice. If Obama had bothered to observe, he would have noticed too that Buhari constantly travels with the National Security Adviser (NSA). Unless Obama equally travels with his Secretary of Defence or other equivalent of the NSA, he would have found that curious. Why should a country dealing with one of the deadliest insurgency in the world, have its NSA constantly out? Well, it has also been explained that the man can work from anywhere much as we were once told the president can run the country from anywhere he wants. But many Nigerians would have preferred to have their president and the NSA here, if anything, to relish the psychological satisfaction that their leaders are around. Again, may be Obama believed Buhari is doing a great job because he (Buhari) is significantly burnishing the image of Nigeria. There is something about a gaunt, stoic and grave looking man standing tall among world leaders. Instructing them that a new Sherriff runs the show is one of the messages. Who is not proud of the spectre of a strong leader, getting respectful glances from top world leaders?
Personally, I see how Buhari, with almost an air of pride, shuffles around business and political leaders around the globe. But, in a jiffy, the optics change to the long fuel queues, the darkness and all the other ills and you start to wonder how these presidential trips are helping us.cuse that we can address the current light problem with it fell on deaf ears. Many Nigerians believe we should rather be harnessing all the other energy from the sun, gas and water to generate enough electricity. They believe it is a waste of time junketing round the globe trying to find eclectic solutions where simple ones would suffice. If Obama had bothered to observe, he would have noticed too that Buhari constantly travels with the National Security Adviser (NSA). Unless Obama equally travels with his Secretary of Defence or other equivalent of the NSA, he would have found that curious. Why should a country dealing with one of the deadliest insurgency in the world, have its NSA constantly out? Well, it has also been explained that the man can work from anywhere much as we were once told the president can run the country from anywhere he wants. But many Nigerians would have preferred to have their president and the NSA here, if anything, to relish the psychological satisfaction that their leaders are around. Again, may be Obama believed Buhari is doing a great job because he (Buhari) is significantly burnishing the image of Nigeria. There is something about a gaunt, stoic and grave looking man standing tall among world leaders. Instructing them that a new Sherriff runs the show is one of the messages. Who is not proud of the spectre of a strong leader, getting respectful glances from top world leaders?
Personally, I see how Buhari, with almost an air of pride, shuffles around business and political leaders around the globe. But, in a jiffy, the optics change to the long fuel queues, the darkness and all the other ills and you start to wonder how these presidential trips are helping us.
Obama probably believes Buhari deserves applause because of his well-publicised war on corruption (kwaraption, as he likes to call it). Like a puritan, the nation’s leader has effectively sold the image of an anti-graft crusader around the globe. And like him or hate him, the president’s sermons are paying off well. Decency is getting restored in public service here at home, largely because crooks are now more scared of touching the till. And around the world too confidence is being restored. But Obama would be aghast to hear another view of the throng, who believe the president is just being vindictive in his war. Not a few hold that the current travails of former NSA Col. Dasuki Sambo (retd.), for instance, is all about vengeance. There is a conspiracy theory that, in the case of Dasuki, it is even personal. What further seems to support this position, in the eyes of many, is the fact that the president has vehemently opposed any bail for Dasuki. The offence, some experts say, is a bail able one but Buhari in a horrifying interview on national television said those offence are too grievous to fall under any cosy theory of what is bail-able or not. Some people have even wondered what becomes of the time honoured maxim that a man is innocent until proven otherwise by a court of law. Buhari doesn’t seem interested in all of that. Obama would be shocked to find out that his new found pal doesn’t, at times, believe in court orders. So if a court sets you free and Buhari is not in the right mood, he can demur and keep his jailbird. Besides, the judiciary is now his biggest headache. Elsewhere in the world, that body would be any president’s closest ally in the war against graft because, I mean, how else would you fight corruption if not through the courts? But even as I write this I’m not unmindful of what the courts can do to impede justice. A rich crook could buy up the judges or get lawyers versed in the science of forensics to re-do documents. I can understand the frustrations of trying to hold down a rich crook that has the means to influence cases in the media and procure public sympathy. Sometimes, I feel the president misses his khaki days when all he would have done is set up a tribunal and throw people in jail. Oh, how he long to imprison some people. I’m sure the president wonders aloud how democracy and the rule of law has crippled him. The freedom of speech may be equally confounding for a man who once designed the Decree 4. A quick reading would tell Obama that there was a time Buhari couldn’t take differing public opinion. He has since become a born again democrat and the leader of a country that prides itself as a bastion of a free press. Yet, even now, only a few dare criticise this president the way we all did good old Jonathan.
Buhari got that praise too, probably, because he is tough on crime and terror. Yet many are quick to say criminality is on the rise here. An army colonel was recently kidnapped and found dead hours later. Fulani herdsmen and farmers are doing a sequel to the Rwandan genocides almost unfettered. People are aghast that this could be happening in a country where a former general runs the show. Before then, some worshippers were brutally killed when the nation’s head of the army said his convoy was stopped. And even the war on terror is said to be shrouded in mystery. Although, the president said he has defeated the insurgents, they are out there, saying he is lying.
Again, in all honesty, even the biggest critics of the president would agree that the bombs are not detonating like before and territories are no longer under the black flags of the insurgents. The military checkpoints all over town are frightening reminders though that we are still in the woods. Essentially, what appears to remain now is the Chibok girls’ debacle. While the president says he doesn’t have any intelligence report about their whereabouts, his army recently said they had them in sight. They then promptly denied that too. Are the girls still in the dreaded Sambisa forest or are they out of captivity? No one knows. In a way, the girls have become the ultimate test for Buhari’s claim that he has defeated terrorism.
That Obama praise was probably predicated on Buhari’s effort at revamping the economy. But here is where many believe the president is failing or has failed. The economy is in a tailspin. The naira has crashed in a bad way. Yet some people hold that the president is actually doing his best, considering the rot he said he inherited. Obama thinks so too but for many Nigerians, the president’s best is not good enough for now.
