If one were to decode the guiding principle of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential ambitions, it would be this: “If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up until you have failed three more times on the trot.”
Nigerians don’t want Muhammadu Buhari to be our president. We have said this repeatedly since 1999. But Buhari simply refuses to take “No” for an answer. When is he finally going to get the message that an overwhelming majority of Nigerians don’t want him?
Buhari is the last of yesterday’s men who insist that a country of 170 million people must continue to rely on the leadership of the same old and failed generation. Nigerians have already put paid to the presumptions of Olusegun Obasanjo; who wanted a fourth term; Ibrahim Babangida; who stepped aside and wanted to step back in; and Atiku Abubakar, who runs a marathon for the presidency. Buhari is the last of these recalcitrant dinosaurs. The one good thing about the coming presidential election is that it is likely to provide Nigerians with a final definitive opportunity to send him permanently into retirement.
Buhari’s repeated failure to secure a national mandate provides a textbook case of how not to run for the presidency in a plural country like Nigeria. This is a compendium of some of the reasons why the Nigerian presidency will forever elude men like Buhari, inspite of all the song and dance that attends their candidacies. If anybody would like to be a serial loser of the presidential election in Nigeria, here is a list of what he needs to do; according to the blueprint of Muhammadu Buhari.
Be an enemy of democracy
Claim you are anti-corruption but steal the presidency of the entire country through an illegal and fraudulent military coup. Claim you are a democrat after you overthrew a democratically elected government in 1983 and made yourself Head of State without the consent of the people of Nigeria. As military Head of State, refuse to entertain any plan for a return to civilian rule. Tell Nigerians that anyone who discusses a return to civil rule would be arrested.
Overthrow a government, but be more against the opposition than the government in power. Establish manhunts for key politicians in the length and breadth of the country. Nevertheless, allow key elements of the ruling NPN to escape out of the country, including party chairman, Richard Akinloye; legal counsel, Richard Akinjide; and Minister of Transport, Umaru Dikko. Allow the Secretary-General of the party, Uba Ahmed, to escape abroad, even after he had mistakenly returned to the country and was arrested and jailed.
Violate human rights: Promulgate the infamous Decree 2 that makes even the reporting of the truth a punishable offence. Use it to imprison Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabo, two journalists from the South, for reporting stories that were factually true. Then tell Nigerian journalists: “It does not matter whether the story reported was true or not, if my regime does not like it, the writer would go to jail.”
Try Nigerian civilians in military tribunals as opposed to regular courts of law in violation of internationally acceptable legal norms. Create a secret police, the National Security Organization (NSO) for the first time in Nigeria’s history under infamous Lawal Rafindadi to harass and imprison without trial Nigerian citizens in clear violation of their human rights.
Publicly murder three Nigerians; Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26): two from the South-West and one from the South East, under the dubious Decree 20 for drug-related offences. Ignore the fact that, at the time they committed their crimes, their offences were not punishable by the death sentences.
Nevertheless, maliciously backdate the death-sentence with illegal retroactive decrees that violate every international norm of due process and human rights just in order to kill these three hapless young men. In spite of widespread international condemnation for this, refuse to show any remorse or contrition or to apologise for this judicial murder till date.
When asked to appear before the Justice Oputa “Truth and Reconciliation Panel” in order to answer for a litany of abuses of power and violation of human rights while in power as Nigeria’s military Head of State, refuse to appear showing your contempt for Nigerians.
Discriminate against the South: Balance a Northern Fulani
Head of State with another Northern Fulani deputy. Conduct a coup d’état, ostensibly to overthrow a corrupt Nigerian government. However, be so ethnically chauvinistic that you put Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the vice-president who took none of the decisions under lock-and-key in jail in Kirikiri because he is Igbo and Christian. At the same time, put Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the president who was the person in charge under house arrest in a palatial mansion in Ikoyi, Lagos because he happens to be the same as you: Fulani and Muslim.
Make Northern politicians sacred cows and untouchable. Fail to arrest and prosecute none of the prominent Hausa/Fulani politicians who were the principal actors in the government you overthrew; including Adamu Ciroma, Suleiman Takuma, Aliu Gusau, Lawal Kaita, Barkin Zuwo, Shehu Kangiwa and Awwal Ibrahim.
Southern politicians
At the same time, jail Southern politicians, including Bisi Onabanjo, Ambrose Alli, Lateef Jakande, Jim Nwobodo, and others on trumped up charges that could not be substantiated in any court of law. Try octogenarian Michael Ajasin of the South-West before a tribunal. When he is discharged and acquitted; try him again. When he is discharged and acquitted again, try him a third time. When he is discharged and acquitted yet again, keep him in indefinite detention without just cause.
Maltreat Southern leaders: Send a team of soldiers to ransack the Park Lane, Apapa residence of elder Southern statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Give no reason whatsoever for this blatant violation of the old man’s privacy. Seize his international passport for no just cause. Later, try to pull the wool over the eyes of the Yorubas by choosing a man married to Awolowo’s grand-daughter as your vice-presidential running-mate.
Lock Emeka Ojukwu, an Igbo man from the South, in prison in Kirikiri with the politicians of the Second Republic, in spite of the fact that he committed no crime and held no public office in the Second Republic. Moreover, after Ojukwu returned to Nigeria after 13 years of exile, he received a full pardon from the president of Nigeria for his activities as leader of the secessionist government of Biafra. Provide Nigerians with no explanation whatsoever for the exact offence that led to Ojukwu’s arrest and incarceration.
Get booted out of office by your own clique in the army. Have your colleague, Ibrahim Babangida, give this testimony about you: “regrettably it turned out that (he) was too rigid and uncompromising in his attitudes to issues of national significance. Efforts to make him understand that a diverse polity like Nigeria required recognition and appreciation of differences in both cultural and individual perceptions only served to aggravate the attitudes.”
Corrupt practices: Prohibit the importation of naira into the country during a much ballyhooed currency exchange programme. Then contravene your own policy by having your ADC, Colonel Mustapha Jokolo, allow his father, the Emir of Gwandu from the North, to smuggle into the country through Muritala Muhammed International Airport 53 suitcases which the then Area Administrator of the Lagos Airport Customs Command, Atiku Abubakar, was not allowed to search.
At the same time, sentence Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a Yoruba man from the South-West, to 20 months in jail for being in possession of foreign-exchange he had legitimately procured for the upkeep of his band on a foreign trip. Because Fela mocked you in his songs for being unable to address the problems of Nigeria, declare to Nigerians that: “I decided to deal with this Fela problem once and for all.” Face public embarrassment because the judge who pronounced the sentence on Fela later confessed that he was ordered to jail him.
Disregard for Nigeria’s secularity:As military Head of State, contravene the country’s secularity by having Nigeria apply to join the Organisation of Islamic States (OIC). The application finally came through in 1986 and divided the country acrimoniously along Muslim/Christian lines.
Tell Muslims not to vote for Christians. Reveal to Nigerians that you are a religious bigot by declaring in Kaduna in 2001 that: “I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country.” Say this, in spite of the fact that declaring some states as sharia states is in clear violation of the secularity of Nigeria’s federalism, as contained in section 10 of the Constitution of Nigeria
Anti-corruption contradictions
Claim to be an anti-corruption crusader; nevertheless, agree to serve under Sani Abacha, one of the most corrupt Heads-of-State ever in the history of Nigeria. On the 10th anniversary of General Abacha’s demise, tell incredulous Nigerians that Abacha did not steal anything while he was Nigeria’s Head of State. Describe all the allegations of looting the treasury leveled against Abacha as “baseless.” Maintain that: “ten years after Abacha, those allegations remain unproven because of lack of facts.”
Hold this position in spite of the millions of dollars of Abacha’s loot recovered from banks around the world, and in spite of the fact that the Abacha’s family signed a formal agreement to return over $1 billion to the Nigerian government.
As chairman of the juiciest portfolio of all under Sani Abacha’s government; the Petroleum Trust Fund with a budget of 181 billion naira between 1994 and 1999, fail woefully to curb the rampant corruption in the organisation. When in 2000, President Obasanjo set up an Interim Management Committee to look into the affairs of the PTF under the chairmanship of Haroun Adamu, it was discovered that over 25 billion naira was stolen under your watch.
Claim to be an anti-corruption crusader, but Group Captain Usman Jibrin, a board member of PTF, resigned from the organization in protest over the blatant irregularities in your appointment of consultants.
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What an eye opener. Cudos 2 u Mr man.
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm speechless!
I think the problem with Ngeria is not bad leadership but bad memory. Or worse still selective ability to constructively analyse for the sake of the nation.
Kudos Femi, nice piece. You are a gift to this generation. God will keep you.
The so called Aboki's will call you a foolish old grey head man after reading the FACTS pointed out in this article......The issue is that they will all cry and complain till 2019 when David Mark who is not even a core Northerner will take over........This Fulani invaders things this country belongs to them after messing up the economy of this country for 40 yrs.......This Fulani invaders and Occupier's of our home land has only 2 options.......Either to choose between GEJ or No Nigeria but i know they are all afraid of the 2nd option......Fools
ReplyDeleteMy guy take a good look at all you have mentioned and look at the reality on ground and ask yourself, who's the biggest fool.
DeleteBunch of idiots, confirmed facts?NO
ReplyDeleteFemi...I have read your articles on several ocassions and I can readily say that you practise biased journalism. Before you criticise me folks, I do not belong to recycled APC or non-performing PDP. Am just a frustrated Nigerian who had to leave my beloved country because of the insanity that exists in it.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS A GREAT MASTERPIECE. ALL WHO LOVE NIGERIAN SHOULD READ THIS AND DIGEST IT
ReplyDeleteThis exposition is to show how short our memories era in this country Nigeria, all in the pursue of power.
ReplyDeleteGentle men, these old folks that refused to die shouldnt derail the truth! What has not punishing drug related offenses done to us? we now have a citizen that are always embarassed and given special search just because they re Nigerians? All these were done under the Military regime....can we now compare that to a regime where corrupt people hold sway?
ReplyDeleteBode George was not only pardoned for stealing money but was treated to a National Thanksgiving where nigeria was made to "Thank God"' for him stealing our money without returning the monies stolen! Like wise Maina that stole Billions of Naira from Police Pension fund and he is now been rewarded with a cabinet Ministerial Position.....just to mention but a few> Do you neeed a PhD to know that Stealing is bad?
Nigerians, lets forget these trivial issues and make our choice for a better Nigeria come 2015!
Rehashing of he same old nonsense that we have read a million times. Last time, we had only two years of GEJ, so we were prepared to be scared by all this rubbish, which mind you at the time was needed to change the way the country was headed. One can take any incident and twist it for their purpose. After 6 years of utter rubbish, even a baboon in a cape represents change.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful, does this Buhari and his group think we are all fools like them? Why on earth is Tinubu and his sheep drumming support for this wicked and religious-tribal bigot. Nigerians demand their reply and response to this. Femi God will bless you, and keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSir, after all these, your Yoruba kinsmen are still supporting him to kick out their fellow southerner. Are your kinsmen not the cause of our problems in south right from the time of civil war? How can someone dream to vote for a person who has committed all these atrocities? someone who has no conscience? The things he will do this time will be worse if we make the mistake to allow him win. He will still end up imprisoning corrupt PDP leaders and journalist and spare corrupt APC leaders because there is no way you will mention corruption in Nigeria without mentioning Atiku and Tinubu, Is he also going to send them to jail after supporting him?
ReplyDeleteFELLOW NIGERIANS, THIS IS ANOTHER DETRACTOR fEMI ON jONATHAN'S PAY LIST TO CONFUSE GULLIBLE NIGERIANS USING THEIR SEEMINGLY UNTOLD STORIES.
ReplyDeleteITS ALL MEANT TO SWAY US BUT I URGE YOU TO INSIST ON CHANGE AND MEAN IT BY VOTING gej, pdp AND THEIR LIKES OUT OF POWER IN TWENTY-FIFTEEN.
BY SO DOING, THE DUO SEASONAL SCRIPT WRITERS - fEMI PART ONE AND TWO, WOULD GO INTO EXTINCTION FOREVER.
OUR COMMON DESTINY IS IN OUR HANDS AND TWENTY-FIFTEEN IS THE DECIDING DATE. YOUR VOTE IS YOUR POWER TO BRING ABOUT THIS INEVITABLE CHANGE.
SHINE YOUR EYES MY PEOPLE.
Please, this announcement goes to all Nigerians. For any contestants in any position for the 2015 elections, nijer citizens this is the time to expose them. Go to the archives via the media dig deep into their sordid past so that the electorate can know all the skeletons in their cupboard and decide like Femi has done here. Femi good job, try and expose others in all the parties -PDP,APC,APGA, SDP, UPN LABOUR PARTY etc
ReplyDeletePlease, this announcement goes to all Nigerians. For any contestants in any position for the 2015 elections, nijer citizens this is the time to expose them. Go to the archives via the media dig deep into their sordid past so that the electorate can know all the skeletons in their cupboard and decide like Femi has done here. Femi good job, try and expose others in all the parties -PDP,APC,APGA, SDP, UPN LABOUR PARTY etc
ReplyDeleteThe man cannot expose pdp because he is part of thieves that is why he always write a biased story. Has complained about this administration before no because he is part of them. There is nothing the man can write that will move me because he is a biased journalist. I want to see what you will write come 2015 when GEJ leaves aso rock for your enemy GMB
Deletei know this story, its on point.
ReplyDeleteThis is an overwhelming piece an eye openiner may God bless you for this ! Nigerian deserve to know or reminded more especially the younger generation who are being deceived in the facebook.
ReplyDeleteWhat an eye opener.This man should not have been allowed to participate in politics talk less of electing him as a flag bearer of a party. He should be jailed.
ReplyDeleteThis is serious, thank you sir for this fact of eye opener, so Nigerians' it is left for you to deceide who your leader is in 2015 only God knows all Buhari's plan against Nigeria in 2015, my spirit did not agree with him right from the on set of his campagin, but i don't know how people analyse issues but my mind simply tells me not to trust Buhari and his party because they have great shock for Nigeria which is not known to anybody at all except God alone, anyway there is God for Nigeria who will judge all our actions
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm! All i know is that a leopard cannot change his skin overnight. The hidden agenda of the enemies of the state shall be revealed and i hope it wount be too late when this happens. Jonathan may not have delivered as much as is expected of him under the current circumstances and challenges facing the nation, there seem to be something clearly shuddy about Buhari and the APC agenda that makes me prefere Jonathan if not PDP anytime anyday.
ReplyDeleteBuhari is obviously not a nationalist no matter how anti-corrupt he claims to be. APC r temporarily united by their common desire to remove PDP but after that the real agenda of Buhari which is secretly different from that of Tinubu will gradually begin to be clear to all and i hope it wont be too late then to correct. Let the will of God be done.
Ibrahim
MY EYES DON OPEN OOO.
ReplyDeletethis story is only for under 18 who were not matured when the events took place, but for matured ones we know there are distortions in the story. Buhari jailed all the serving governors, tried them and were made to pay their respective looted amount before been released irrespective of tribe or religion. Late Rimi of Kano State was jailed, Late Adamu Atta of kwara was jailed and so on.
ReplyDeleteBuhari policy on economy was to make sure naira to dollar remain 1:2 , is that condemnable as compare to what we have now?
Are you saying there were no journalism during Buhari regime or was Dele Giwa not alive still reporting objectively that time?
Is it not a hypocrisy by calling Buhari religious bigot for campaigning to his fellow muslims but clapped for GEJ and shout halleluya when he knelt down before Adeboye seeking for xtains vote.
If GEJ is not bigotic, does he have Muslim as personal driver or among his cooks?
Checks the ministers presently vis-a-vis their religion, can we say it is a xtainisation of Nigeria?
The same thing happens in the recent national dialoge as regard the religious faith of the members, so the Muslims are fool or what.
Now according to FEMI , the north should ignore Buhari and vote GEJ so that after the election, the xtains like Femi will still refer to the whole North as Moron.
So for your information you are ONLY de-campaigning GEJ among the majority.
This useless man has come again with his dumb writing. GEJ won't give you any political appointment.
ReplyDeleteThis bastard Femi is the worst thing that has plagued the unity of this country. He is dividing us the more. And he is a disgrace to journalism, and objectivity is not in his dictionary.
ReplyDeleteTHIS DEMENTED GUY HAS NOT FOR ONCE IMPRESSED ME IN ANY OF HIS GIBBERISH WRITING. HE ATTEMPTS SEEKING RELEVANCE AT ALL TIME AND TALKS LIKE A 'DIRECTIONLESS' MAN
ReplyDeleteWhile there are some iota of truth in what he said, we cannot accept it in its totality. To me, none of them deserve my vote. I don't trust any of them. I think, I side with mr Gumi this time.
ReplyDeleteIf u like it or not, GEJ would win the 2015 election, GMB would only come with is usually result, just like before. The man is too RIGID to WIN. If he decamps to PDP tomorrow and becomes their presidential candidate, he would still NOT win. But some Fools are too blind too see. Sorry Fools !!!
ReplyDeleteThere are facts incorporated in Femi's write up but I am not so much convinced because of his biased mind. Undoubtedly, Femi has a special sport for the PDP. Femi can not pretend to say that GEJ is completely free of corruption and maladministration. He overlooked that aspect. The average Nigerians are quite aware of the status of the duo. May the best man with the fear of God and the interest of the masses win the Presidential Election. As I am writing this report, I have not made up my mind as to whom I should cast my precious vote for. I am still waiting to read through some intelligent reports from independent political analyses. May be someone may convince me as to whom I should vote for. I am sure, there are other Nigerians who have yet to make up their minds as to whom to vote for. Let us collectively continue to pray for divine intervention. On a more serious issue, I visualize Buhari has changed from his pasts and will surely adhere to be more nationalistic than before. Whoever think Buhari will cling to ethnicity this time around, should have a very deep thought about what is on the ground in the country. The issue on the ground is more than nepotism, tribalism, ethnicity and what have you. The fear about Muslim/Muslim team is no longer an issue and I can assure you that the learned Professor will not allow Buhari to throw Nigeria into another civil war! Nigeria does not need civil war but steady progress and total eradication of bribery and corruption. The origin of corruption in Nigeria needs to be analyzed and evaluated. Have we, as Nigerians, endeavor to look into the satanic roles being played by the so called SECRET SOCIETIES! Until the Federal Government dismantle these secret societies, corruptions will continue to prevail unabated! Large scale un employments are vital grounds for breeding secret societies. The control of major corporation, banking, governmental institutions are administered and controlled by these evil men and women in our societies. You will find top clergymen and Islamic scholars as pillars of these secret societies. My daily prayers to God is to locate a committed President who should be prepared to eliminate these evil doers from our country. Now that you know the source of corruptions, in the highest order, in the country, it is up to you and I to come out openly to expose and disgrace them. With God in control, their powers of disruption of the economy of the country will seize forthwith. The ball is now under the control of both GEJ and Buhari to put things right and let the whole country know how they are going to dismantle the stronghold of these secret society. Undoubtedly, their respective political manifesto should incorporate the dissolution of the powers and sources of powers of these Secret societies. It is not easy but equally achievable with total sense of commitments.
ReplyDeleteAttack his argument not his person. Under Buhari's watch, dollar moved 35 points from 1:1.2 to 1:35
ReplyDeleteMr. Femi, were hv u been since democracy return 1999? Is GEJ a saint? we voted PDP's liberation in 1998, and c no liberation. Voted PDP's 7 points Agenda in 2007. It was able to deliver 2 points agenda before the unfortunate because he is a northerner. In 2011, we vote the same party's fresh air. Not knowing that it mean fresh air of corruption, fresh air of violence and total incompetence. We can not continue with this party brooo. It's all about political party plus political ideologies. Remember, paul was Saul. We r' civilize.
ReplyDelete