Enemies within in Buhari’s enclave

The gory pictures in social media of the ugly events going viral are a sorry representation of the failure of leadership in Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful and prosperous nation with chronic corruption and a poor and dehumanized citizenry. These pictures must be archived in our Museum to form part of our historical conundrums in Nigeria.

Also, the bullet points below are some of the characteristics of a good leader. Enforcement of expectations provides the basis for good governance. President Buhari seems to have dashed the expectations of the people reposed in his two consecutive terms. The events of the last few weeks are very concerning! The gory pictures coming out of Nigeria is not only embarrassing but terrifying and scary. The buck stops at President Buhari’s table.  

Meanwhile, the whole world is watching Nigeria. We are all losers in this collective wanton destruction in the system. The President must realize that Nigeria is the most black populous nation in the world. Whatever happens in Nigeria happens to the whole of the African continent, and the black race. Why are the palliative conduits to cushion the effects of the sufferings of the people not distributed to them? It needs immediate explanations by the custodians of these palliative goods.

Sadly, the president has handled the ongoing crisis in Nigeria with levity and shoddiness, and there is no other explanation to that effect. Mr. President should openly take responsibility for the dystopian state of the nation. Buhari and his handlers are the enemies of Buhari’s administration. Those who surround this man are his enemies. The administrators of most of the States of the Nigerian Federation are the enemies of their people. From all geopolitical zones in the country, the pictures of the last few days are nothing but the exposition of the evils of our leaders in Nigeria. The leaders are deliberately wicked.  Those who are blaming the well-organized peaceful protests and the Nigerian Youth Movement should stop forthwith. Let’s stop blaming the blameless!

The recent #EndSARS protest was one of the most articulate and well-organized protests I have witnessed in the history of Nigeria. The responsible youths are not asking for too much, they are simply asking for:
1.End police brutality against the citizens.
2. Facilitate people’s welfare and provide adequate security.
3. Restructure our social injustice and inequity in the system.
4. Create jobs to meet the massive unemployment among the youth.
5. Reform the Police Force with adequate compensation.
6. Declare a state of emergency on our roads, power, and other social infrastructures.
7. Ensure that corrupt individuals are made accountable.
8. Constant national conversations on critical national issues with the youths.
9. Immediate dialogue by the President with the #EndSARS peaceful protesters.
10. Judicious use of the Mandate of the People.

Furthermore, leadership is the galvanization and utilization of human and material resources to meet the expectations of good governance. Leadership also entails:
•Combining intuition with cognitive reasoning.
•Creating and building an effective and formidable team for result-oriented people’s projects.
•Avoiding unnecessary muteness, militarizing, and egotistical demeanor in the periods of manageable crisis.
•Running ahead of the pack and thinking outside the box; meeting and enhancing the mandate of the plebeians.

Also, if President Muhammadu fails to begin to address the issues above and utilize these simple leadership recipes, his failure will make the youth completely lose hope in his government. There is a systemic failure of leadership and the systematic decimation of the lives of the hapless and ordinary citizens in Nigeria.

Moreover, if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to thoroughly investigate the recent mayhem in Lagos, and across the country, he must at the end of the day take responsibility for the aftermath of lawlessness in the country. Those who are using ultimatum, eviction notice, ethnic jingoism, etc., to incite and fan the embers of discord among the good citizens should desist forthwith. The #EndSARS Now should not be discouraged. We should realize that people who fight for a good course for the emancipation of their people do not fight in vain. Victory is sure in the long run.

Balogun wrote from Arizona, United States of America.