How Buhari is fighting corruption in Nigeria

I dedicate this letter-article to Prof. Hussein Oyinlola Boboye (HOB) Oloyede, the Vice-Chancellor of the Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, saying that university education is not about religious bigotry, and that university is not like a monastery or seminary with fixed and compulsory religious timetable, even though good character is indispensable. Pastor David Oyedepo should also be commended for saying that it is not hate speech for Nigerians to express their grievances toward a better Nigeria.

During the presidency of General Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and the beginning of the presidency of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian life was characterized by talk about election rigging, corruption, and paucity of infrastructure. You could see that Yar’Adua was not comfortable with any of the above, but there was a higher power or powers working against him. He reduced the fuel price increased by OBJ close to the end of his second term. Yar’Adua set up the Electoral Reform Committee, headed by Justice Mohammed Uwais, but he (Yar’Adua), his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and later Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, dumped the recommendations of the Committee, because they did not want to close the door tightly against rigging. Yes, the PDP made a terrible mistake.

Yar’Adua is remembered for the amnesty he granted the Niger Delta militants. Unfortunately, much of the money accruing to the region was (and is) going into private pockets. Yar’Adua failed woefully on his promise to declare state of emergency on the power sector, like OBJ who promised improved electricity in six months in 1999 but it did not happen in his eight years. Worse of all, Yar’Adua threw Nigeria into the catastrophic struggle against Boko Haram that did not attack anybody until attacked. Yar’Adua’s own ill-health worked against him and killed him early 2010.

Jonathan took undue advantage of Yar’Adua’s death to craft his own presidency and compounded the Boko Haram crisis. Rather than towing the path of justice, peace, and progress, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) paid homage to the Fulani jihadist warrior, Shehu Usumanu Danfodio and delved blindly into fighting Boko Haram. Worse than that, erstwhile Fulani herdsmen aggressive/murderous activities metamorphosed into full blown terrorism. Rather than cautioning the herdsmen, GMB asked Nigerians to agree to spend public funds to build ranches for them. Yes, GMB lacks sense of justice and fairness.

As soon as GMB became the President, he started intense war against Boko Haram, ravaging human lives and economic resources. He made London his own second home until protests in Nigeria and London embarrassed him out of it. He doubles himself as the Petroleum Minister, increased fuel price from N87 to N145, and he is recovering looted funds without accountability for anything to anybody. GMB could not install his ministers until more than five months after his own presidential inauguration. Fourth year into his presidency, the economy is comatose, hyper inflation is blooming, and debts are skyrocketing. Then the Vice-president, Pastor Professor Yemi Osinbajo started going to share money in some markets. Where and how is GMB fighting corruption then?

Count the costs of GMB’s militarism against Boko Haram and protection of the Fulani herdsmen terrorists, in human lives and economic resources. Where lays the prospects for peace and progress under GMB? Political balance also indicates that GMB is a greedy and self-centered person. To gain divine sympathy, Nigerians should vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the northeast, meaning political justice. Nigeria should restructure for peace and progress, away from religious bigotry and ethnic chauvinism. Workers must vote for peace and progress!

…The fate of Buhari in Kwara State
Three of us were discussing in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital. The woman among us was one of the secondary school teachers owed many months of unpaid salaries and emoluments. She said “I would vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) at state level, and a Christian presidential candidate.” The other man (also a Christian) and I (an adherent of African Traditional Religion) said in unison that there is no Christian to vote for as a presidential candidate, and that the clear choice is between the current President, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) of the APC, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It would sound contradictory to say that too many Nigerians are not Nigerians. That is the crisis Nigeria is facing as a nation. Many of the inhabitants, including many politicians and academicians are not Nigerians; indeed they are not human beings but Christians and Muslims whose only allegiance is to Christianity and Islam, rather than to God and humanity. That is the extent of the success of the Christian and Islamic missionaries in brainwashing peoples, worldwide. The Saraki-Emirate Dynasty prefers to squander money on frivolities: aviation school; football academy; under-and- over-pass roads; Maigida Mass Transit; etc rather than spreading infrastructure and paying workers their normal dues regularly. Why were local investors not persuaded to invest in mass transit?

Yet, neither Saraki nor GMB is sacrosanct. If a Senator who is not an officer of the Senate is earning more than fourteen million naira monthly, what are the officers earning? What is the Senate President earning? What is GMB and those with him in the presidency earning, monthly? While Nigerians have an idea of what the legislators are earning, the presidency is sitting on mountains of money, due to which GMB cannot go after the legislators beyond hypocritically telling them to reduce their earnings. Both GMB and Saraki are known for financial greed and political desperation. The brutal way the Saraki-Emirate Dynasty dealt with the former (now late) Governor Alabi Lawal cannot be easily forgotten, and its manner of rigging elections is barbaric and criminal. But, how is GMB different?

GMB has committed carnage and economic destruction of Nigeria second only to the Civil War of 1967-1970, and he is still flexing muscles against Boko Haram, while the Fulani herdsmen terrorists are still on rampage with full confidence in their patron, GMB. So, what type of people are campaigning for the reelection of GMB, if not people, including some so-called Yoruba elders, who are insensitive to the carnage and economic destruction of Nigeria, coupled with skyrocketing debts? If, for instance, the APC wins Kwara state with GMB as Nigeria’s President, where will the state get money for progress oh?

Kwara state, like other states, did not use to owe workers as much as under the GMB presidency ravaging human lives and economic resources in the war against Boko Haram and protection of the Fulani herdsmen terrorists. Hence I warned Kwarans to watch before they leap. GMB is annihilating Nigeria. The economy is comatose and debts are skyrocketing. Atiku Abubakar should be voted to stop carnage and economic destruction of Nigeria. The armed bandits are also over-tasking the Army. GMB has destroyed the economy beyond imagination, so, where is the wisdom of voting for him? For most states, the London-Paris refund came as a blessing but a blessing in the ocean of under-funding due to excessive spending on warplanes and sophisticated weapons and unbridled corruption in the oil sector headed by GMB.
Prof. Abioje wrote from University of Ilorin.