Obama cannot assess Buhari realistically

SIR: President, Barack Obama was playing American politics, naturally, when he was reported as expressing confidence in the administration of Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari. Otherwise, he should tell the whole world how, in American perspective, the Boko Haram terrorism started in Nigeria, and what the solution should be, compared with what Buhari is doing.

Obama did not find anything wrong with what Nigeria’s former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) was doing, and yet, Boko Haram was bombing, killing, and maiming, and corruption was ravaging Nigeria’s economy, throughout GEJ’s tenure. What credibility has Obama then to be praising Buhari? Did he condemn GEJ? What has the new president done to deserve Obama’s confidence?

Buhari could not pay fuel importers what GEJ owed them, so that fuel can sell at the official price of N87 per liter, but he sold dollars cheaply to those going on pilgrimage to Mecca. He has set a precedent he must follow when it is the turn of Christians. Is public fund spent on sponsoring people on pilgrimage in America?

My Italian-American woman friend, Curcio, a very brilliant and versatile woman, didn’t know the meaning of “domiciliary account”, because it hardly exists in her American environment. Her account would naturally be in dollar, about the number one currency to reckon with worldwide. So, how can an American President realistically express confidence in a Nigeria’s President, when he has no clue what the person is doing with Nigeria and her resources? Enough of baloney oh!

I apologise to readers who might have felt offended when in a past comment I did not interpret the magical formulae (ìpínàìṣẹ̀ and tìkàlóṣòro), which I inherited from my Yoruba-African ancestors/ancestresses, by which I am surviving. I suffered from mental indisposition at that moment. What sensitized me to apologise was a piece of information I received from South Africa, all written in Afrikaans. Although it was not a personal letter for only me, but sent to some other persons, I felt like it was a ploy to make me taste my own soup. Actually, ìpínàìṣẹ̀ refers to reward due to an innocent person (as in Psalm 15:1-5). Similarly, tìkàlóṣòro means it is the wicked that will face difficulties, ultimately, of course.

•Pius Abioje,
University of Ilorin.