Wonders Never cease! A Response to General Muhammadu Buhari By Angel Walker (A Rejoinder)

By

Jazuli A. Lawal

I read with dismay the above-mentioned publication written by Mr. Angel Walker on Gamji.com in which General Buhari’s credibility was dented and accused of being part of the destroyers of Nigeria. Why I feel obliged to write this publication is to clarify some issues that are political and those that are direct insult and abuse of democracy portrayed by some confused people so as to understand the concept of democracy and its interpretation. Though, silence could have been the best answer yet I believe that Nigerians are people with the intellectual abilities to substantiate between issues and personality.

It is no doubt that, the rejoinder has generated feelings of suspicion and raised questions by many political analysts. Some were of the opinion that, the writer lacked some knowledge of political history of the political landscape of what is called Nigeria today. Another category perceived that the write up was an attempt to ridicule and tarnish the General’s image through the use of religious and ethnic undertones and therefore dismissed it as irrelevant. In other words, it is nothing but a political trick stage-managed to up-root him from contesting public office come 2007.

It is rather sad that less informed Nigerians are being deceived and brainwashed from being broader minded in reasoning and understanding of what sort of combination Nigeria is built on. Many of our politicians and elites are bent on working on the minds of the innocent people of Nigeria hitherto, through negative publications to destroy the public image of their political opponent.

To begin with, the writer sounds very anxious and sentimental to the extent that he singled out Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu as one of those sentenced by Buhari/Idiagbon’s military administration in 1983. His argument was that why Ojukwu should be locked up even though he held no political office at that time. For someone who is very conversant with the complexity nature of leadership generally would not consider Buharis’s approach as public harassment. The first category of analyst might be right for perceiving the writer as one who lacked the knowledge of Nigerian Politics Probably, the action taken was necessitated by the circumstances the leadership found itself. Nigerians would agree with me that, the magnitude and the intensity of the political tension prevailing in the country at that time requires a genuine intervention to avoid disarray.

For many Nigerians the argument of Mr. Walker viewing Nigeria’s Law as retroactive and a disgrace because its wrath has incriminated some people from one part of this country lacked any substance and credibility from the beginning. This sounds absurd which clearly shows unpatriotic and un-nationalistic sentiments. Perhaps, the concept of democracy is negatively misunderstood.

I wonder the writer’s source of information as the only Nigerian to have uncovered an allegation on the N2.7Billion claimed to have gotten missing during the tenure of General Buhari as the petroleum minister. Knowing our situation in Nigeria, should there any such scandalous misappropriation traced to the general, 23 years after, is enough time to nail him as one of the strong political opponent of PDP the ruling party. Otherwise it would be surprising that President Olusegun Obasanjo had to shower praises and commend the credibility of Buhari in one of his books. In the same vain, it would do more good to EFCC in its effort to sanitize our polity and economic misappropriation if evidence of $300 million allegedly spent on one school by defunct PTF in Katsina State would be made available to them. But if no evidence could be discovered, the General has every right to claim damages from the writer for false allegation.

The second category could be right for perceiving the writer as unnecessarily arrogant for using religious dogmatic argument to castigate and dent the General. Many Nigerians have heard the utterances of the General aired in BBC Hausa during his campaigns in some part of the North that the people who were Muslims should vote for their fellow Muslim who would protect them in their respective domain. This statement is subject to many interpretations. Politicians used many of us in the media, in order to weaken him as opponent to ruling party in 2003 presidential elections. It is rather unfortunate that, in Nigerian politics, all machineries ranging from religious, tribal and ethnic sentiments are being used as tools in our political campaigns nationwide.

However, the argument raised by the writer on the issue of Nigerian Law and the penalty of coup-plot which is death is an indication that, the writer could neither understand nor substantiate the difference between Nigerian Law and the Court Martial Law. The moment one retires from military, the Court Martial Law seizes to be applicable to him. Then the Civilian rule would therefore hold. The likes of Ojukwus and others deserved severe penalty than the General who tried to sanitize the Nigerian society that was so corrupt and decayed in terms of corruption and indiscipline. It is this kind of argument that cost us the damaged that till today we could not reverse the decay for ill vision of our elites. Going into the history of most of the developed countries in the world, one could find out that, for example George Washington and alike were military personnel who brought the American Revolution. There is difference between coups to succeed and coups to reform. Throughout my life as a Nigerian, it was only during the Generals tenure that one could beat his chest to be guided by disciplined leadership.

According to Larry Isamoje, ………this is the period that most people know best. It was an era in our national life when you have to look twice before dropping the wraps of your candies. That time sanity was on its way to our national spending. The duo of Buhari and Idiagbon will not let go those who have corruptly enriched themselves and their political parties. ……….we are talking here of a reserved retired General, who can either be blamed nor prosecuted for any corrupt activities while in office (Buhari 1985 – 1988).

At the end of his write up, the writer was only singing praises to General Ibrahim Babangida whom he recognized as philanthropist who believes in helping people and genuinely derived joy from it. Who also left office with more goodwill than the general ten lifetimes? At this point, one would agree that the write up lacks substance and quality and does not have scientific evidence and strong justifications rather than subjective argument full of personal hatred. If using entrusted public funds to enrich the few rather than serving majority is not a quality of democrat.

Finally, it is my candid advice to the writer that issues should not be mixed up with personality. It would be safer to be indifferent when it comes to politics. All powers belong to God and only God that gives power to whom he wishes. As such, morality, discipline, equity and fairness should be the measurement in choosing who should be a leader. A leader is he who holds his country, state or local government as sacred not someone who would abuse, mortgage and negotiate his country. Long live Nigeria. Long live Nationalists.