President Muhammadu Buhari

President Buhari

The emergency of President Buhari as Nigeria President in the last year general election cause Nigerians to be divided, some call themselves Buharism while others call themselves Jonathanism.

Eventually the Buharism caucus won the war of political ideology as Buhari wins the 2015 general election. The hardship situation of devaluation of Naira, lack of state to pay workers salary, decline in economy, insecurity and others makes Nigerians to rethink is this really the change movement they voted for in 2015 general election.

I find this interesting piece written by public analyst Deji Yesufu on ” Renouncing Buharism: Matters Arising by Deji Yesufu “ .

The biggest criticism of Nigeria’s type of politics is its lack of an ideological base. People generally choose to enter political associations not because they share some ideological bases but because of some common interest – mostly the pursuit of power.

It is untrue to say that Buharism is not a political ideology in Nigeria. Muhammadu Buhari may not have formally defined this ideology but his followers and lovers did. And usually an ideology is given a name by the devotees and not the person himself. I know this to be true of Awoism (the political ideology named after the sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo) and Calvinism (the Protestant ideology named after John Calvin).

The leading Buharist in Oyo State, Rev. Edward Koye-ladele, has left a definition of Buharism on my facebook timeline and I shall be quoting it here to reach my conclusion on why this ideology has failed on my part and how it can be salvaged. Rev. Koye said: ‘”Buharism” like “Awoism” remains a concept of leadership that redefines (the) character of leaders in a way that makes credible, unblemished and sincere  people gain followership and support of the people”‘ In other words, truth or sincerity is the bedrock of Buharism.

 What drew me to Buhari was his doggedness, discipline, spartaness, thriftiness, sincerity, patriotism and commitment to the Nigerian question. That for me is Buharism and if I ever were to be a politician or I was to support one again, these shall be the minimum characteristics I will expect from him.

My commitment to the Buhari ideology began to wear off when the vital element of sincerity began to be found wanting in the President’s work. While one understand that Mr. President cannot fix every sector of the Nigerian life and that there are factors inhibiting his performance in office presently, one would at least expect the President to get the fight against corruption right. It seem to me that Mr. President will wage war on corruption except on members of his party – especially those from the core north.

Dogara and Jibrin

The way the Presidency has handled the Dogara/Jibrin fiasco in the House of Representatives leaves much to be desired. And to be sincere, this singular action put paid to my commitment to an ideology that embodies his personality.

I consider the matter of the President’s inability to wage war against corrupt elements among his close associates and kinsmen, his greatest weakness and the possible undoing of his government. If the war against corruption will be total – leaving out no sacred cow, Buharism may still be an attractive ideology for persons like me. But until one sees such a commitment, one is forced to find better workable political ideologies elsewhere.

My prayer is that this government will succeed but if it will succeed, it will have to make some tough decisions regarding dealing with rouges within its own ranks and files.

 Many have concluded that my renouncing the Buhari ideology is tantamount to a total disapproval of the Buhari government. So that Buhari’s so called enemies are celebrating my decision and the President’s friends are ruing it in secret. In the midst of it, I find myself sandwiched between two opinions. The fact of the matter is this: I may no longer be a Buharist at heart, I however remain a strong optimist in this government; trusting God that it will succeed against all odds.

 By renouncing Buharism, I have not said I regret supporting, campaigning for and voting for Buhari. While Bayo Adeyinka had rightly expressed my dissatisfaction with this government in a latest post on his timeline, lumping me up with Feyi Fawehenmi, who apologized on Twitter for influencing people to vote Buhari, was putting me in a wrong grouping. My effort at bringing Muhammadu Buhari to power is one of the single greatest achievement of my adult life. I will never regret getting people to vote Buhari into government.

 Some other people also cannot understand how I will, in one breadth be renouncing Buharism, and in another breadth be hoping for the success of this government. My father-in-law will say in Yoruba: “when we cry, we ought to be seeing and not be blinded by our tears”. I cannot understand people calling themselves Nigerians and then hating Buhari to the point of hoping his government fails. If Buhari fails, we have all failed. So we had better work and pray that this government succeeds.

I have renounced the Buhari ideology on one hand to send out a protestation to the powers that be that its enthusiasts and followers are loosing confidence in it. This protestation has in its background a hope that the government will consider constructive criticism and pick up its efforts at revamping the nation. On the other hand, I have ceased to be a die-hard Buharist so I can return to the trenches and offer up insightful views on social media that can help the nation navigate these times, until we all see the Nigeria of our dreams. Unlike many who desire that this government fails, my efforts are aimed at ensuring that this government succeed at all cost.

The Buhari government has succeeded in two spheres that the Jonathan government failed woefully in. It has restored security to this country: routing the bloody Boko animals out of their hiding places in the North. They have also began to wage war on corruption – although my protestation is that they could do more.

My position therefore in the scheme of the Buhari debate is that I also “belong to everybody while at the same time I belong to nobody”. I simply belong to any course that will bring about a better Nigerian nation.

In September 2013, Dapo Egunjobi took me to see the renowned Ibadan radio presenter, Edmund Obilo, at the Splash FM office in Ibadan. We had gone to see him for some other issues but when I saw him, I felt I needed to tell him in a split second one solution that could solve all of Nigeria’s trouble. So I told him of a Christian Revolution. The concept of a Christian Revolution became engrained in my psyche after I listened to Pastor Tunde Bakare’s December 2000 message on “The Fundamental Principles of a Christian Revolution”.

Pastor Tunde Bakare

 

By gistyinka

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