By Professor Femi Ajayi
Most Nigerians mouth have been braced with empathy for the ailing Buhari, who returned to Nigeria, Saturday, August 19, 2017, at about 4:35pm, after one hundred and five days (105days) of sick leave with the nicknames of Muhammadu Akorede Olanbiwonninu Otaobayomi Oluwajuedalo Omoboriota Okanlawon Olawale Kokumo Buhari! As the world continuously praying for Buhari’s health, fixing what is fixable in his health, Nigerians should tarry a little bit and safe thounsands of suffering Nigerians, and shift from ‘hero worshipping’ to real human feelings, while the National Assembly has to constitutionally inquire Buhari’s mental fitness into performing his constitutional responsibilities.
Analysts have hypothesized, Imams have perceived reasons, Pastors have soared prophesies as to how Nigeria got to this truncated level. A school of thought is of the opinion, expressed in revulsion tune, that ‘Nigerian President is ill and the citizens do not know the nature of his illness.’ When did Nigeria become an android? In addition most Nigerian Politicians are stealing Nigeria resources in colors, which ought to have used to improve the country’s infrastructure, dejectedly Nigerians are still hailing them.
How did Nigeria legislative body get to the daft level in the discharge of its responsibilities? Instead of constituting a strong reliable medical panel to determine the state of Buhari’s health fitness to continue his Constitutional responsibilities, for his ethnic and religious designated ‘empire’, whereas the ‘Manager’ of other room discovered ‘the hyenas’ and ‘the jackals’, in Buhari’s cabinet. Should Nigerians be waiting for the outcome of the conspiracy theory of Nigerian Legislature, well-orchestrated ‘modern civilian coup’ where it wants to be an executive and judiciary?
A school of thought expressed that ‘Kenya is voting to have a president; South Africa is voting to remove a president, Rwanda pretended to have voted for a president, meanwhile USA is fighting its psychologically defective President, and NIGERIANS don’t even know the health status of their constitutional president.’
How did the country and its citizens get to this level?
Whatever happens with the current situation in Nigeria would have most Nigerians taking the full responsibility. Nigerians hail shower of praise when they go astray, endorse unproductive years of their ‘non-service’ to the country. An average Nigerian politician rejoice when citizens cry; design appropriate baits to trap them. Citizens still endorse their mismanagement, without any accountability. Traditional Rulers, validate their fruitless level with Chieftaincy titles, which obtusely measure their services to humanities. While a seating Governor adversely refers to as Senator. Why should an average Nigerian be considered silly?
Plato once said, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” If we may borrow from Bertolt Brecht, “The worst illiterate is the political illiterate. He hears nothing, sees nothing, takes no part in political life. He doesn’t seem to know that the cost of living, the price of beans, of flour, of rent, of medicines all depend on political decisions. He even prides himself on his political ignorance, sticks out his chest and says he hates politics. He doesn’t know, the imbecile, that from his political non-participation comes the prostitute, the abandoned child, the robber and, worst of all, corrupt officials, the lackeys of exploitative multinational corporations.”
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How did Nigeria get to this low ebb?
The experiences regarding the health of Nigerian Presidents, Yar’Adua and Buhari, are the Northern leaders’ neglect, grooming reliable Nigerian Youth for governance. Unfortunately, mentally defective recycled politicians refused to give way to the youth. Disappointingly, some Nigerian Youths at Nigeria affairs, mismanaged the resources, struggling to surpass each other in their ill-gotten wealth, maintaining their innocence in corrupt practices.
When did the Number two Nigerian Citizen become the ‘Beloved Son’ of the Number One Nigerian Citizen? When did governance in Nigeria reach the level of family affairs? The Military outlook has been transferred to a Professor of Law, who happens to be the anointed Nigerian Vice President. On Buhari’s return, Lai Mohammed would zeal it to say that “…when a father returns you will see a difference.”
When would things be right in Nigeria? When an Intellect in Law succumbs to the Ancient era of religious expansionist. What then does an average Nigerian who is supposed to be under the protection of the supposedly leaders have been totally indoctrinated.
Who is holding captive Buhari’s mindset?
When the taste of an average Nigerian is higher than the income or resources, definitely he would resolve into chronic anti-social behaviors, like stealing, kidnapping, and inhuman practices to meet up.
Corruption in Nigeria is like ‘Pepemu Jejemu’ lyric of ‘those who work in the Altar should leak their fingers from the Altar’ since 1999. Most Nigerians have been concerned how Nigeria is so infected with CORRUPTION, which we may considered an ADDICTION. A brain disorder, characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. In other words, corruption in Nigeria is a ‘disorder of the brain’s reward system which arises through transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms and occurs over time from chronically high levels of exposure to an addictive stimulus like morphine, cocaine, sexual intercourse, gambling’, in the case of Nigeria, public treasury. Unfortunately, the weak Nigerian structure in the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary is far from solving the challenge. Stopping corruption in Nigeria is like preventing a baby from drug addiction of a nursing mother. For the baby to be alive, he has to be fed with little dose of drug until the brain completely rejects it. Drastic stop to an addicted corrupt politician in Nigeria would result into ‘no situation to retort’.
Obasanjo’s Bank Accounts bounced up astronomically from that of a ‘church mouse’ after leaving prison in 1998 to a multi-billion Naira when he left office in 2007. Unfortunately, the frail successor of Obasanjo, Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua 2007-2010, witnessed no reported looted funds in his two-year administration. The Historical edition of getting the country the right approach to governance, playing with the evil of Ethnicity, came in with the fragile governance of a Veterinarian, Dr. Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan. Most of his cabinet members, between 2011 and 2015, took the full advantage of his weakling. His constitutional power was fully mortgaged by the strong subverting agents within his administration. Jonathan refused to use his Constitutional power to make things work for Nigeria.
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Meanwhile the storm that blew the bottom of the chicken already exposed the rotten aspect of one of the most consumable protein in Nigeria. President Buhari acted as a whistleblower, to reveal one of the most rotten parts of governance in Nigeria. Yet the immorality of most of the government agents continues, while some States are still having backlog of monthly salaries despite bailouts from the Federal Government.
The public treasury plunderers need to be reminded the words of Rajnikanth; “Whether you drive BMW or Maruti, the road remains the same. Whether you fly Economy or Business Class, your destination doesn’t change. Whether you wear Titan or Rolex, time remains the same. Whether you use a Samsung or Apple, the people who call you are the same. There is nothing wrong in dreaming about a luxurious life. What needs to be seen is that need doesn’t become greed, because needs can always be met…but greed can never be fulfilled.”
Why should Nigerians celibate mediocracy of the government officials?
Nigerian system set free high profile cases as an indication of the weakness of the established prosecuting process. Interestingly, INEC-Melaye recall issue is a testimony; with the systemic assertion of forged signatures for his recall. Unfortunately, EFCC has been ‘caged’ by the pathetic establishment, making it a toothless bull-dog to conclusively prosecute any major case, since its establishment; except to enforce heavy punishment on those who steal telephones, goats, Gari, pepper, while corporate thieves get away with their spoils.
Secession would not solve Nigeria man-made problems, rather than having dialogue with the country’s over 300 ethnic groups. Some analysts severally advised shelving some powers to the States. Nigeria would eventually get matured in governance.
When are Nigerians going to empower their Leaders to use Religion and Ethnicity as unifying factors in a naturally and humanly blessed country? Unfortunately, an average Nigerian tolerance level is below average. In his wisdom, Obasanjo designed a line for the Nigeria unity through the National Confab. Unfortunately most delegates then slipped-off the dangerous cliff of action. Jonathan did it successfully, while the ‘Two Headed Dragon of Ethnicity and Religion’ obscured the faculty of the current (2017) key players of Nigeria politics to see the light of the day. What is in it, that a group, even with it representatives, is nervous of implementing the 2014 Confab, instead of yearning for Restructuring Nigeria?
Education in the country is not measuring up its salt anymore, while foreign universities are very skeptical admitting direct Nigerians as it the past. An average Nigerian thinking faculties have been mortgaged by the current unproductive leaders; with no choice to succumb to their gluttony while the set of ‘Emperors’ continue milking the country’s lean cow. Where is the application of their Critical Thinking skills of Analysis, Interpretation, Self-Regulation, Inference, Explanation, and Evaluation? Where is that community that were self-made, now clamoring for Government to do everything for them today (2017)?
The legacy that Buhari is laying could be what Nigerians have been yearning from Nigerian leaders to have a blotch while in office for other leaders to follow. The fact that Buhari exposed the other tactics of enemy of progress, corruption, is enough lesson for Nigerians to follow in their choice of their leaders for good governance. Most Nigerians are re-echoing Fela’s ‘suffering and smile’ lyric.
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‘Monkey Business’ is coming up in 2019.
Nigeria leaders’ relationship with the citizens is like the story of a young mosquito that went out for the first time in life. The father asked, ‘How does it feel?’ The mosquito replied, ‘it was Great! Everyone was clapping for me’. The father replied, ‘they weren’t clapping for you. They wanted to kill you, the more they clapped, the more chances you are likely to die.’ Unfortunately, some Nigerians have been celebrating the leaders, killing them silently, killing most Nigerians and smiling at whatever would come into their side, because ‘the enemy that will kill you, will not come with a sword, but with a smile.’
Wondering how Nigeria got to this fool game?
Revitalizing our memory of Buhari’s marble quote on late Yar’Adua’s ill-health: “It’s unpatriotic for a government leader to travel abroad for so long in the name of medical vacation. If a leader can no longer function due to ill-health, he should be called upon to resign. I don’t think I have said anything wrong to have advised the President {Yar’Adua} to resign. He should disclose his health status to Nigerians and resign if he can no longer cope. That’s the proper thing to do…”
Common Sense, if and when applied, with moral justification, if available, will inform a dignify leader to resign and not hang on to the cliff of power at the brink of falling into the bottom of Arizona Grand Canyon. When his ill-health is not known to the Nigerians, how would they show any medical indication that Buhari has not lost his faculties and as such is unable to discharge his Constitutional responsibilities?
We learned from History that some past United States Presidents had been sick while in office and continued their Constitutional responsibilities. However, with the advanced constitution, the VP comes to the rescue whenever the president is incapacitated. When did Nigeria resolve into spoon-feeding its President like a baby; instead for the President adjusting his brain to solve the country’s social challenges caused by the ‘woodpeckers’?
Unfortunately Buhari handlers are heartless, to say the least. Instead of encouraging him to resign so that he could fully attend to his health, they mercilessly keep him occupying a space, wasting Nigeria resources.
Has Nigeria become a nation of chumps? Those requesting to know his health status should not be considered as agents of subversion, using Buhari’s ill health as their ploy.
Nigerians are not mannequins!