BY PROMISE ADIELE
It is gradually becoming impossible to cope with life in Nigeria. Sometimes, one must invoke all the elementals of fortitude in the sanctum of the inward being to put up a pretentious smile. It is that kind of smile which deceives observers, creating the impression of wellness when all is far from being well.
Hope keeps Nigerians moving, a far-fetched hope that someday all will be well – the days of political rascality and arbitrary socio-economic terrorizing of the populace will be over. Then normalcy will return to these shores. That is the prayer of every reasonable Nigerian. Unfortunately, not all Nigerians are reasonable. Not all Nigerians pray that prayer. Indeed, the realization that not all Nigerians wish the country well desecrates one’s moral canvass and sense of acuity. It amounts to a wanton violation of Nigeria’s collective dignity. Why would some people wish this country evil, just why?
In less than three months, a successor to Nigeria’s imperial majesty Muhammadu Buhari will emerge. Out of the three front runners – Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of them will ascend the throne of authority inside the sanctuary of Aso Rock barring any eventualities.
Mr. President has admitted that he is in a hurry to quit Aso Rock. That declaration raises a fundamental question that requires clarification – is Buhari in a hurry to quit power as an individual or together with his political party, the APC? Certainly, many Nigerians are in a hurry to see Buhari and APC quit power for obvious reasons. Yet some Nigerians are desperately wishing for a continuation of the current macabre dance of death under APC. If indeed Nigerians agree that the conditions in the country are soul-wrenching, if, in all sincerity, there is a consensus arising from demonstrable tragic conditions in the country that the APC government is a composite failure, then, it naturally calls to question the cognitive stability of those who wish the current power machinery to continue.
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Everyone has the right to make a political choice but choices must be gauged by reason especially when they are bound to flounder on the heels of infantile convictions. A drunk can make a choice. A mentally deranged person can make a choice too. Children, in all their delinquent assuredness also make choices. Of course, the larger society will suffer if the choices made by the foregoing people are allowed to subsist because society recognizes the limitations of their discernment. If indeed society allows the choices made by these people to stand, it affirms a collective degeneration of virtue in the land. For example, should Nigerians make a choice that would ultimately snuff the remaining air out of their lives, that is, assuming all Nigerians are drunk and mentally handicapped? If indeed, like babies that are yet to develop any sense of danger, Nigerians file out to put forth their hands into fire, should elders in the land watch and applaud them? It is a simple question.
Muhammadu Buhari is, by every definition of the word, an elder in Nigeria both in age and career. From available records, he has always been involved in most events that shaped the history of Nigeria. But he is one of those that have benefitted immensely from Nigeria and therefore should never look away when the country approaches a precipice. He should react and save Nigeria in his capacity as the president and Commander-in-Chief. If anyone understands Nigeria more than the rest of us, it should be Muhammadu Buhari. If anyone should love Nigeria than the rest of us, that person should be Muhammadu Buhari. He should want Nigeria to succeed. He should wish Nigeria well. In that understanding, Muhammadu Buhari must ensure that no criminal whose candidacy and aspirations to Aso Rock will, besides embarrassing the country internationally, plunge over 200 million people into the depths of an economic abyss. I do not for one moment suggest that the president should interfere with the elections but he must ensure that only credible people aspire to the highest office in the land.
Muhammadu Buhari has come face to face with destiny. He has always paraded himself as a man of impeccable morality, pristine integrity, and unblemished character. As a military head of state, he brooked no nonsense even though it extended to dictatorial levels. Those who peddled hard drugs or had any connection with hard drugs were summarily executed. Those who indulged in corruption by embezzling public funds were put behind bars for many years. Although Nigerians groaned, his no-nonsense, zero tolerance for crooked characters was commended within and outside the country. If the young Buhari could strive to establish a legacy of forthrightness in governance and public service, one would expect, as wine becomes better with age, that Buhari would become better with age in which case, he would never touch a corrupt person with a long pole. Another question – what has changed in the present time which makes it possible for our integrity poster boy to look away while sullied characters dominate our leadership platforms and aspire to even become leaders?
Muhammadu Buhari must save Nigerians from local and international ridicule. He shouldn’t choose who will succeed him but he should stop someone from succeeding him. In the words of a Nigerian gap-toothed military ruler, “we don’t know those that will succeed us but we know those that will not succeed us”. The rest, they say, is history. As a matter of urgency, Buhari should call for the files of all the three leading aspirants and quickly begin to examine them one after another. He cannot pretend to be unaware of all the stench swelling around some of the presidential aspirants. The stench is choking, it can kill. If Buhari rules Nigeria for eight years, rehabilitates his family, revives his health, enjoys himself, and hands over the country to a misfit, he would have rubbished whatever legacy he built in the past and it would prove naysayers right that he never meant well for Nigeria.
Buhari should call for the personal files of all three presidential candidates, investigate them through legitimate agencies and examine all the issues around their personalities. When were they born? What schools did they school? Who were their parents? What documents did they submit to INEC? Are they authentic or forged? When was the first time they traveled abroad? Under what circumstances did they travel and with what identity? What were their dealings and employment history abroad? These relevant but fundamental questions should be asked. Every information regarding their employment records, business dealings, friends and associates must be investigated and laid bare. The office of the president cannot be so shamelessly lowered to accommodate a fraudulent character for political reasons. There must be a limit to the Nigerian hypnosis which, as it stands, confounds even the dead.
No presidential aspirant found wanting in terms of morals and character should be allowed to participate in the election. At this time in Nigeria’s history, the country cannot afford to gamble with its future by enthroning a shady character to the highest office in the land. Finally, Buhari should demand that the three presidential aspirants should submit medical certificate which proves that they are healthy and suitable for the office they desperately seek. The comprehensive medical examination should be carried out by a foreign independent medical firm. This is to forestall any case of forgery and manipulation because it is clear that some of the presidential aspirants are steeped in forgery and double standards. Buhari has a rare opportunity to immortalize himself as a true patriot, democrat, and Nigeria’s all-time Mr. Integrity. If he fails to do the needful history will not be kind to him.
*Adiele PhD is of the Mountain Top University. He writes via: [email protected], Twitter: @Drpee4
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