Multi-award winning media personality and
Ovation magazine boss, Dele Momodu, who is a
ThisDay columnist, has written yet another
interesting piece to Nigerians. It's a must read.
Fellow Nigerians, reactions to my column last
week were not unexpected. As anticipated, they
were indeed varied. Some people were impressed
that anyone could tell President Muhammadu
Buhari what most people would never dare. Others
felt I could talk because I don’t work with the
President and therefore do not feel the pressure of
those that do.
week were not unexpected. As anticipated, they
were indeed varied. Some people were impressed
that anyone could tell President Muhammadu
Buhari what most people would never dare. Others
felt I could talk because I don’t work with the
President and therefore do not feel the pressure of
those that do.
A few more simply dismissed my contribution as
they usually do without any good reason. It could
be true that more often than not, aides usually
misread their bosses and idols and so feel under
pressure not to irritate, annoy or even antagonise
their Boss. I have had the privilege of working and
interacting with bigwigs at home and abroad and
noticed that many of their employees treat them
with awe, fear and trepidation but not necessarily
with respect.
On my part, I have tried to remain truthful,
respectful and loyal to my bosses without being
fawning or uncritical. Sometimes, they would love
and appreciate these attributes. On other
occasions, they’ve chosen to live in denial and
bury their heads in the sand like ostriches do. Even
when they have discovered the truth, ego has
sometimes denied them the chance of accepting
the fact that you were right and they were wrong.
So I wasn’t surprised that some Abuja guys were
not impressed about my recent article titled HOW
THEY MISLEAD OUR LEADERS. I won’t be
surprised if our President did not read that
important article because it was kept away from
him. The easiest way to fail as a leader is to be
shielded from reality by cronies who tell you all is
well when all is far from being well. The other way
to invite failure is when a leader allows sycophants
to invite and amass enemies for such leader. I
witnessed both of these first hand during the
seeming deification of President Goodluck
Jonathan by those who felt he was beyond
reproach. But after his government collapsed, most
of those who fought imaginary enemies on behalf
of President Jonathan simply vamoosed and left
the former President to his personal ordeal.
Ironically, it was those of us considered his
enemies that came out boldly to defend him and to
protect his rights under the rule of law given the
statesmanship that he had demonstrated in the
twilight of his administration.
What I find baffling is the fact that man never
learns any didactic lessons from history. Less than
two years ago, many of those who have somehow
found themselves in power today hailed the critics
of Jonathan’s administration. They found our pens
more powerful than machine-guns. They called to
thank us for our patriotism and gallant battle to
restore hope to a dangerously bleeding nation. I
remember one particular gentleman, who is
currently a Minister; he used to phone me to
commend my maturity in attacking issues rather
than personalities. Today he has stopped calling
and I’m sure he is no longer comfortable with the
same level of patriotism and maturity that he
praised.
Let me reiterate that I love President Muhammadu
Buhari but mine is not a fake or blind love. I was
taught by my very traditional mum that “a mother
chastises a child she loves” and I have translated
that to mean that conversely, a child must offer
true words of advice to parents he treasures. This
is why I talk about our President with such respect
and decorum but at the same time I boldly analyse
his policies and actions and candidly offer advice
as I see fit. I believe we can help in supporting
him by telling him the true state of affairs and
painting the real picture of things. Nigeria is much
more complex and complicated than some of
those in power today wish to admit. I suspect they
have also assumed that they know the mind-set of
the President who they perceive as stubborn and
unyielding and would rather play along in order not
to invite his wrath. The impression out there is that
Baba is mean and vengeful and can trample on
and injure anyone in his line of fire. When I tell
people I met a soft, gentle, humble and caring
man once in 2011 and twice in 2015, they tell me
that was all a façade and I couldn’t judge him on
those accounts. It may be necessary for the
President to free his people from this self-
manacled bondage they have chosen for
themselves, as I once advised. The unfounded fear
of Buhari may stultify the progress of this
government. And only the President can help his
men and women overcome this dangerous
paranoia. The world has moved beyond the type of
maximum rulership which this suggests and the
President is not such a person in any event.
I have have been seeing posts on social media
indicating that some aides have been telling Baba
that majority of Nigerians are satisfied with his
government and that only the disgruntled elements,
otherwise nicknamed “wailing wailers”, are
complaining. But this is not true. Nigerians are
complaining about many things and Baba needs to
know. Of course, not everyone is lamenting like the
Biblical Jeremiah. There are always new
beneficiaries in every new government. And those
who have crossed the bridge, or ladder, of pain
into comfort don’t usually see the misery they left
behind. That was the anecdotal case of the French
Empress who asked why people could not eat cake
when there was scarcity of bread. Little did she
realise that bread and cake belong to the same
family of flour and that the issue was one of
poverty not merely famine or supply.
Nigerians are complaining about the slow pace of
work. They want Baba to jazz things up. Not that
they expect him to do it all but they are hoping he
can rejig this government and bring in proven and
tested Nigerians from any part of the world and
whatever political or religious background. It is the
prerogative of every government to hone its engine
of governance regularly by discarding worn-out
batteries, plugs and pumps. You may need to flush
dirty engine oil and replace with premium lubricant.
It should be obvious that what we have at the
moment is far short of the speed and stamina
required to take Nigeria to the next level.
Nigerians are complaining about the seeming
Nothernisation of the key sectors of the Nigerian
economy and polity. I am personally not very
worried about ethnic sentiments as a completely
detribalised Nigeria but there are those who feel
very strongly about this and the President may
need to allay their reasonable fears of being
extinguished and exterminated from the national
politics of Nigeria. My honest suggestion is that
Baba should come out to tell Nigerians the criteria
he uses in arriving at his choices. He should
confront his critics with superior logic and the
mathematics of appointment distribution. He
should not just dismiss this as a non-issue. That
is the burden placed on him by Constitutional
democracy. Every controversial action and decision
must be explained tirelessly and endlessly. As I
have said several times nothing beats merit, not
even primordial ethnic sentiments.
Nigerians are complaining about the high cost of
governance especially in this era of dwindling
national fortunes. Many are telling us that we
persuaded them to vote APC because we flaunted
the credentials of Buhari as a frugal and simple
man not susceptible to frivolous spending or
profligacy. They are taunting us that they have seen
no evidence of the reduction in the extravagant
spending on presidential jets and the upkeep of
government personnel and their families. Again it
may be necessary to update and educate the
Nigerian people on how government has concretely
worked on cutting costs in these austere times. It
is always good to talk to people who may not
know the facts and those who feign ignorance
deliberately. The government communicators
should, please, not be so dismissive lest they are
accused of being standoffish. No effort should be
spared at carrying everyone along including known
and unknown troublemakers.
Nigerians are complaining about the religious
sensitivity of this government. They believe that
Northern Christians are being studiously
marginalised and this should be urgently
addressed. In a country where the President was
blackmailed in the past about his religious
antecedents by being described as an Islamic
fundamentalist it is only appropriate for the
President to sensitise people and propagate his
commitment to secularism. A good example of
this is the fact that whilst he may have felt the
need to pick Christians as his running mate in the
past two elections he was not forced to pick
Pastors as his running-mates. It is clear that he did
this out of choice and to show that he was willing
to work side by side with Christian fundamentalists
in the task of nation building. Baba should not
jettison the principle of religious tolerance he has
imbibed and displayed. It would be politically
rewarding if he gives every Nigerian that same
sense of belonging. Nothing is more volatile than
religious conflagration and it is always a handy
weapon in the hands of enemies of State.
Nigerians are wondering what direction the
economy is headed with the incessant free-fall of
the naira despite all efforts at arresting the
kamikaze plunge. Added to this is the deregulation
of the price of petrol and the pains being felt by
these twin policies can only be described as untold
hardship.
While Nigerians are highly impressed that Baba is
fighting looters to standstill they want to know
what is happening to all the humongous cash
already recovered. Many states are still in financial
mess, unable to pay their workers. Like someone
joked on Twitter yesterday, the hope is that Baba
would not keep the money in savings for the next
government that will come and redistribute to the
looters again. That should be food for thought.
It would be fantastic if we can do what President
John Dramani Mahama is doing in Ghana, by
investing heavily in legacy projects that will
definitely outlive his government and launch Ghana
into the big league of modern nations. Nigeria
should borrow a leaf from Ghana by revamping and
upgrading our schools, hospitals, roads, airports,
railways, oil facilities, seaports, and so on. It
would be sweet victory for Nigerians and President
Buhari if they can enjoy the fruits of some of the
recovered loot in the very near future.
Nigerians are also talking about the spate of
agitations for the breakup of the Nigerian State,
especially the renewed call by the pro-Biafra
groups of South East Nigeria to carve out an Igbo
nation. While we may not understand the exact
mission of the Niger Delta Avengers, one of the
most lethal militant groups in Nigeria today, it is
not likely to be too far from that of the Biafrans
ultimately. The groups must be delicately handled.
Their leaders may have personal and selfish ulterior
motives but what is clear is that they are echoing
the sentiments and yearnings of their people for
self-determination borne out of frustration in being
marginalised in the Nigerian power game. At the
end of the day, there is nothing violence can
achieve that dialogue cannot handle better and
faster. It is time to tone down the drums of war
and set Nigeria on the path of restoration, peace
and progress.
There are simply too many distractions and
Nigerians are suffering as a result. I have no doubt
about President Buhari’s patriotism and zeal and
his desire to improve the lot of Nigerians. It is
about time that he demanded the same of his
lieutenants and require them to put national interest
over and above personal or party interests.
