Nigeria’s future truly hangs in the balance and the outcome depends
entire on the presidential election. Nigeria is adrift, having been
battered non-stop for six years under the failed leadership of President
Goodluck Jonathan. With him at the helm, our armed forces lost the
ability to protect its citizens and borders. Nigerians are dying from
suicide bombings and mass slaughter from terrorists, the economy is in
shambles with massive devaluation of the Naira. Our foreign reserve is
depleting faster than we can blink. Youth unemployment is at an all time
high, banks and oil companies are laying off workers, industries are
closing shop or relocating to other West African countries due to high
operational costs. Healthcare has remained an illusion, salaries are
unpaid for months, pensions are looted in the midst of a financial
crisis that was foretold and preventable.
As tough as the times are, the ever optimistic Nigerians coalesced
around the candidacy of General Buhari as the the right choice to be the
next president of Nigeria. Buhari goes into the March 28 Presidential
election with a base that is built strongly on opposition to Goodluck
Jonathan, and the strength of his own character. Since winning the All
Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, Buhari became not just an
alternative to the status quo, but the face of change and the symbol of
our frustrations, hopes and aspirations. His integrity and record in
public service presents a vast ocean of improvement compared to the
incumbent. The Chatham house address showed a clear thinking man, with
sufficient grasp of Nigeria’s current challenges. Buhari is a man who
has proven himself many times in the past – from fighting the civil war
to performing creditably well in a series of positions of huge
responsibilities. His entire life has been devoted to public service,
with each succeeding office proving him as a man with a strong moral
core.
There is no doubt that this race is about Jonathan’s disastrous
tenure. Mr. Jonathan came into office amid popular expectation that he
would be a “breath of fresh air”, instead he turned the government over
to radical opportunists and larcenous middle men. Jonathan became
hostage to his women. His wife puts a leash on his neck, Diezani
Allison-Madueke has control of this hands, while Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala
covered his face. He appointed indelicate loudmouths like Femi
Fani-Kayode and empowered people like Mbu, whose history of
insensitivity to civil liberties would have earned him a dismissal from
the Police force with a more reflective president. Under Jonathan,
political appointees became more brazen in stealing public funds and
impunity became normative. His giant enabler in the senate, David Mark
confirms any crook brought before the Assembly – from the thieving
Stella Oduah to the murderous Abba Moro.
When oil prices got to record heights under his watch, the president
was fixated not on generating jobs but rather on enriching his cronies
and engaging in extravagances like adding more aircrafts to the
presidential fleet. Money that could have been used to build enduring
infrastructure; fund education, healthcare, power; and improve the
living standards of Nigerians evaporated. If Mr. Jonathan had wanted to
leave a mark on the sands of time, he could have taken on one or two
areas of national decay. Instead, he embarked on a bogus transformation
agenda that transformed nothing in the lives of Nigerians but the
pockets of friends of government, militants, terrorists, army and
security chieftains and pastors. The president, who came to power on the
emotional narrative of a shoeless boy of the creeks, with an expectant
country united behind him, soon got lost in gluttony and primitive
acquisition. A President who met a comfortable foreign reserve, little
debt, high oil prices, and an unparalleled opportunity to ask for shared
sacrifice, became limited by his own lack of imagination and focus.
In addition to incompetence, Mr. Jonathan acted with a criminal
obsession against Nigeria’s unity. He made the comfort of his friends a
higher priority than what was needed for Nigeria’s security. He looked
on unconcerned as Nigerians were slaughtered or bombed daily by Boko
Haram terrorists. He demonstrated a curious inability to change his
priorities in the face of changing circumstances. When he finally
decided to act by imposing a state of emergency on the affected states,
it was badly planned and poorly implemented. The strategy to defeat Boko
Haram bore all the hallmarks of the administration’s normal method of
doing business: disregard for accountability, lack of due process,
cronyism, money laundering, politicisation, and inept management.
I have specific fears about what would happen should Jonathan win a
second term. If he wins re-election, domestic and foreign investors in
our economy will know the stealing, corruption and fiscal recklessness
will continue. Along with record trade imbalances, our economy will be
in coma for four more years, as threatened by the uncontrolled decline
of the Naira, higher long-term interest rates and lower oil prices.
Jonathan has shown us the worst face of incompetence, impunity,
corruption and he has exploited our ethnic and religious differences
with far reaching implications for the future health of this country.
Under him, the once famous Nigerian armed forces, praised for its
contribution to peace keeping operations around the world, became the
butt of late night jokes. The army became famous for running away at the
sight of terrorists; its ranks divided, court martial became a tool for
settling scores and generals were implicated as sponsors of terror. Our
troops became demoralised and subservient to troops from countries like
Chad and Niger. Under Jonathan, the army became incapable of handling
crisis of sovereignty and the nation lost chunks of its territory to
Boko Haram.
Buhari has the capacity to do far, far better. He has high moral
authority, the understanding of our failures, the issues confronting us,
and a willingness to solve our bitting problems. I am relieved that we
will have in Buhari a patriot, a decisive leader, and a man who will not
enrich himself. Buhari’s manifesto details aggressive and innovative
ideas on unemployment, housing, health, power, education and
infrastructure deficits facing the nation. He understands Nigeria’s
appropriate role as the African leader in world affairs and he will work
with us to restore Nigeria to its pride of place.
The past four years of Jonathan has been a colossal waste and a drag
on Nigeria. We have lost lives unnecessarily and we have wasted
opportunities so casually. Time and again, history beckoned on Jonathan
to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong path. On
the contrary, General Mohammadu Buhari appreciates this moment in
history. He has contested for this position, time and again, to help put
us on the right track, and lead by example. He has a track record of
performance, integrity and total disdain for personal enrichment.
Nigeria will be a lot better with him as president.
Through the campaign, General Mohammadu Buhari demonstrated sound
judgment. He has the will, conviction and the ability to forge the broad
political coalitions, as shown by the merger that brought the APC into
being. He has the strength of character needed to finding lasting
solutions to Nigeria’s problems. Unlike Buhari, Mr. Jonathan is
operating at the farthest fringe of Nigerian politics, running a
negative campaign of partisan division, allowing his minions to preach
national disintegration, courting military take over, and working
underground to subvert the democracy that was built with the sweat and
blood of others, of which he is has been ultimate beneficiary. Given the
ugly and polarising nature of Jonathan’s campaign, the urge to choose
on the basis of religion and ethnicity is strong. But there is a greater
value in looking closely at the facts of life in Nigeria today, and at
the prescriptions offered by Buhari, compared to the issueless gallivant
of Jonathan. The differences are as stark as they are profound.
Long suffering Nigerians, it will be a humongous task to get Nigeria
back to where we were before Jonathan. It will require strong willpower,
integrity, leadership by example, character, intellect, good judgment,
and tested hands. These are qualities we have seen in Buhari that
created this movement for change and a cult like following for him. In
contrast, Mr. Jonathan has decimated whatever was left of his reputation
by hiring rabid apostates to do his dirty job, and he’s gone for broke
by distributing the nation’s money to anyone who promises to deliver his
household votes to him. Because we believe in him, Buhari has withstood
the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate in the
history of Nigeria. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has helped
Jonathan in spreading the politics of fear, division and character
assassination, because there is nothing to show for his failed
presidency.
I urge you to vote for Buhari on March 28 because Nigeria’s problems
are too grave, and Mr. Goodluck Jonathan does not have the competence,
character, judgement and moral standing to solve our problems. Nigeria
needs competent leadership, honest leadership, sensible leadership,
strong leadership and compassionate leadership. General Mohammadu Buhari
is competent, honest, sensible, strong and compassionate. Vote Buhari!
Vote Change and Vote a United Nigeria!
Bamidele maintains a weekly column on Politics and
Socioeconomic issues every Tuesday. She is a member of Premium Times
Editorial Board. Follow her @olufunmilayo
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