He wore the garb of a ruthless dictator, his strides were riddled with fear and reverence, corrupt people fret by the mention of his name, he was a living monster for corrupt people. These qualities endeared him to the people, I mean the real people who abhor corruption and he was the darling of a sort. Wearing the identity of an honest man with no link to materialism stands tall amongst a people stained by the oil of corruption. Many times, he aspired to get into the system with the hope of cleaning the polity stained dangerously by the imprints of corruption, many times, he was denied by the same corrupt system. Sustained by obstinate determination, he became Nigeria’s democratically elected President on the 29th May 2015 after defeating then-incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in a keenly contested poll. The people gyrated in high relief, for them, the dreadful corruption fighter is here.
Their hopes were dashed as they sunk into deep melancholy for the fearless man they wished and voted for is now a different man wearing a new face. Too many echoes of rule of law have reduced Muhammadu Buhari to a weakling, who neither bark nor bite, he was reduced to a vegetable state- who waits on the dictates of the rule of law. Laws made exclusively by the elites to favour the elites at the detriment of national interest. He was a leader on auto-drive until recently when he decided to halt the self-destruct, discard the deprecating claw of the rule of elites for natural justice.
So compromised is the Nigerian system that the head of the judiciary is alleged to be so stained with corruption imprints. He wears the wig of honour but badly stained with the robe of corruption. It took a drastic move by Buhari for the Chief Justice to be suspended thus begun the purging of the judiciary – a sanctuary oozing with the maggots of corruption.
In the build-up to the 2019 presidential elections, this old man working hard to entrench ideal democratic tenets went around the country canvassing for votes when he can use his office like others before to write out figures, then some people defined by deep desperation think they can compromise the system by scuttling fair contest. Using all dubious strategy, they undermined a fair process, inciting violence, committing arsons on election materials while a sitting president watches helplessly clinging to being too democratic …
Realizing things can work with his kind of rules where kid gloves are used to shape erring citizens, for the first time, the president acted in strong conviction deploying the power of the state to halt criminality especially those who snatch ballot boxes. Relaying on the provision of the law, he invoked verbatim what the law says thus;
‘When a ballot box snatcher, armed with offensive weapons, including a gun, is shot dead by security agents, he has been brought to justice in accordance with the law’. As if some people were actually out to disrupt the postponed elections as they troop out in venom, cursing, fuming and brimming in fire and thunder condemning what the president said. If you are not a ballot box snatcher, why should the warning of the president bother you? It looks like some people were actually planning or banking on ballot snatching during these elections. Why are they so angry?
The Nigeria trajectory is such that we are always offended when the laws are activated to go after criminals; we hate to see a crime being punished.
Go after corrupt people,
‘No, that is impunity’.
Sack compromised judges,
‘You are undermining democracy’
‘We must prosecute corrupt persons’
‘Abeg leave corruption and face governance.
Why are we pained by efforts put forth to make the society better? What does it profit us to undermine the law at the expense of our warped interests? Suddenly, worship centres have different scriptural backings on why corruption is not a bad thing and should be allowed to take their rightful place. Ironically, two guys who stole some millions from a worship centre recently were arrested and taken to court on the order of the celestial head. So, it is halal to steal government money but haram to steal from the church and mosque.
The Nigerian man is a two-faced being with two different treatments for one disease. While he applies penicillin ointment for eczema on his hand, he prescribes ‘otapiapia’ for his sick neighbour suffering the same illness. This is who we are and we are supreme in our hypocrisy.
In the Saturday poll, security agencies should provide adequate protection to law-abiding citizens and use the same might to shape lawbreakers. The law didn’t create security agencies to give cover for illegality, that era is gone- to make our institutions stronger, Buhari must stop acting virgin in the dens of harlots.
