Re: President Buhari, how not to end badly- Bala Ibrahim

I read today, the article of Zainab Suleiman Okino, titled, President Buhari: How not to end badly, and I was spurred to agree and disagree with the author on some issues.

In agreeing with Zainab, I buy into the first paragraph of her write up, which said: “History is replete with leaders who came to power in a blaze of glory and ended in ignominy. As good as it is to start a race well, it is not as important as ending excellently.

That is why in a foursome relay race, a good runner starts the race, and the best sprinter ends it. Only those who end well are celebrated anyway. For President Muhammadu Buhari, the next few weeks are key to determining whether his eight-year-old government will end gloriously or gravely. Luckily for him, the power to make his tenure a memorable one is right in his hands”.

I would paraphrase Zainab’s foursome relay race to a threesome relay race, in which President Buhari is in charge of the executive, Senator Ahmed Lawal is in charge of the legislature and Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad is in charge of the judiciary. Zainab said, “Only those who end well are celebrated anyway”. And this is very correct.

Since coming to office, Senator Ahmed Lawal’s senate has achieved a lot, by way of lovely legislations and the laxity of being “hands in gloves with the president”. This is good, especially when juxtaposed with what Zainab called, “the previous National Assembly headed by Dr Bukola Saraki, which had a running battle with the president because of the manner of his(Saraki’s) emergence; in fact there was no love lost between the executive and legislature, and this sour relation affected almost all the bills passed.

So, one can say His Excellency Ahmed Lawal is coasting to victory, as against his predecessors.

As the Chief Justice of Nigeria or CJN, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, who was appointed on the 25th January 2019, pursuant to the controversial exit of his predecessor, Walter Samuel Onnoghen, is the head of the judicial arm of the Government, and in that capacity, he has made a name by showing concern for speedy dispensation of justice.

At various fora, Justice Muhammad had hammered on the fact that, the delay in justice delivery accounts for the inability of the Judiciary to effectively contribute to the development of the nation’s economy. Ibrahim Tanko’s concern on disputes resolution is particularly phenomenal, because he said, although disputes were unavoidable in business transactions and other related economic activities, it was scandalous to have such cases linger for years in court without resolution.

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So in the race for getting judges and judicial stakeholders to device prompt dispute resolution, as a catalyst for financial system stability, the CJN is also coasting to victory, as against his predecessors.

Zainab had delved into the politics of the APC as the ruling party, which she described as “a patchwork of disgruntled elements among politicians, and said President Buhari’s roles as the biggest beneficiary, have been less than sterling, especially in conflict management. But because he is revered, respected and honoured-everyone calls him Baba—even the most aggrieved hardly speak ill of him; he has been a larger than life figure in APC”.

Here, I disagree with Zainab on a segment of her submission, because the performance of His Excellency Mai Mala Buni as the chairman, CECPC, is creditably commendable. Even the Governors have attested to that. And that’s because of the support of Mr. President.

However, I agree with her on the often calm, relaxed and sometimes display of disinterest, or enthusiasm to certain issues that require aggressive bias. Yes, aggressive bias in favour of those that stick their chests out for him.

And precisely that’s where I intend to tilt the attention of my article, with the hope that if the President agrees to make the amends, he stands the additional chance of not ending badly.

Yesterday, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, addressed the press, wherein he blew proudly, the trumpet of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, highlighting how the government delivered three critical infrastructure projects that defy solutions for decades.

The minister cited the Apapa-Oworonshoki road in Lagos state, which was notorious for gridlock and in bad shape for decades, as one of the difficult projects. He said the road built in 1970 had failed intermittently and seemed to have defied solution in the history of the country. But Buhari has now solved that problem for the people of Lagos, and by extension, the south west.

The minister also identified Bodo-Bonny Bridge in Rivers state, which was the only access to the site of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas. “For decades, this place is only accessible by air and when there is bad weather which are a usual occurrence people cannot get there for days.

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Three attempts had been made by the previous administrations to construct the bridge but all failed,’’ he said. The Buhari administration succeeded in solving the problem, by constructing the first road and bridge linking Bonny Island in highly challenging environment and soil condition.

The third project according to Fashola is the Second Niger Bridge, which he said would be delivered and inaugurated before the end of the year.

But what about the north, the principal source of energy for democratic breath in Nigeria? The north provided the bulk of votes that succeeded in getting the President to the villa. What is there to show for them?

With the exception of Kaduna, where the President said he had been living since he dropped his uniform, the north is gradually decaying in infrastructure and other public service facilities.

I’ve heard President Buhari say he intends to go back home after 2023, and by home I believe he means the north, Kaduna or Daura.

In order not to end badly, God forbid, I urge him to read the last paragraph of Zainab’s article, viz: “Leaders should learn from the past, balance fragile arrangements of the polity; remain above the fray and think about posterity. President Buhari has limited moments to write his name in glorious era or black book of history, because only a thin line exists between the two”.

“Only those who end well are celebrated anyway”- Zainab Suleiman Okino

Ibrahim, a media advisor writes from Abuja