Buhari and the verdict of history, by Mobolaji Sanusi

“I have no companies. I do not attribute much to materialism, in particular to materialism, at the expense of the development of the country. I have a clear conscience and I feel that he can face God with confidence.”

The quote above was pronounced by the deceased former president of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari, by Benedetto Memory during one of his interviews rarely granted.

I was deeply touched by the depth of his altruistic sincerity in making this statement even if the then president sitting in our country where corruption is thus rooted in the system up to a point where government officials, in particular, are described as intelligent simply because they are experts in compromising the system for a pecuniary advantage.

Wantonly in Nigeria in recent times, government policies are evaluated and implemented by the prisms of corrupt slowdowns for their initiators and actuators.

During the so -called Buhari administration, it is not hyperbolic to say that the deceased leader was probably the lone range in his Puritan disposition to governance and material acquisition.

Comparally, apart from the retired general Yakubu Gowon, who showed history was not materialistic when it was the country head of state of the country, no Nigerian leaders until today has left the position without being accused, with clear evidentiary facts, to take sides the position enhanced to angular the resources of the nation for a personal advantage and only to Avario none of them was done to face the anger of the law so far.

Usually, the ownership of the companies by the leaders in Nigeria or other countries is not a crime, especially if these initiatives are owned before their charge hiring. But it becomes a different ball game in which leaders during the night become industrial cum of enormous investors with inexplicable wealth while they are in office or immediately after leaving the assignment. This deplorable development is more rampant in my country, in Nigeria and nothing concrete has been done to stem this bad cycle.

Because Buhari came out to make a aforementioned declaration during his years of domination clearly ranks above all Nigerian leaders and, above all, others privileged Nigerians in power, in particular on the corruption index.

Pertinently, how did the Puritanic approach of Buhari to governance helped develop the country? This is the question of a billion dollars who, if he answers altruistically, can correctly give an acceptable verdict of the story on Buhari and his mandate.

Yes, Buhari was honored with high -level epithets, inspiration stories, anecdotes and memories of his ascetic lifestyle that highlights his only leadership character. Whatever the personal purity that Buhari has had, cannot protect him from being responsible in some way of the true state of the current stupid economic security of Nigeria and the confused agricultural reality.

Now it is no longer, but the judgment of history on how he guided this country cannot be turned upside down. This chapter of history will now be written by some of us who have lived its leadership that is anything but seized from Nigeria.

In this digital era, Buhari’s legacy in the government cannot be modeled by the love of his great supporters for him or their propaganda. His inheritance will be judged by what has done good or bad. The verdict of the story on Buhari cannot be distorted by any devil of printers or pushed under the carpet by the ancient saying: they let the sleeping dogs lie.

The internet era that never forgets has come to stay. The different phases of the public service of Buhari to the nation cannot be eroded by the tradition of not saying evil against the dead. In the political firmament, the verdict of history not only on Buhari, but other leaders should be acute and precise.

For example, the days of Buhari as a military head of state, albeit short and despite its twists and turns, was very important to inculcate the discipline and the standards in the Nigerians. To date, it is difficult to forget that Era’s war policy against indiscipline (Wai) who put our people to the line of best acceptable practices globally, in conduct and actions. The Nigerians who are large enough still appreciate the public discipline of that era. It was also during this era that the traditions, traditions and Nigerian products and national pride and granted priorities were made.

This is despite the controversial retroactive killing of Bartolomeo Azubike Owoh, Lawal Akanni Ojuolape and Bernard Ogengbe for drug trafficking that was not punishable by death when the trio committed the crime. In addition, the Draconian Decree 4 that Buhari/Idiagbon promulgated that he brought to the prison of two laborious journalists, the Lords Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson, for the publication of the truth they cannot be easily forgotten. It was as a military sovereign never contemptuous and condemned for the media.

Buhari’s democratic era is something that history may not be kind. His Puritan force was obscured by his weakened ability to effectively govern the country. Perhaps because of his age he induced bad health or the personal ease deliberated unforgivable.

The meaningless abuse of politics and the means, the arbitrage initiative Avario/Naira and the then new Naira notes that print Rigmarole, close to the general elections of 2023 by the central bank of Nigeria under its beloved named, Godwin Emefiele, clearly went beyond the limits of monetary political decency and decorum. Buhari had his eyes wide open but did nothing to correct these and other anomalies that devastated his administration.

Even shocking, most of those who freely appointed to administer the country with him were two extremes in terms of good and evil. Still, he did nothing to correct the situation until the nation falls into his current abyss.

The failures of Buhari in the spheres of security and economics were legendary despite his trillion of Naira spent the same. His nepotistic inclination in government appointments has remained unparalleled. Buhari is largely considered by most Nigerians an ethnic bigoted and a fundamental Islamist who promoted the immense privilege of Fulani/Hausa at a level that cannot be envied within the entity called Nigeria. He spent billions of Naira of revenues earned hard of the country for the benefit of the nearby Republic of Niger and Chad, where his Fulani/Hausa clans live.

However, Buhari, like Goodluck Jonathan, his predecessor in office, will be remembered for having ensured a regular democratic transition to the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

The President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio The expression of pain in a declaration on the death of Bohari leaves a lot to be desired. He said on Buhari: “I am deeply sore that he died when his wise consultant is more necessary in the country …” The question is: someone can ever lose the alleged “wise adviser” of Buhari who has never used to navigate in the country of peoples (PDP) led the waters in difficulty when he had an entire eight years of being in the saddle of the power to do something that was worth it?

Buhari was sincerely a non -materialistic man while he was alive even when his “moralistic disposition” had done more badly than well to the well -being of the country as a whole. Whatever Buhari did or did not do, he had clearly assured us that he can now face God with confidence because, according to him, he had “a clear conscience”.

• Sanusi, former MD/CEO of Lasaa, is the CEO partner at the reliable AMS lawyers based in the State of Lagos.

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