We devoured our president’s pre-election promises and slogan with our eyes, ears and nostrils of belief. It was so easy for us to do this. After all, why not, when his predecessor disillusioned us with his style of governance that disarrayed us? More than a year after we have learnt a-new the meaning of political and economic disorientation. Perhaps we should say that well after one year since this president came on board our republic’s presidential ship, we have learnt a-new the true meaning of presidential realism and idealism that will not give us the promises we eagerly await to eat. We are learning to our chagrin that the mango-promises and apple-and-banana-slogan we un-churlishly awaited – and still await – to eat are after all illusions that belong to our president’s electoral and soldierly orbit of camouflages and camisades.
People like yours very sincerely and other chanterers who desired to compose melodious chanson-de-geste for this president in the manner of the French have since refrained from doing so. In fact, I have since kept in abeyance my “Chanson de Buhari.” But I am willing to compose and re-compose in my chanting heart a celebratory song of heroic deeds and exploits if and whenever this president discards his presidential camouflage and camisade, and begins in earnest to give us real presidential food to eat and digest. Every member of the Nigerian masses and people generally wants urgently his digestive presidential philosophy in concrete terms. Every member of the Nigerian working class, North and South, wants to eat Buhari’s concrete food of belief in Nigeria under his presidency. Every member of the Nigerian working class, South and North, wants to drink Buhari’s medicine of regeneration and new faith in Nigeria.
The attitude of everybody from different classes, ethnic groups and professions is simply that Buhari rode to the presidency through a cover, through a visor, through a camouflage and a camisade. I say this as a sincere columnist who gets calls and text messages ceaselessly on the mind-set, among other things, of this president since he has entered Aso Rock and the presidency as a tenant of the Nigerian people. Let me try to address/explain the situation by presenting some text messages relating to my previous article.
Text one: “I’m truly in love with the topic, “The republic of deception.” The hunger in the land is severely severe. When will the relief come?”
Text two: “Where is transparency? How do we know how much of the loot is recovered for us to judge whether it is fully and justifiably utilised? These are the questions on the sheets of this administration that may shoot all Buhari’s efforts in the leg.”
Text three: “We are all disturbed that Buhari who first talked of budget padding in far away London and promised to deal with whoever was involved chickened out when Jibrin implicated Dogara in the act. Dogara even had the guts to go for a personal meeting with the president.
Text 4: “Ours is the republic of deception where our leaders have their Ph.Ds in falsehood, where hunger wages war on its denizens. I’m fed up; in fact, I want to end it all.”
Text 5: You have succeeded in making every Monday my best day with your column despite my tedious Monday work. Thank you. Your pen will never go dry in Jesus’ name…. You are great. The Lord will give you more anointing to keep educating us. God bless.”
Text 6: “Your write-ups are commendable. More power to your elbow.”
I have not done what I have just done for a pretty long time. I am doing so now to show that I am patriotically conscious of my readers’ patriotic concern for our country despite this president’s seeming revolution against looters of our commonwealth and patrimonies.
I add my telephone conversations with numerous callers to the quoted text messages You all, including the president and his acolytes, will discover clearly that Buharism devoured and plundered us with eyes and tongues of deceit.
This clearly amounts to one reason why a Chibok leader, in great disappointment, pains and trauma, exclaimed recently: “We regret voting for Buhari”
Whether or not he wants to hear it, Buhari’s rating today is low and low and low. This is mainly on account of his presidential proclamations and actions that are devoid of the power of ennobling humanity.
We did not bargain for this. Clearly, he lured and snared us to where we are now. But he – with or without his camouflage and camisade of integrity and standing – will not have the last laugh. I count on our patriotic comrades and compatriots to force him to do solidly, concretely patriotic duties without further illusions.
He either toes the lines of our concrete humane ideals or is eaten by his own illusions and visor, camouflage and camisade of integrity and transformation of our republic. The choice is his. The victory or defeat is his – ultimately. He must walk his promises and slogan or he is devoured by his failure to do so – ultimately. And he must hear this because we collectively made him our president: A gentleman officer, in or out of uniform, must be alive to his words which he must keep. He also must know that out of uniform he no longer needs camouflages and camisades to be employed as weapons of war to annihilate the enemy. In any case, the Nigerian masses and voters did not vote for him to be tormented the way they have been tormented so far. And they are not his enemies.