Maitama’s advice to Buhari

Late Maitama Yusuf Sule was, indeed, a great Nigerian national compatriot. A two-time minister of the Federal Republic and former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he led a powerful delegation of the Northern leaders to visit President Muhammadu Buhari when he won the 2015 general elections. I have watched the video more than once, his passionate and altruistic advice to Buhari, an advice no one can give a leader than the lover of the leader and the led.

It was a very big task Sule bequeathed Buhari. I wish that Buhari should continue to revisit these few words of a man who loved him and loved Nigeria like himself. On this note, I want to undertake a task of diagnosing how Buhari has been able to comply with these words of wisdom. Buhari has run a democratic government of Nigeria for three years a few months now. Has he displayed justice and fairness to all Nigerians irrespective of “tribe, religion and political inclination” as expected? I would like to take Buhari’s treatment of Nigerians from the three aspects that Sule anchored his message on: tribal, religious and political.

From the tribal line, Buhari has tried his best. From the religious line, it is not yet Uhuru. Claims and counterclaims of marginalization are pushed forward by the leaderships of the two main religions in Nigeria. From the political line, Buhari has been exceptional.

Maitama Sule, on the other hand, appealed to Nigerians to be patient with Buhari’s administration. He, however, lamented present social economic challenges facing Nigeria, but lauded Buhari on winning the war against insecurity, war against corruption, improving the image of Nigeria before the world, focus on agriculture and the development of the solid minerals to diversify the economy.

• Muhammad Ajah,

Abuja.