Nigerians, are you ready for excuses?

To the Editor:

A correspondent of yours has informed your readers that Nigeria's military Government is now losing popular support (news article May 1). The evidence he uses to buttress his point derives from conversations in Lagos with individuals whose hands are scarcely on the pulse of the Nigerian masses.

It is rather like assessing the political climate in America through conversations held with residents of Scarsdale and selected, unnamed U.N. ambassadors.

Nigeria's new leaders have been frank with our people about the problems we face. From the very start, General Buhari made it clear that things would have to get worse before they get better. If your correspondent lived in Nigeria, he could better appreciate the debate that has surrounded the measures that have been taken and the pace of taking them. And he might have understood the support that has come with the visible redistribution of the suffering. He might also have understood the context in which measures have been taken to curb the proclivity of Nigeria's exuberant press to level charges based on flimsy evidence and at times provoking baseless public agitation. Further, your correspondent seems unaware that the present leadership was part of a government much criticized in 1975 for excessive haste. The thrust of our policies is not to gain temporary popularity but rather to break the cycle of alternating civilian and military regimes and establish a firm basis for lasting political institutions that will secure economic and social justice. (Maj. Gen.) J. N. GARBA Permanent Representative of Nigeria at the U.N. New York, May 4, 1984

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/14/opinion/l-a-nigerian-government-looking-to-the-future-185653.html