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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” (1121 Views)
Buhari: 'My Wife, Aisha, Belongs To My Kitchen, Living Room' / Buhari Relaunches War Against Indiscipline Brigade / Buhari:“my People Are Useless,my People Are Senseless,my People Are Indiscipline (2) (3) (4)
Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by Elose11(m): 11:50am On Nov 02, 2015 |
A wise man once told me:
“Nigerians are mules, everyone
who can, kicks at them.” The
thing is, the more things
change, the more they feel the
same. In 1984, Major-General
Muhamadu Buhari as military
tyrant diagnosed “indiscipline”
as Nigeria’s national malaise.
The sexy power word in those
days was “summarily.” Buhari
promised that the military
government of which he was
head would “summarily” deal
with any Nigerian who was
found wanting in “discipline.”
He quickly launched a “War
Against Indiscipline.” It caught
on fire.
Nigerians were pressed to
“behave.” They began to
queue for buses and other
services in places like Lagos,
notorious for jumping queues.
That was the greatest
achievement of WAI: Nigerians
learnt to queue. Military
governors sometimes arrived
the gates of government
secretariats very early, and
waited for government workers
who arrived late.
Late-coming civil servants were
humiliated, made to kneel
down irrespective of their office
or positions, or age, and frog-
jumped as punishment for
coming late to work. In some
cases, they were “summarily
dismissed.” Buhari’s
government authorized armed
soldiers to raid warehouses,
and seize the goods of traders
accused of “hoarding essential
commodities.” That was in a
period, of course, when
“ESSENCO”was very scarce.
Buhari’s War Against
Indiscipline, stemmed from his
genuine convictions that
Nigerians were an undisciplined
lot, and had to be forced to
obey the simple laws of the
land, and of courtesy.
Recent evidence suggests that
Buhari continues to believe this
as a fundamental problem with
the Nigerian character. Last
week, our friends, Dr. Barry
and Claire Mauer had us all
over for a party for Claire’s
birthday at their College Park,
Orlando, home. We were all
going at it, with a little wine
and sherry, and that good stuff,
when Shanti, another friend of
ours said, “I hear your
president say all you Nigerians
are unruly, and you need to
stop being unruly!” I too had
heard that the previous day on
the BBC.
It was big news for the BBC
that president Buhari’s
Independence Day message to
Nigerians was that Nigerians
were “unruly.” It triggered their
fancy so much that they made
such an event of it. They
brought a Nigerian, whose
name I do not now recall, and
Ghana’s Elizabeth Ohene, to
talk about the “unruliness” of
Nigerians as claimed by a
president who increasingly
seems really disconnected
from the Nigerian reality. In the
symbolic moment of Nigeria’s
55th anniversary as an
Independent nation, more
sober considerations should
have been made regarding the
trajectory of Nigeria’s journey,
the transitions that have been
made, and the true reasons for
the failures of Nigeria.
We should rather celebrate the
hardiness and resilience of
Nigerians in the face of a
terribly confused
administration as Buhari’s is
turning out to be.Ordinary
Nigerians must not be made to
carry the can for failed political
leadership this past fifty-five
years, of which Buhari has
been a distinct part. The
President had not much to say
to Nigerians except that
Nigerians are unruly and
discourteous, and must
change, in order to achieve
development. Actually, this is
the worst Independence Day
speech I have heard of any
Nigerian president. It had no
concrete facts. It simply was
high on the weed of self-
indulgence. On such a symbolic
day, President Buhari should
have celebrated Nigeria, and
offered it hope.
There are ordinary Nigerians
laboring heroically to turn the
disadvantages of being
Nigerian into something
hopeful, and meaningful.
Nigerians are not unruly. The
Nigerian child I know is taught,
right from the home, to be
courteous, and respectful of
people, especially, older
people. Nigerians know to
“throway salute” when they
meet you. They say,
“Afternoon, sir!” “Enlee ma!” “I
boola chi e!” and so on.
Nigerians are not, by their very
nature, or even by
acculturation, unruly or
discourteous.
Our political leaders have been
unruly and discourteous. Those
are the real culprits and
makers of our national
malaise. They have very little
regard or respect for the civil
and economic rights of
Nigerians. Anyone who
suddenly arrives at political
office, begins immediately to
see the rest Nigerians as
adversaries and enemies;
people who must be contained
and repressed, and garrisoned.
Nigerians are constantly
infantilized in the minds of the
men and women who arrive at
power. That is the true
meaning of unruliness: to ride
rough-shod on your county
men because you have the
privilege of the protections of
public office.
It is unruly of public office
holders to capture the road on
a hot, uncomfortable, tropical
day, with sirens and a long
convoy, and horse-whip people
to the sideways, and travel
freely while the rest must deal
with congested traffic. It is
unruly to shield political power
holders behind the barricade of
high walls inside government
buildings, while the rest of
Nigerians are left to the
vagaries of crime. I think
President Buhari must first,
look inward.
As president, propriety
demands that he be
accompanied by no more than
his police orderly in public,
while the secret service
organize his security with
unseen and invisible agents,
who mingle with the crowd,
without harassing Nigerians
with an overwhelming image of
armed power. It is the image of
overwhelming force, especially
modeled by the military that
has created the psychological
crisis that has reduced
Nigerians to its current social
miasma. Nigerians, subjected
to force rather than
governance, since 1966, are
suffering from the trauma of
social violence, and are
reproducing that violence. They
know nothing else but the
unruliness modeled by the
makers of the public system:
the government, and political
leadership. It will not do merely
to preach order, curtsey in
society, when the conditions in
which Nigerians live make it
possible.
If there was a well-organized
public transport system,
Nigerians would have no need
to “rush.” But in a city like
Lagos, with a population over
fifteen million, to have only one
means of moving that
population is madness in itself.
It is nightmarish, and the social
pressure of moving about in
Lagos which ought to, like cities
even half its size, have an
underground system, a surface
metro system, a water
transport system, as well as
well-kept roads that do not clog
up movement, makes courtesy
difficult, and unruliness only a
means of survival.
A man who has no access to
clean public toilets, must
defecate, and if he cannot find
any will be forced to the
indignity of relieving himself in
public. To prevent that, it is
incumbent on governments to
provide clean public toilets in
strategic places, to prevent
such unruliness. The
government itself must model
the meaning of courtesy, by
treating the public with the
highest respect in public.
A government officer, like a
policeman or soldier or tax
collector, who harasses any
member of the public is
modeling unruliness; a
government who keeps armed
soldiers and police on the
highways and streets where
they harass Nigerians, is an
unruly administration, and will
reproduce an unruly nation.
A government that offers, not
work, but whips to Nigerians,
will create the kind of social
pressure that will make
civilized conduct impossible.
So, President Buhari should for
a moment, get off the back of
Nigerians. Nigerians did not
elect him merely to preach,
they elected him to act. So, to
make Nigerians more
courteous, the government
should begin a work program,
strengthen internal regulations
and enforcement codes in the
public service, provide public
infrastructure, enough to make
an aggressive search for it
redundant. That will reduce the
kind of social pressures that
make Nigerians unruly. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by Elose11(m): 11:53am On Nov 02, 2015 |
Vanguardngr.com 11/10/2015 |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by nikkiking(m): 11:53am On Nov 02, 2015 |
Which kind long story be this |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by psucc(m): 11:57am On Nov 02, 2015 |
nikkiking:So long a letter 1 Like |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by Elose11(m): 11:58am On Nov 02, 2015 |
nikkiking:Don't be lazy my friend. Its people like you that made Trump concludes that Africans are lazy! Read it!!!!!!! 1 Like |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by ajasbaba(m): 12:01pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
thank God you are part of them, that if buhari said so. because this OP long story get as e be. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by SmartMugu: 12:07pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
nikkiking:Not even a single paragraph. I no even bother read am. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by omolami: 12:50pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
God forbid me part of his people. Those people he is talking about here surely are from Daura |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by omolami: 12:50pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
God forbid me be part of his people. Those people he is talking about here surely are from Daura |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by Goandie: 12:54pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
I support d president he his very right. Nigeria problem is Psychological, every1 is use 2 bein a law breaker nd dat becoz we all grew up Believing nd accepting dis unruly way of life. For we 2 have a beta naija is must 1st start wit us individuals changing our mind set, I don't blame any1 that calls naija a Zoo coz we all act like animals most tyms even d most educated ones are d masters of dis unruly nd law breaking life style. My own 1/2 a kobo |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by dadebayo1(m): 12:56pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
Long epistle...... |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by iokpebholo: 1:11pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
Reminds me of fela kuti. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by seannopo(m): 1:28pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
Well said. Our problem has been the ruling class. If Nigerians were as unruly, Oshodi heritage Park should have been vandalized by now. As a people we like good things, but the ruling class have continued to repress us and subject us to inhuman treatment. It's only a fool that do not know that the federal structure and the Constitution is to blame for this. Anyone trying to whip people in line is just myopic and will succeed in short term not a permanent fix. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by neolboy(m): 1:38pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
Why u go paste story for one thread and paste the source in another thread, abi u never sabi copy n paste |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by Elose11(m): 1:50pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
neolboy:My broda no vex! I neva sabi copy and paste stuff well. Some time I go get am at other time I no fit get am. I beg teach me now. |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by 99100(m): 1:54pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
A useless mulla that thinks from his anus. In a wise community , zombies like this ab.oki are not fit for councillors. Tufiakwa! |
Re: Buhari: “my People Are Useless, My Pple Are Senseless, My Pple Are Indiscipline” by nellyelitz(m): 2:11pm On Nov 02, 2015 |
His people... That is those idiets in APC |
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