Who is afraid of Buhari?
Written by Tope Popoola
Tuesday, 08 March 2011

Let me state ab initio that I am not a politician (although I am not apolitical). I hold no membership card of any party. I write this because of millions of Nigerians who are below 35 and who constitute a significant chunk of our voting population. This is the ICT generation that is largely ignorant about the events of the Buhari era (1983-85) and so is misinformed and misled by needless propaganda. I have had discussions with many in the under-35 bracket and those slightly above who only have faint recollections of that era. The level of ignorance is amazing.

I don’t have the General’s mandate to hold brief for him, but I am passionate about my nation. So it pains me when people stand facts on their heads to sway the minds of a naive generation for cheap advantage. Of all the present contenders for the office of Presidency, none has been as maligned as General Buhari. He has been variously labelled “rigid”, “fundamentalist”, “dictatorial” etc. I was already a university graduate when he presided over the affairs of this country; so I can still clearly remember some things about that government. His achievements in only two years dwarf those of all who came after him.

I respect anyone’s opinion and political choices but I abhor misrepresentation of facts about anyone.
Before being military Head of State, Buhari had been Governor of one of the Northern States as well as Minister for Petroleum. He later served as Chairman of PTF under Abacha.

He birthed and supervised the establishment of our existing refineries. Today, we import 70% of the fuel we use because those after him have literally crippled the refineries.

Under his regime, there was no religious crisis. It started under his successor!
Buhari’s government reduced inflation from 23% under Shagari to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team. Nigeria didn’t borrow and yet met all her financial obligations.

He only jailed corrupt leaders. In Ghana, Rawlings killed them and was celebrated for that!
As PTF Chairman, what Buhari did in road construction in that short period hasn’t been matched by any government thereafter. Hospitals and universities around the country never witnessed as much benefits as they got from the PTF from any government after or before that time.

Despite serving in senior capacity in the oil sector, first as Minister for Petroleum and then Petroleum Trust Fund Chairman, Buhari has no petrol station, much less a rig, refinery or an oil block like so many of his contemporaries. He could have retired into nauseating opulence like them but didn’t.

Instead of hobnobbing with the high and mighty, he has cast his lot with the common man most of whom follow him out of hope and belief in his values. He is the only politician in the North today who fills rallies without renting a crowd.

He refused to collect an allowance while serving as Chairman of the PTF because he said since he was already drawing a pension from government, his conscience would not allow him to draw another salary from the purse of the same government from which he was already drawing a pension.

He is the only former head of state that does not own property or land in Abuja.

The man who took over the running of PTF with the aim of probing and indicting Buhari before it was scrapped, was the one who ended up being prosecuted for misappropriating $100m of PTF funds! Every attempt to rubbish Buhari through probes in time past had ended up vindicating him.

He has OPENLY challenged those who accuse him of religious fundamentalism to come out and show proof. I am surprised that no one has till today, taken up the challenge. I HONESTLY wish someone would! His personal driver of many years is a Christian from Plateau State!

Buhari’s government initiated the War Against Indiscipline that has made environmental cleanliness, queuing up, not urinating by the roadside etc, features of our national life even till today. With WAI, Nigerians began to understand basic elements of social responsibility.

For the records, IBB took us into full membership of OIC. Prof Omoruyi, one of Babangida’s hatchet men wrote in 2001, “The period of General Babangida (1985-1993) represented the beginning of unmitigated Islamization of Nigeria. , General Babangida took the fateful decision in 1986 to face the Nigerian Christians in particular and Nigerians in general with the plan of Muslims. He without the approval of the governing organs of the Federal Military Government organized a mission led by a non-member of the Government, the Sultan of Sokoto to formally admit Nigeria into the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). When the Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe complained that he knew nothing about it and definitely said that he could not remember the matter coming to the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), he was shown his way out.”

Was Buhari flawless? If he was, he wouldn’t be human. Tough? Yes. But corrupt? No. Fundamentalist? No proof. Take positions based on facts, not cheap propaganda.
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/empowered-for-life/18525-who-is-afraid-of-buhari

Who is afraid of Buhari?

IBB and his successors of course.

IBB's main aim for coming out was to slug it out with Buhari with the belief that he was the only Northerner that could defeat Buhari under the zoning arrangement.

I am Afraid of BUHARI
WHY? because he might take us back to military RULE again,he was a coup plotter that once sent democracy packing with his GUN & forced himself on NIGERIA

Does the PRESIDENCY OF NIGERIA belongs to the NORTH? Is it their father's property?, if  you can answer NO and the North agrees, then No one is afraid of the Bhuari.

The North will vote Bhuari and so will open minded people of the South especially the SW, BUT will the North vote for him if he was from the South?

GEJ now, SE in 2015/19, minorities thereafterr, then North and South from thereafter.

The North simply want 'their power they loaned the south back'

The OP should stop deluding himself about the good man in Bhuari

vigasimple:

Does the PRESIDENCY OF NIGERIA belongs to the NORTH? Is it their father's property?, if you can answer NO and the North agrees, then No one is afraid of the North.

The North will vote Bhuari and so will open minded people of the South especially the SW, BUT will the North vote for him if he was from the South?

GEJ now, SE in 2015/19, minorities thereafterr, then North and South from thereafter.

The North simply want 'their power they loaned the south back'

The OP should stop deluding himself about the good man in Bhuari

In your dim witted and bigoted opinion, the presidency of the land should be tossed around like it's some piece of break which requires that every one must have a bite. What has your GEJ done to benefit the SOuth-South in his 12 years in government? Apparently GEJ is now sending ND thugs aka militants to school abroad! I guess that's an achievement.

Leadership should be handed over to people who are capable regardless of their creed, beliefs, faith, ethnicity or tribe. The "our pickin too must be president" syndrome will take us no where. Based on past records and achievements, Buhari stands head and shoulder above the rest!

9ijaMan:

In your dim witted and bigoted opinion, the presidency of the land should be tossed around like it's some piece of break which requires that every one must have a bite. What has your GEJ done to benefit the SOuth-South in his 12 years in government? Apparently GEJ is now sending ND thugs aka militants to school abroad! I guess that's an achievement.

Leadership should be handed over to people who are capable regardless of their creed, beliefs, faith, ethnicity or tribe. The "our pickin too must be president" syndrome will take us no where. Based on past records and achievements, Buhari stands head and shoulder above the rest!

You have shown how immature you are with your statement highlighted in bold. Please make your point without abusing other people. you are entitled to your opinion as I am of my own.

However, you appears NOT to know the history of this country and Bhuari. The north has hijacked this country, and either as a Military or civilan Head of state has spent 34years of 50years  of Nigerian as a nation as the President. It is either the south are silly and incapable or something is going on. I submit respectfully that the North hijacked the Presidency for themselves deliberately. Even when MKO Abiola won in 1993, they refused and have to pacify the Yourba's have they have murdered MKO Abiola with OBJ who has been the North puppet since 1976.

Just to complete history for you, by 1983, and maybe during IBB era, you cannot do anything in nigeria without having an 'ALHAJI', Hausa/Fulani as your Chairman.

Are they more educated or intelligent more than Southerners. It was bad that people gardually choosing 'muslim' names to enable them to survive.

GEJ with all his 'clueleeness' is better than Bhuari, who was able to achieve all that is credited to him because he was ruling with a decree. Civil dispensation is a complete different kettle of fish to a military decree and a gun.

Nobody voted for Bhuari and he made laws that cannot be challenged when he overthrew an elected administration, so we should no reward him for his unconstitutionality.

An average southerner is propably better than the best the North can offer, and you can take that to the bank, you will certainly get paid for that being a fact.

Their own psyche is that we southerners are in a hurry and we in the south want a rapid development whilst they in the North like slow and steady. That is the difference.

And they refused to run a proper Federalism or allow each region to develop at his own pace, that was even before indepence in 1954/57 self rule.

Madam,
Thank u very much for this piece.

How can we get this message across to the youth who do not know the truth?

vigasimple:

You have shown how immature you are with your statement highlighted in bold. Please make your point without abusing other people. you are entitled to your opinion as I am of my own.

However, you appears NOT to know the history of this country and Bhuari. The north has hijacked this country, and either as a Military or civilan Head of state has spent 34years of 50years  of Nigerian as a nation as the President. It is either the south are silly and incapable or something is going on. I submit respectfully that the North hijacked the Presidency for themselves deliberately. Even when MKO Abiola won in 1993, they refused and have to pacify the Yourba's have they have murdered MKO Abiola with OBJ who has been the North puppet since 1976.

Just to complete history for you, by 1983, and maybe during IBB era, you cannot do anything in nigeria without having an 'ALHAJI', Hausa/Fulani as your Chairman.

Are they more educated or intelligent more than Southerners. It was bad that people gardually choosing 'muslim' names to enable them to survive.

GEJ with all his 'clueleeness' is better than Bhuari, who was able to achieve all that is credited to him because he was ruling with a decree. Civil dispensation is a complete different kettle of fish to a military decree and a gun.

Nobody voted for Bhuari and he made laws that cannot be challenged when he overthrew an elected administration, so we should no reward him for his unconstitutionality.

An average southerner is propably better than the best the North can offer, and you can take that to the bank, you will certainly get paid for that being a fact.

Their own psyche is that we southerners are in a hurry and we in the south want a rapid development whilst they in the North like slow and steady. That is the difference.

And they refused to run a proper Federalism or allow each region to develop at his own pace, that was even before indepence in 1954/57 self rule.

Clap for yaself! In all those years your epistle refers to, was there no single south-southerner in the various cabinets? I suppose we didn't have other tribes and ethnic groups fully represented in the different administrations! Were the hausas/fulanis (northerners) the only ones in all the government positions during all those years?

The problem you have is that you only recognize the guy as person who's doing it all. It is people like you who'll come here and blame other tribes for obvious goofs made by GEJ's government. I'll advice you to research properly about the history of Nigeria before coming out to disgrace yourself on internet forums such as this. Your awful level of ignorance disgusts ones stomach so much that I feel like puking.

The problem of Nigeria has little or nothing to do with the tongue or faith of the person at the top, but more to do with ineptitude and corruption of our leaders. There are corrupt people in the north just as much as we have truck loads of corrupt leaders in every other region of the country. I can't blame you much though, since your brother GEJ has only been able to base his campaign on his region of origin as against real issues!

The title os this thread is a turnoff, and I'm going to be straightforward about it.

It is silly to use fear as a campaign tool for Buhari. The man is already seen as a monster, so I can't understand his handlers (if he listens to them) and their constantly turning to the use of words that connote violence. His campaign is a failure on all, but bigoted grounds.

In the more organised World and developed democracies, his managers would have been striving to cut a softer image for the man; he would have been seen cuddling babies, identifying with the masses, conversing with women, visiting the blind etc. It is a pity that at 70, Buhari is a man that only knows one sad trick and thats attempting to use tools of violence and thuggery as a means to communicate with the people. Democracy is neither a boxing match nor a stone throwing competition.

Buhari desperately needs to change his tactics.

U de vex?:

The title os this thread is a turnoff, and I'm going to be straightforward about it.

It is silly to use fear as a campaign tool for Buhari. The man is already seen as a monster, so I can't understand his handlers (if he listens to them) and their constantly turning to the use of words that connote violence. His campaign is a failure on all, but bigoted grounds.

In the more organised World and developed democracies, his managers would have been striving to cut a softer image for the man; he would have been seen cuddling babies, identifying with the masses, conversing with women, visiting the blind etc. It is a pity that at 70, Buhari is a man that only knows one sad trick and thats attempting to use tools of violence and thuggery as a means to communicate with the people. Democracy is neither a boxing match nor a stone throwing competition.

Buhari desperately needs to change his tactics.

I suppose it is Buhari's boys who have been bombing Nigeria since GEJ came into power. You guys are simply shameless. Every time an opponent appears to be gaining momentum, a bomb explodes and all the blame gets heaped on GEJ opponents. Interestingly you are here claimimg Buhari is using fear tactics. If your benefactor intends to rig his way to power, you better go and warn him, 'cos Nigerians will lynch every eediot who would want to attempt to subvert the the will of the people.

The 70 year (lie he's only 68) old man is by far more intelligent that your dumb ass GEJ.

I am deeply touched by this piece.
i would personally spread this gospel.

[size=25pt]BB 2011[/size] _{for the future of our children}

Only the fraudulent is.