Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, an APC stalwart, has just become the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. According to news reports, his emergence was preceded by weeks of tense horse-trading and negotiation between rival factions in the National Assembly and the body politic in general.
This “leadership crisis” has dragged on for several weeks; and I have been dismayed by the spectacle of legislators wasting precious time on in-fighting about trivial personal grievances when they should be focusing on the many REAL problems that are paralyzing our country and need to be solved asap!
Gbajabiamila is a nice guy; and intelligent to boot. So I’m very happy for him; and I pray that he and his colleagues will now settle down, roll up their sleeves and concentrate on diligently serving the voters they are supposed to represent.
Buhari and Obama
The Africa Report magazine is a respected Anglophone foreign publication that is based in Paris and distributed in several countries, including Nigeria.
When Buhari won the election, Africa Report magazine staff featured him on the cover of their May issue…using the arty stylised picture on this page.
This Africa Report Magazine picture of Buhari was inspired by a famous poster of Barack Obama, which has also been published on this page, that appeared all over the United States and the world during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Both pictures have the word “HOPE” boldly printed beneath them.
When Buhari and Obama met in Washington DC last week, I remembered these two similar and iconic images of both of them; and it struck me that both men are, in different ways, pioneers and embodiments of the hopes of the Black race.
Many of us never dreamed that America would elect a President of African descent in our lifetimes. Sure, we knew that most American Blacks would passionately root for Obama. But he couldn’t have made it unless he also attracted substantial support from Whites. And when he did, we were stunned.
It was absolutely amazing that so many Caucasian Americans, whose forefathers had brutally enslaved and traumatised Black people for centuries, could rise above their horrible history! And so many high hopes were invested in Obama.
Buhari also – by toppling an incumbent against all the odds – pulled off an amazing feat that inspired high hopes throughout Africa and its Diaspora.
When the Nigerian election results were announced last March, a Congolese friend sent me the following incredulous three-word email: “Goodluck LOST? Wow!”
I received equally shocked reactions from many other Black onlookers from many other parts of our continent and the globe.
And the general consensus is that Buhari may not be everyone’s cup of tea (largely because of his militaristic track record) but should be hailed, nevertheless, for proving that democratic change is possible in the Giant of Africa…and that Opposition candidates who lack the resources of powerful, well-funded incumbents can still triumph.
As my Congolese friend later added: “It was like a Biblical David versus Goliath scenario; and it fills my heart with hope that the underdog wasn’t crushed.”
Reflections on the status quo
No leader is ever going to win every single heart and mind, especially not in a country that is often polarised along religious, regional and tribal lines.
So no matter how wonderfully Buhari performs, there will always be folks who can’t stand his guts – either because he is a Northerner or a Muslim. Or simply because they don’t like his past or face or voice or agenda or whatever!
Even in the North – which is often erroneously regarded as a unified ethno-political bloc, there are divisions; and I’ve encountered Kanuris who loathe Fulanis and vice versa. And let’s not forget smaller Northern groupings like the Nupes…or Northern Christians…all of whom have their own unique customs, plus anxieties relating to fears of marginalisation and suspicion of “outsiders”.
When Dr Goodluck Jonathan was President, it was widely believed that the entire South-South was enjoying a whole heap of fraternal perks. But those of us who were not Ijaws like Jonathan and his wife frequently felt neglected.
Even if Jonathan had dispensed largesse to all and sundry in an egalitarian manner – and been a great Head of State – he would still have had his critics.
As a sage once observed, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. And I’ve given up on trying to persuade everyone I meet in person or communicate with via this Vanguard page or encounter online in social media fora such as Facebook to share my view that Buhari’s election victory was A Good Thing.
But I’d like to think that the majority of Nigerians – including many of those who did not vote for Buhari – will eventually be glad that he replaced Jonathan.
Yes, things are moving very slowly at the moment. And slowness is immensely frustrating for those of us who are impatient speed junkie by nature and would prefer to see lots of positive changes occurring every five minutes. But let’s listen to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who wisely pointed out, earlier on this week, that:
“…Change is not by magic…You don’t have results unless you plan well…[and] look holistically at what you inherited and analyse it, distil it and then take action…”
Furthermore, as this newspaper revealed in a report last Saturday, Mr President is quietly and steadily waging an anti-corruption war that is beginning to yield significant results and enabling more efficient economic management.
The nation’s foreign reserves have, according to the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, increased since the end of May – from $28.57 billion to $31.53 billion, following blockages of various leakages in the system.
Meanwhile, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have resumed operations. And with Kaduna also expected to re-commence its operations next month, it is likely that locally refined petroleum products will hit the 20 million litres mark in August, thereby drastically reducing our dependence on costly fuel imports and making it easier for the authorities to strengthen the ailing exchange rate.
VANGUARD
END
Be the first to comment