Buhari(Apc Leader); a pretentious anti-corruption fighter.

Read more about him
https://www.nairaland.com/605393/crimes-buhari-wole-soyinka

---

ogb5:

pray you should never witness a ruler like buhari in your life. I know you only knew of buhari's rule from fairy tales people told you.

How do you think he reduced inflation?

There are two ways to reduce inflation, you either reduce the money in circulation, making fewer money to chase the available goods or you increase the amount of goods in the market, making the available money to chase an increased quantity of goods.

Guess how buhari reduced inflation; by drastically reducing the money in circulation. he did that by changing the colour of the bank notes, forcing everyone to take their money to the bank and refusing to allow the banks give people their money. So people had money in the bank but were unable to withdraw it. people starved and queue for hours to lay hands on bread, cooking oil and soap. Many died on bread queues. Anytime you think of Buhari, think starvation.

Don't mention buhari, that one is devil incarnate and sadist to the core. He compounded everything by banning importation of raw materials needed by factories, forcing factories to close and lay off workers. With no money in circulation and people starving inflation had no where to go but down.

If you want Buhari so much you can relocate to North Korea, that type of society is what Buhari wants

---

No honest and reasonable person will run away from any law however mundane it is. Unfortunately for General Buhari he refused to appear before the Justice Oputa panel which was just a fact finding committee headed by an eminent jurist like Justice Oputa. If General Buhari is clean and honest why did he run away from the Oputa panel?
http://therealbuhari./2011/04/07/buhari-refused-to-appear-before-the-justice-oputa-panel/

You just have to read this!!!!!!!
[size=38pt]https://www.nairaland.com/624604/explosive-buhari-nigeria-organization-islamic[/size]

You are gasping for air as impeachment of GEJ beckons.............

An Hausa man go say. it is 'oooba'.

It's over!

Another Musiwa in making!

sincerenigerian: You are gasping for air as impeachment of GEJ beckons.............

An Hausa man go say. it is 'oooba'.

It's over!

Dream on, Payless.

Slncere 9gerian:
Dream on, Payless.

Go and sleep!

sincerenigerian: You are gasping for air as impeachment of GEJ beckons.............

An Hausa man go say. it is 'oooba'.

It's over!

Dream on. By the time you wake up, e go be you like Anambra election.

Can I hear you chant Sai Ngige!!

The move by Nigeria to join the Organization of Islamic Conference (O.I.C), initiated by Buhari and amplified by Babangida,
also almost tore the nation apart. General Babangida, whose regime was welcomed because of his restoration of the freedom
of speech after the days of Buhari/Idiagbon, shocked many Nigerians with this development. It was ironic that many of the
key members of his government who were Christians claimed to be ignorant of such move
- Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, Pennsylvania

http://www.jsd-africa.com/Jsda/V12No5_Fall2010_A/PDF/Religious%20Politics%20and%20its%20Implications%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20

Now I know you are desperate.. Mister.

For people like me(us), you can't come use this kind propaganda to tarnish this good man image.

Touch not this GOOD general, and focus on your 'face lifting' project for your pay master. Must you show how clueless and foolish you people are? How many times have we resolved and clear this GOOD man of these allegations?

Your posts are all distractions and misleading..

Presently GEJ is not the one Nigeria need.. as your id says, we need a sincere Nigerian to take charge, not a weakling and insincere ones.

GEJ, you, Abati, Okonjo, Stella, Omokri and my uncle Doyin..are the ones putting Nigeria in this darkness.. How many of GEJ's electoral promises has he delivered?

Nigeria is bigger than you all.

God bless Buhari.. God bless Nigeria.


NIGERIA WILL FLOURISH AGAIN
GOD WILL HEAL OUR LAND, RESTORE US AGAIN
NIGERIA WILL FLOURISH AGAIN.

Slncere 9gerian:
http://www.nigerianpeoples.info/fw-enyimba-please-read-an-article-by-omo-omoruyi

Unproven allegations are what you and your fellow political dogs have been recycling for the past three years. Nigerians know better now. They rather have Buhari now than the drunk master that occupies Aso Villa.

Can someone tell this foolish nigerian to go and face his oga's wahala and leave buhari matter alone, buhari and gej no be mate for anytin, this country needs buhari now more than ever!

My Mouth: Can someone tell this foolish nigerian to go and face his oga's wahala and leave buhari matter alone, buhari and gej no be mate for anytin, this country needs buhari now more than ever!

gbam!! Help me tell the mumu.

t is only in Nigeria that those
who have committed serious
crimes against the nation have
the nauseating temerity and
flabbergasting audacity to declare
their ambition to rule the same
country rather than face charges
of treasonable felony or that of
murder. Otherwise, it is beyond
the realms of sanity for someone
like the so-called General
Mohammadu Buhari to gallivant
all over the nooks and crannies of
the country parading himself as a
potential presidential candidate.
He must either be suffering from
bouts of invidious amnesia
stemming from chronic insomnia
or he is a delusive comedian of
moronic genre.
In this writer's opinion, one of
the greatest political calamities
that has ever befallen this country
was the December 31, 1983 coup
under the leadership of a sadistic
military adventurist called
Mohammadu Buhari. It was worse
than the June 12 crisis. The
reason is that that coup was a
preemptive one. It was meant to
checkmate the people based
revolution that was building up as
a result of the misrule of Alhaji
Shehu Shagari. The coup was to
deny the people of Nigeria the
much-sought social and political
freedom that could have heralded
their economic liberation.
The June 12 crisis was an intra-
class crisis. It was a crisis of
confidence between the Nigerian
bourgeoisie, which was later
coloured by ethnicity and other
extraneous factors. June 12 was
an intra-oligarchic crisis. It could
not and should not be compared
to a groundswell of people's
anger that was building up as a
result of election rigging of 1983
by the National Party of Nigeria
under the leadership of another
Fulaniman. It was a necessary
coup for the Hausa-Fulani
oligarchy and their minions in the
South to save their political face
and fortunes.
Buhari's coup was meant to keep
their control and stranglehold on
the ordinary people of Nigeria.
The coup denied the only genuine
opportunity for the oppressed
people of the North to truly
identified with their oppressed
compatriots in the South and
move Nigeria forward. The coup
helped to protect the exploiting
Northern feudalists who feast on
the Nigerian treasury and their
crumb eaters from the South. It
was the greatest political damage
ever done to Nigeria and its
people.
The coup was also a tribal
project. The activities of Buhari as
soon as he stole power are
assailing evidences of this
assertion. Jailing of politicians was
their first act. As the days
progressed and the Buhari's
kangaroo courts started doling out
jail terms, all governors from the
Southern and non-Hausa Fulani
controlled Middlebelt states had a
highly disproportionate jail terms
compared to their Northern
counterparts. The specifics of this
could be found in any newspaper
library that was in existence then.
The only Northern governor that
had a rough deal was the radical
Kaduna State governor, Alhaji
Balarabe Musa because he was
not one of them.
At the end of Buhari's 18-month
madness, Awwal Ibrahim of Niger
State who was arrested in
Heathrow International Airport
with six million naira cash and
several millions of pound sterling
was treated with kid's gloves. In
the contrary Professor Ambrose
Alli of the old Bendel State like
many other Southern politicians
irrespective of the party were not
only humiliated, they were
subjected to odious dehumanising
conditions. Professor Alli did not
only go half blind but also died
shortly after, bequeathing to his
British wife and two kids an
undeveloped plot of land! Buhari
also murdered Chief Busari
Adelakun a.k.a. Eruobodo in
detention. The doctor assigned to
him was repeatedly given orders
about the kind of treatment that
he gave. The doctor
recommended that he be flown
out for medical attention, he was
repeatedly denied. What about
Chief Ayo Ojewumi, a
distinguished journalist and
people oriented politician? His
own blindness was full and he
died shortly thereafter. Chief
Michael Ajasin was almost killed
the same way. Chief Sam Mbakwe
never fully recovered from the
effects of Buhari's gulag. Chief
Bisi Onabanjo's life was shortened
because of Buhari's wickedness.
Buhari even tried to humiliate
Chief Obafemi Awolowo by
sending his mad dogs to ransack
his residence.
One could not forget to mention
the jailing of journalists and the
reign of terror visited on
Nigerians. It was the precursor of
the concentrated madness later
exhibited by Sani Abacha in the
1990s. There was also the
murder of innocent Batholomew
Owoh and partner for something
that was not an offence under the
law when they undertook it. What
about the humiliation of fellow
Africans who were chased out as
a result of a vindictive policy?
That singular act provided the
basis for the subsequent
expulsion of Nigerians from
Ghana, Libya and Tunisia and loss
of fortunes in the later years.
Some of his apologists are
contending that Buhari was
honest. Honest? Oh yeah, Buhari
was being honest when he
allowed his in-law Ambassador
Dahiru Waziri and his ADC's father
to walk away with 52 suitcases of
hard currency. He was being
honest when he pressured a
judge to jail Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
for the so-called foreign exchange
when the man was innocent. He
was being honest when he got his
daughter a job at the NNPC
without any interview or
competition from anyone. Or
does it mean that her daughter
was the best and the brightest in
Nigeria?
Buhari was so honest he could
not account for over 144 Billion
naira he presided over as the
Petroleum Trust Fund chairman.
He was so honest and brave that
he chickened out of the Oputa
Panel hearings. If Buhari is the
standard for honesty, then all the
detained armed robbers in
Nigeria should be set free. In
addition, compensation should be
paid out to all that have been
killed by the Nigerian Police
accompanied with written
apologies from the Federal
government to their families.
Moreso, Buhari has no respect
for constituted authority. Apart
from being an anti-people
coupist, he has not attended
National Council of States for
several years. He thinks he is
above the law because he is a
Fulaniman who retired as a
General. He was rude and
insultive to Chief Justice Oputa by
ignoring his panel, which was duly
constituted in accordance with the
law. Yet, this is the man who
wants to rule Nigeria again? With
what kind of laws? Someone
should tell the gaunt looking
General that there is no room for
his jungle laws in Nigeria again.
In a country that has been known
as a secular or multi-religious
one, Buhari has been
championing Sharia Laws. By so
doing, he demonstrated lack of
respect for the beliefs and faith
of others. He also exuded the
usual arrogance of an average
blue-blooded Hausa-Fulaniman
towards other Nigerians. The fact
that they have succeeded in
looting our treasury and stump
around unmolested does not
mean that Nigeria is their private
property. It only goes to show
how forgiving the Nigerian people
are. If Buhari and his cohorts
have any wisdom, rather than
abuse this privilege, they should
show their gratitude by getting off
the scene.
Though, we really do not mind
seeing them around if they would
behave themselves. That should
be good enough. At least, that
would continue to remind us of
our inglorious past and the
despicable roles they played in it.
But they should mind their
utterances and watch their steps.
We can not trust Buhari and his
henchmen. His mix is too
dangerous and suicidal to
contemplate - vampire religious
fundamentalism concentrated with
sadistic and vindictive dictatorial
tendencies. No way!In the exact word of Tukur: Gej is our candidate""""""""" """"'

Sincere 9gerian is getting mad!

U are turning to musiwa and i kinda like it because people will start seeing u for the joke that u are

How does this stop the impeachment process....

the op lack of morals is exposed here https://www.nairaland.com/1546944/comedy-unlimited-rochas-set-up

#APC IS A CONFUSED PARTY FULL
OF TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALs!!
Buhari does not believe in
anybody, hence, he will drag
Nigeria backward. Remember his
first coming, it was Idiagbo that
rule Nigeria not Buhari. Buhari
was just a figure head then.
##11 things we should know
about the APC:
1. APC wants all poor widows
trying to eke out a living "to go
and die!"
2.APC wants us to be soaked in
the "blood of the dog and the
baboon"
3. APC wants State of Emergency
removed and a free reign for
terrorists in Nigeria.
4. APC wants to make Nigeria
ungovernable if and when they
do not win elections.
5. APC detests, even hates the
thought of having a National
Conference.
6.APC says the PDP are evil,
thieves, looters then turns round
and shamefully but gleefully woos
and receives 5 of their Governors
into
their fold.
7. APC's south west governors
construct roads at N1B per
kilometer, the most expensive
anywhere in the world.
8.APC's believes in erecting toll
gates on roads built with tax
payers
monies, whilst turning round to
"buy-back" contracts for those
roads from contractors
who have neither completed said
contracts and who have serially
breached
agreements for same.
9. APC prefers to reclassify
schools in order
to systematically islamize them
and where Principals of such
schools
complain, they are dealt with by
"unknown" islamists.
10. APC prefers to have children
receive lectures whilst sitting on
window panes, whilst shouting
the mantra "eko oni baje".
11. APC believes a citizen can
and should be deported in his
country to a bridge head at 2a.m
in the morning.
Maybe we should stick to our PDP
headache than take a banned
substance that falsely claims to
have a NAFDAC number. in the exact word of Tukur Gej is our candidate.

pigin: #APC IS A CONFUSED PARTY FULL
OF TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALs!!
Buhari does not believe in
anybody, hence, he will drag
Nigeria backward. Remember his
first coming, it was Idiagbo that
rule Nigeria not Buhari. Buhari
was just a figure head then.
##11 things we should know
about the APC:
1. APC wants all poor widows
trying to eke out a living "to go
and die!"
2.APC wants us to be soaked in
the "blood of the dog and the
baboon"
3. APC wants State of Emergency
removed and a free reign for
terrorists in Nigeria.
4. APC wants to make Nigeria
ungovernable if and when they
do not win elections.
5. APC detests, even hates the
thought of having a National
Conference.
6.APC says the PDP are evil,
thieves, looters then turns round
and shamefully but gleefully woos
and receives 5 of their Governors
into
their fold.
7. APC's south west governors
construct roads at N1B per
kilometer, the most expensive
anywhere in the world.
8.APC's believes in erecting toll
gates on roads built with tax
payers
monies, whilst turning round to
"buy-back" contracts for those
roads from contractors
who have neither completed said
contracts and who have serially
breached
agreements for same.
9. APC prefers to reclassify
schools in order
to systematically islamize them
and where Principals of such
schools
complain, they are dealt with by
"unknown" islamists.
10. APC prefers to have children
receive lectures whilst sitting on
window panes, whilst shouting
the mantra "eko oni baje".
11. APC believes a citizen can
and should be deported in his
country to a bridge head at 2a.m
in the morning.
Maybe we should stick to our PDP
headache than take a banned
substance that falsely claims to
have a NAFDAC number. in the exact word of Tukur Gej is our candidate.

..

chai!chai!!chai!!!...
see wetin de fear of Buhari dey cause....mmmmmm.

ogb5:

pray you should never witness a ruler like buhari in your life. I know you only knew of buhari's rule from fairy tales people told you.

How do you think he reduced inflation?

There are two ways to reduce inflation, you either reduce the money in circulation, making fewer money to chase the available goods or you increase the amount of goods in the market, making the available money to chase an increased quantity of goods.

Guess how buhari reduced inflation; by drastically reducing the money in circulation. he did that by changing the colour of the bank notes, forcing everyone to take their money to the bank and refusing to allow the banks give people their money. So people had money in the bank but were unable to withdraw it. people starved and queue for hours to lay hands on bread, cooking oil and soap. Many died on bread queues. Anytime you think of Buhari, think starvation.

Don't mention buhari, that one is devil incarnate and sadist to the core. He compounded everything by banning importation of raw materials needed by factories, forcing factories to close and lay off workers. With no money in circulation and people starving inflation had no where to go but down.

If you want Buhari so much you can relocate to North Korea, that type of society is what Buhari wants

---------------------------------------

atlwireles:

I don't know who you are but please in the name of GOD you are the bloody liar. Counterfeiting is why people could not withdraw their money from banks for months. You write a cheque for N300, only for the bank teller to give you N75? That was the Nigeria, where you stand for hours to buy, milk, sugar, rice and oil every 30 days, from the essential commodities task force in the name of price control. Starvation was real. Getting caught with foreign currency was an economic sabotage crime. That was buhari's Nigeria.

Those of us who lived under Buhari are happy to have witnessed such a good leader, order was restored, things moved well until the CIA and Babangida decided to truncate our joy.

hercules07: Those of us who lived under Buhari are happy to have witnessed such a good leader, order was restored, things moved well until the CIA and Babangida decided to truncate our joy.

-------------------------

atlwireles:

You can repeat your buhari tales by moon light to your kids at home. I was a teenager in the buhari days. Standing on the queue for my mom many times to buy essential commodity. I remember tenants not paying rents because they cannot withdraw money. it was a time of fear, real fear in this country. Nigeria importers were completely put out of business with our closed borders and all imports must be approved by Ministry of trade, making the import license regime, the biggest fraud in that government. The word on the street was N1M per import license. Buhari will never be president in this country. Even, if he runs against the devil, Nigerians will vote for the devil before Buhari.

Obiagelli: BLOODY BASELESS ALLEGATIONS.

----------------------------------

rolchi:

Obiagelli, I have read your posts about Buhari's govt. What Ogb5 said is true. I remember then as a teenager, my mum queuing for essential comodities like sugar. Even then, we could not get "ordinary" toilet roll. We resorted to use of paper. Sugar was scarce. Nigerians became very enterprising then.

If you believe your coupist Buhari so much, read "Soldiers of Fortune" by Max Silloun.

Bihari can never rule Nigeria again. APC will never sell him.

Slncere 9gerian:
-------------------------

He must have lived in a different time, maybe he is talking about the Shagari regime, what I witnessed in Buhari's time was law and order, you guys are known PDP apologists anyway, so Buhari can never do good in your eyes.

If Buhari gets a nomination he will have my vote. I will vote for him not, like some have averred, because he is a northerner and a Muslim or because I think his candidacy is good for the north and Islam; I will vote for him not because I think he will make a good democrat or that he was not a dictator. I will vote for Buhari as a Nigerian for a leader who restored my pride and dignity and my belief in the motherland. I will vote for the man who made it undesirable for the “Andrews” to “check out” instead of staying to change Nigeria. – Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

BUHARISM: Economic Theory and Political Economy By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi [LAGOS]

I have followed with more than a little interest the many contributions of commentators on the surprising decision of General Muhammadu Buhari to jump into the murky waters of Nigerian politics. Most of the regular writers in the Trust stable have had something to say on this. The political adviser to a late general has transferred his services to a living one. My dear friend and prolific veterinary doctor, who like me is allegedly an ideologue of Fulani supremacy, has taken a leading emir to the cleaners based on information of suspect authenticity. Another friend has contributed an articulate piece, which for those in the know gives a bird’s eye view into the thinking within the IBB camp. A young northern Turk has made several interventions and given novel expressions to what I call the PTF connection. Some readers and writers alike have done Buhari incalculable damage by viewing his politics through the narrow prism of ethnicity and religion, risking the alienation of whole sections of the Nigerian polity without whose votes their candidate cannot succeed.

With one or two notable exceptions, the various positions for or against Buhari have focused on his personality and continued to reveal a certain aversion or disdain for deeper and more thorough analysis of his regime. The reality, as noted by Tolstoy, is that too often history is erroneously reduced to single individuals. By losing sight of the multiplicity of individuals, events, actions and inactions (deliberate or otherwise) that combine to produce a set of historical circumstances, the historian is able to create a mythical figure and turn him into an everlasting hero (like Lincoln) or a villain (like Hitler). The same is true of Buhari. There seems to be a dangerous trend of competition between two opposing camps aimed at glorifying him beyond his wildest dreams or demonizing him beyond all justifiable limits, through a selective reading of history and opportunistic attribution and misattribution of responsibility.

The discourse has been thus impoverished through personalization and we are no closer at the end of it than at the beginning to a divination of the exact locus or nexus of his administration in the flow of Nigerian history. This is what I seek to achieve in this intervention through an exposition of the theoretical underpinnings of the economic policy of Buharism and the necessary correlation between the economic decisions made and the concomitant legal and political superstructure.

Taxonomy

Let me begin by stating up front the principal thesis that I will propound. Within the schema of discourses on Nigerian history, the most accurate problematization of the Buhari government is one that views it strictly as a regime founded on the ideology of Bourgeois Nationalism. In this sense it was a true off-shoot of the regime of Murtala Mohammed. Buharism was a stage the logical outcome of whose machinations would have been a transcendence of what Marx called the stage of Primitive Accumulation in his Theories of Surplus Value. It was radical, not in the sense of being socialist or left wing, but in the sense of being a progressive move away from a political economy dominated by a parasitic and subservient elite to one in which a nationalist and productive class gains ascendancy. Buharism represented a two-way struggle: with Global capitalism (externally) and with its parasitic and unpatriotic agents and spokespersons (internally).

The struggle against global capital as represented by the unholy trinity of the IMF, the World Bank and multilateral “trade” organizations as well that against the entrenched domestic class of contractors, commission agents and corrupt public officers were vicious and thus required extreme measures. Draconian policies were a necessary component of this struggle for transformation and this has been the case with all such epochs in history. The Meiji restoration in Japan was not conducted in a liberal environment. The Industrial Revolution in Europe and the great economic progress of the empires were not attained in the same liberal atmosphere of the 21st Century. The “tiger economies” of Asia such as Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand are not exactly models of democratic freedom. To this extent Buharism was a despotic regime but its despotism was historically determined, necessitated by the historical task of dismantling the structures of dependency and launching the nation on to a path beyond primitive accumulation. At his best Buhari may have been a Bonaparte or a Bismarck. At his worst he may have been a Hitler or a Mussolini. In either case Buharism drawn to its logical conclusion would have provided the bedrock for a new society and its overthrow marked a relapse, a step backward into that era from which we sought escape and in which, sadly for all of us we remain embedded and enslaved. I will now proceed with an elaboration of Buharism as a manifestation of bourgeois economics and political economy.

The Economic Theory of Buharism

One of the greatest myths spun around Buharism was that it lacked a sound basis in economic theory. As evidence of this, the regime that succeeded Buhari employed the services of economic “gurus” of “international standard” as the architects of fiscal and monetary policy. These were IMF and World Bank economists like Dr. Chu Okongwu and Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, as well as Mr SAP himself, Chief Olu Falae (an economist trained at Yale). At the time Buhari’s Finance Minister, Dr Onaolapo Soleye (who was not a trained economist) was debating with the pro-IMF lobby and explaining why the naira would not be devalued I was teaching economics at the Ahmadu Bello University. I had no doubt in my mind that the position of Buharism was based on a sound understanding of neo-classical economics and that those who were pushing for devaluation either did not understand their subject or were acting deliberately as agents of international capital in its rampage against all barriers set up by sovereign states to protect the integrity of the domestic economy. I still believe some of the key economic policy experts of the IBB administration were economic saboteurs who should be tried for treason.

When the IMF recently owned up to “mistakes” in its policy prescriptions all patriotic economists saw it for what it was: A hypocritical statement of remorse after attaining set objectives. Let me explain, briefly, the economic theory underlying Buhari’s refusal to devalue the naira and then show how the policy merely served the interest of global capitalism and its domestic agents. This will be the principal building block of our taxonomy.

In brief, neo-classical theory holds that a country can, under certain conditions, expect to improve its Balance of Payments through devaluation of its currency. The IMF believed that given the pressure on the country’s foreign reserves and its adverse balance of payments situation Nigeria must devalue its currency. Buharism held otherwise and insisted that the conditions for improving Balance of Payments through devaluation did not exist and that there were alternate and superior approaches to the problem. Let me explain.

The first condition that must exist is that the price of every country’s export is denominated in its currency. If Nigeria’s exports are priced in naira and its imports from the US in dollars then, ceteris paribus, a devaluation of the naira makes imports dearer to Nigerians and makes Nigerian goods cheaper to Americans. This would then lead to an increase in the quantum of exports to the US and a reduction in the quantum of imports from there per unit of time. But while this is a necessary condition, it is not a sufficient one. For a positive change in the balance of payments the increase in the quantum of exports must be substantial enough to outweigh the revenue lost through a reduction in price. In other words the quantity exported must increase at a rate faster than the rate of decrease in its price. Similarly imports must fall faster than their price is increasing. Otherwise the nation may be devoting more of its wealth to importing less and receiving less of the wealth of foreigners for exporting more! In consequence, devaluation by a country whose exports and imports are not price elastic leads to the continued impoverishment of the nation vis a vis its trading partners. The second, and sufficient, condition is therefore that the combined price elasticity of demand for exports and imports must exceed unity.

The argument of Buharism, for which it was castigated by global capital and its domestic agents, was that these conditions did not exist clearly enough for Nigeria to take the gamble. First our major export, oil, was priced in dollars and the volume exported was determined ab initio by the quota set by OPEC, a cartel to which we belonged. Neither the price nor the volume of our exports would be affected by a devaluation of the naira. As for imports, indeed they would become dearer. However the manufacturing base depended on imported raw materials. Also many essential food items were imported. The demand for imports was therefore inelastic. We would end up spending more of our national income to import less, in the process fuelling inflation, creating excess capacity and unemployment, wiping out the production base of the real sector and causing hardship to the consumer through the erosion of real disposable incomes. Given the structural dislocations in income distribution in Nigeria the only groups who would benefit from devaluation were the rich parasites who had enough liquidity to continue with their conspicuous consumption, the large multi-national corporations with an unlimited access to loanable funds and the foreign “investor” who can now purchase our grossly cheapened and undervalued domestic assets.

In one stroke we would wipe out the middle class, destroy indigenous manufacturing, undervalue the national wealth and create inflation and unemployment. This is standard economic theory and it is exactly what happened to Nigeria after it went through the hands of our IMF economists under IBB. The decision not to devalue set Buharism on a collision course with those who wanted devaluation and would profit from it-namely global capitalism, the so-called “captains of industry” (an acronym for the errand boys of multinational corporations), the nouveaux-riches parasites who had naira and dollars waiting to be spent, the rump elements of feudalism and so on. Buharism therefore was a crisis in the dominant class, a fracturing of its members into a patriotic, nationalist group and a dependent, parasitic and corrupt one. It was not a struggle between classes but within the same class. A victory for Buharism would be a victory for the more progressive elements of the national bourgeoisie. Unfortunately the fifth columnists within the military establishment were allied to the backward and retrogressive elements and succeeded in defeating Buharism before it took firm root. But I digress.

Having decided not to devalue or to rush into privatization and liberalization Buharism still faced an economic crisis it must address. There was pressure on foreign reserves, mounting foreign debt and a Balance of Payments crisis. Clearly the demand for foreign exchange outstripped its supply. The government therefore adopted demand management measures. The basic principle was that we did not really need all that we imported and if we could ensure that our scarce foreign exchange was only allocated to what we really needed we would be able to pay our debts and lay the foundations for economic stability. But this line of action also has its drawbacks.

First, there are political costs to be borne in terms of opposition from those who feel unfairly excluded from the allocation process and who do not share the government’s sense of priorities. Muslims for example cursed Buhari’s government for restricting the number of pilgrims in order to conserve foreign exchange.

Second, in all attempts to manage demand through quotas and quantitative restrictions there is room for abuse because there is always the incentive of a premium to be earned through circumvention of due process. Import licenses become “hot cake” and the black market for foreign exchange highly lucrative. This policy can only succeed if backed by strong deterrent laws and strict and enforcible exchange rules. Again it is trite micro-economic theory that where price is fixed below equilibrium the market is only cleared through quotas and the potential exists for round tripping as there will be a minority willing and able to offer a very high price for the “artificially scarce” product. So again we see that the harsh exchange control and economic sabotage laws of Buharism were a necessary and logical fallout of its economic theory.

Conclusion

I have tried to show in this intervention what I consider to be the principal building blocks of the military government of Muhammadu Buhari and the logical connection between its ideology, its economic theory and the legal and political superstructure that characterized it. My objective is to raise the intellectual profile of discourse beyond its present focus on personalities by letting readers see the intricate links between disparate and seemingly unrelated aspects of that government, thus contextualizing the actions of Buharism in its specific historical and ideological milieu. I have tried to review its treatment of politicians as part of a general struggle against primitive accumulation and its harsh laws on exchange and economic crimes as a necessary fallout of economic policy options. Similarly its treatment of drug pushers reflected the patriotic zeal of a bourgeois nationalist establishment.

As happens in all such cases a number of innocent people become victims of draconian laws, such as a few honest leaders like Shehu Shagari and Balarabe Musa who were improperly detained. The reality however is that many of those claiming to be victims today were looters who deserved to go to jail but who would like to hide under the cover of a few glaring errors. The failure of key members of the Buhari administration to tender public and unreserved apology to those who may have been improperly detained has not helped matters in this regard.

This raises a question I have often been asked. Do I support Buhari’s decision to contest for the presidency of Nigeria? My answer is no. And I will explain.

First, I believe Buhari played a creditable role in a particular historical epoch but like Tolstoy and Marx I do not believe he can re-enact that role at will. Men do not make history exactly as they please but, as Marx wrote in the 18th Brumaire, “in circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past.” Muhammadu Buhari as a military general had more room for manoevre than he can ever hope for in Nigerian Politics.

Second, I am convinced that the situation of Nigeria and its elite today is worse than it was in 1983.Compared to the politicians who populate the PDP, ANPP and AD today, second republic politicians were angels. Buhari waged a battle against second republic politicians, but he is joining this generation. Anyone who rides a tiger ends up in its belly and one man cannot change the system from within. A number of those Buhari jailed for theft later became ministers and many of those who hold key offices in all tiers of government and the legislature were made by the very system he sought to destroy. My view is that Nigeria needs people like Buhari in politics but not to contest elections. Buhari should be in politics to develop Civil Society and strengthen the conscience of the nation. He should try to develop many Buharis who will continue to challenge the elements that have hijacked the nation.

Third, I do not think Nigerians today are ready for Buhari. Everywhere you turn you see thieves who have amassed wealth in the last four years, be they legislators, Local Government chairmen and councilors, or governors and ministers. But these are the heroes in their societies. They are the religious leaders and ethnic champions and Nigerians, especially northerners, will castigate and discredit anyone who challenges them. Unless we start by educating our people and changing their value system, people like Buhari will remain the victims of their own love for Nigeria.

Fourth, and on a lighter note, I am opposed to recycled material. In a nation of 120million people we can do better than restrict our leadership to a small group. I think Buhari, Babangida and yes Obasanjo should simply allow others try their hand instead of believing they have the monopoly of wisdom.

Having said all this let me conclude by saying that if Buhari gets a nomination he will have my vote (for what it is worth). I will vote for him not, like some have averred, because he is a northerner and a Muslim or because I think his candidacy is good for the north and Islam; I will vote for him not because I think he will make a good democrat or that he was not a dictator. I will vote for Buhari as a Nigerian for a leader who restored my pride and dignity and my belief in the motherland. I will vote for the man who made it undesirable for the “Andrews” to “check out” instead of staying to change Nigeria. I will vote for Buhari to say thank you for the world view of Buharism, a truly nationalist ideology for all Nigerians. I do not know if Buhari is still a nationalist or a closet bigot and fanatic, or if he was the spirit and not just the face of Buharism. My vote for him is not based on a divination of what he is or may be, but a celebration of what his government was and what it gave to the nation.