"As I look forward to the road ahead, I am optimistic because I believe Nigeria's best days are still to come.
  Our country has a bright future, but we must work together to ensure that our shared prosperity creates new and better opportunities for us"
                                                                                           MUHAMMADU BUHARI

http://buhari4change.com/


    * Uprooting Corruption & Looting
      It is now a common saying abroad that Nigerian officials are not just corrupt but that corruption is official in Nigeria. Indeed, corruption is behind all the major socio-economic problems in power sector, oil and gas sector, infrastructure development and governance.

    * Providing Nationwide Security
      Government has not provided trusted leadership and security. This is responsible for persistent Niger-Delta unrest; Jos, Bauchi and Borno crisis; Widespread Kidnapping; Bomb Explosions; Unsolved Assassinations etc. Without nationwide security, Foreign Direct Investment will continually elude us.

    * Dislodging PDP Presidency
      The present PDP government has ruined Nigeria in the last 12 years. We cannot afford another 4 years of PDP. All the Human Development Indices have collapsed in Nigeria. Given their antecedents, you cannot dislodge PDP with kid’s gloves. That is why we have formed a formidable team of individuals with strong character.

    * Restoring Our Reputation
      We used to be the giant of Africa. Nigeria has lost its leadership     position. Our reputation went down because of widespread looting in government; rule of law disrespect; national resource mismanagement; dubious national debts; infrastructure decay etc. Other countries are now mocking our inability to transform the available huge resources to sustainable development.


Support the truth, support the real restoration, vote and support BB for 2011.

http://buhari4change.com/

What’s your view on Sharia and how do you propose to create a framework for Religious harmony in Nigeria?


Well, the Nigerian constitution is very clear about that, and I believe as you know that there are twelve states in the federation that follow Sharia because the constitution allows it. The constitution allows that if their state assemblies agree on certain Sharia laws to be implemented then those states are allowed to do it. I’m afraid this court of Sharia is being more politicized than religious because if you could recall there are cases in Sokoto and in one other state where a court overruled the decision of the Sharia court where a woman was to be stoned or to be executed for having sex outside marriage.

So you can see that the Constitutional courts which are not Sharia courts are superior to Sharia court, and people who have taken their cases from the Sharia court there have victory from it. So, really, there has not been a Sharia constitutional problem from the time some of the states in the country decided to practice Sharia. The constitutional courts are superior over Sharia courts, although sharia courts technically are constitutional so really, there has been more of politicking than religious issue of Sharia. People are just using it, but for whatever political reason they are using it I don’t know because the case of this woman in Sokoto and some other states where people have challenged the Sharia courts in the civil court and they won their cases.

If you can go and study it further you will find out even when the British came and conquered the caliphate, they did not interfere with Sharia – they only stopped two things – stoning and chopping of hands. They had to stop the chopping of hands for those who stole and stoning for those who have sex outside marriage. These are the only two things that the British stopped.

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What do you have to say about Sharia and Religious violence/crisis in the Northern part of Nigeria?


Well, once again, you can’t blame people who abide by Sharia or don’t abide by Sharia. You blame the institutions, mainly the Police, to arrest and prosecute. For example, there is a certain story yesterday or the day before yesterday where the President has received a report on the crisis in Plateau State. Now, there has been at least five of this crisis. There have been around four reports. Where are they? Where are the reports? Why is the government at the state and federal level afraid to implement the report of the commission they have instituted on religious and tribal clashes in the country which are more regular, I agree with you, more often in the North than in the other parts of the country.

You can’t blame the people there. You can blame the law enforcement agencies. If there is a crisis in Plateau or in Kano or in Ibadan, it is up to the police to investigate and prosecute and I am not aware of any state where the government, the Federal government which controls the police and the other enforcement agencies, has stopped them from investigating or prosecuting anybody. So why are the law enforcement agencies not doing it and why is the Government not making the law enforcement agencies to do it? You have to go back and put the blame on the Federal government, because if there were a crisis and 100 Nigerians were killed, the Nigerian police are constitutionally empowered to suppress the crisis, investigate it, arrest and prosecute. If they don’t do it, so why is the Federal government not enforcing it?

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You were reported as saying in Sokoto that Muslims should vote for Muslims. Some have fears that you will limit the rights of Christians and promote the Muslim interest.

Well, that perception remains. I know in 2003 I wrote to many Bishops and I could recall I visited some in 2003 and 2007. As you said, it happened in Sokoto in 2000 before I participated in elections. The person who reported me by tribe is a Yoruba man, by religion a Muslim. He was not in Sokoto and does not understand Hausa, maybe he still doesn’t. How he got the story I don’t know. And the comment I made was that people in Sokoto know their people, that when the ban on politics is lifted they should choose the people that will represent them responsibly. This is common sense: if someone aspires to rule this country, he cannot afford to offend even pagans or even atheists—those who don’t even believe in God. These are the people that will vote. How can I say Muslims should not vote for Christians? Then do I expect Christians to vote me, a Muslim?

I wrote to the Bishops. I explained to them, but I think, as you mentioned, perception, people hold on to their perception. Even the church leaders were careful to explain to their flock that there is no way any leader will, at the federal level, antagonize any of the religions. So, I wrote to the Bishops to explain but I am still very surprised that the perception remains. So there is nothing I can do about it, but I will continue to explain my position.

And I have backed it by facts that I have served the country’s military for 25 years. I did all the command and staff work, as a platoon commander to General Officer Commanding and the only still surviving officer that commanded three of the four commands in the Nigerian Army. And the Nigerian Army is about 75% Christian and nobody has ever said I took a decision against anybody because of his religion or his tribe. There are other tribes in the whole command. So, if for politically it sticks that I don’t like Christians, well it is very very unfortunate, but my performance in office at all stages has portrayed me as an impartial person, and I have believe that whoever is still bringing that case up, for whatever vote, will definitely fail in a free and fair election. The question of me being a Sharia advocate and a hater of Christians has never happened and it will certainly fail.

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There is this enduring debate on who is an indigene and who is a citizen, and this manifested in the crisis in Plateau. What is your solution to this lingering problem?


Well, I think this is a betrayal of the Nigerian constitution by local authorities and some states at various levels. And, again, this shows the incompetency of the administrators. There is the case in Plateau where some of the people don’t even know the states they came from – they don’t know anything other than Plateau state because their parents and their grandparents were born there. They built houses there, they are business people. But because their names sounded like not a local name, they have problems in terms of education, employment at state and local government. It is an unfortunate situation which shouldn’t be tolerated. It shouldn’t be tolerated by the Federal Government, and again I am going back to the police.

The police in this place should have investigated these cases. We said that between 1991 and today there were 5 major clashes. None of the reports have seen the light of day. I squarely blame all the federal governments that were in power for not having effective judicial inquiries into the issue. Ideally, Nigerians have the right to stay in any part of the country and if they have stayed long enough in the area they can aspire to any political office by registering and participating in their constituency. I think we can only blame the Federal government that failed to investigate properly and prosecute those who perpetrate such evils against the federation.

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Who Can Testify For Buhari’s Work?

I will tell you a story. In 2002, Obasanjo brought a note to the Council of State which was supposed to be some kind of indictment emanating from the PTF which was cooked up anyway. Among the people at the Council of State meeting, was former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Victor Attah, who got up and said: “Mr. President, you must be talking about another organization not PTF, because the kind of scrutiny we went through in PTF where I was a consultant and the kind of scrutiny we went through to get job from PTF shows that no government does that today.


And interestingly, Buhari who was PTF chairman knew for the first time at that meeting that Attah ever worked for the PTF. But he didn’t have to know anyway because he was never interested in taking money from them. So in the PTF, if you want to take a job of N10milion and below, an insurance company has to give you a guarantee that if you take away their money, the insurance company will pay. Anything above N10 million, a bank has to give you guarantee that if you go away with their money, the bank will pay back. So what is lacking in Nigeria today is integrity at the top.

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What informed Buhari’s choice of running mate? What happened to Ahamba?

First and foremost, there are basic assumptions that are immutable. One, his running mate will not be from the North. His running mate will not be a Muslim. Not that General Buahri relates based on religion, but believes so much in the Nigerian project and believes that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic group; he should have a balance of faith in the ticket. He also believes strongly that Nigerians are bound to be reassured that everybody has a sense of belonging. We circulated what he wrote to Ahamba because somebody just talked about Ahamba. General Buhari tried to explain to him the reason why the CPC had to zone the chairmanship position to the South-South. It is about the fact that everybody must have the sense of belonging, we see ourselves as one people. And don’t forget the fact that when they started the whole question of zoning debate, General Buhari has consistently maintained that he has no business with the issue. The whole of Nigeria is his constituency, not the North of it or any part of it. So from that stand point, whoever will emerge as his running mate, definitely you can expect that the person will not be from the North, he will be from the South and will not be a Muslim.

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Was the Save Nigeria group created for the purpose of Buhari’s presidency as it has been speculated?


Well, you can do some investigation yourself, because now you want me to be a judge in my own court. At the time Save Nigeria Group began, it was to address a major and vital issue — the issue of power hijack. Those who were not elected to serve in the office of the presidency of the country were exercising the authority to do what they liked. It was the health issue that took President Yar’Adua away that brought us into the streets. It was not PDP or CPC that took us to the streets. It was after that time that we now began to start thinking of 2011 to be the year of the voters and the year that our citizenship must be enlightened; social mobility must be restored and sovereignty must be the lot of our people. We must choose the best; the most competent and the country people must be free to express themselves at the polls. That was the purpose for the SNG; it has nothing to do with this party or that party and it has never teamed up with any political party.

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What impact do you think that your political interests will have now on Save Nigeria Group?

The group will select new officers, because before now — let’s face the reality — prominent faces and names you can link with SNG included Prof. Wole Soyinka. Femi Falana and so on and so forth. Femi Falana is the national chairman of National Conscience. Wole Soyinka is the chairperson of the board of another party. Amongst us are professional politicians and those who have political interests. At no time has SNG said that these people cannot express themselves, especially at election time to choose or to participate in the process so that they can be voted for. So SNG will still remain an organ like a watchdog to ensure democratic values in our political culture.

Many believe that Buhari is a religious fanatic. How do you see him?

I have had the privilege of sitting with him, to see his environment, to see what he does. He relates with all kinds of people from different backgrounds, different walks of life and different religious persuasions. To be fair to him, yes, he is a good Muslim. As you know, by God’s grace, I am also a practising Christian and if such a man can say today that he is appointing a pastor to be his running mate, does that not confirm he is not? It will surprise you to know that Buhari’s driver is a Christian and he has been with him for more than 10 years. This is not known to the whole world. All those who say Buhari has done this or that, let them show proof that one day, this is what he did and he has used his position either as governor, minister or as head of state at any time to deprive any Christian of what rightly belongs to him/her.

Some said you are not of any electoral value, as you are not a politician. How do you react to that?


Those who said I have no electoral value are entitled to their opinion. I remember when Chief Obafemi Awolowo began the Action Group (AG); the NCNC that had predominance before he ventured into Nigerian politics, as it were, said he had no electoral value. But he won the election. Nigerians are not blind and they are not deaf. They can see and they can hear and they are putting their thoughts together. The elections of 2011 are different from previous elections. The bulk of those who will vote don’t even have party allegiance. They want to vote for those they know fear God. They would vote those who love the country and love the people and want to see change.

What experience are you going to bring to the job, if elected, as people say you have no political experience?


I do not doubt that they are entitled to their opinion. But if you are a student of the Bible and you read your scriptures and the word of God, Joseph was a prisoner and not even a pastor. He came out of prison and his only experience was when he was in his father’s house at the age of 17 and then he was sent into slavery. His only experience at resource management was human resource, material resource that he gathered in the house of Potifer. From there, he was lied against; he was sent to prison, and he was never a lawyer or a pastor and he rose out of prison to become a world class ruler. People should know that in the process of doing other things, we have been learning how to deal with human situations and national project is just an extension of that.

[color=#990000]If elected, what will happen to your church?[/color]

My love for God and love for the people of God cannot wane. I relocated to the United States in 2000 with my family. Between then and 2010, when we returned home, nobody knew my family even relocated because at least one Sunday in a month, I was in church. If it would not be out of place for the president to go to mosque on Friday, it cannot be out of place for me to go to church to fellowship on Sundays.

That means you will continue to preach?

I will continue to serve my God in whatever capacity is allowed by law and given time, because it is a new role and new responsibilities would come with it. I can’t say you will see me going everywhere preaching, but I will still serve my God. It is not only by preaching that you serve God. There are other ways that you serve God. Those in government are considered ministers of God too. The Bible talks about all that Jesus began to do and to teach. So, the doing comes before the preaching. It is called the Acts of Apostles and not the preaching of the Apostles. So, let us not put the cart before the horse. But that does not mean that I will never preach again. I will continue to serve God and testify about His goodness.

How would you marry politics with Christianity, as people believe that politics is very dirty?

The problem with many that raise such question is simple: they believe politics is dirty and good men and God-fearing men shouldn’t go into politics. The more such men are not in politics, the more dirty people get into politics. The scripture says when the righteous is in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, they moan, they groan. Do we want to continue groaning? Politics is dirty because dirty people are in it. If clean men get there, they will equally clean the atmosphere.

You came to national political scene, so to say, when you convene the Save Nigerian Group (SNG). You did not tell Nigerians that you would be contesting 2011 election? What happened?

I never anywhere said I will seek elective office or I would join a party. That wasn’t my contemplation. But when the General (Buhari) made the call on January the 15, I was home in Lagos. He said: if I will accept, he will consider it a great honour by accepting to be his running mate. My first natural reaction was to say thanks, but no, thanks. I am content with what I am doing. I told the whole world that I was not going this way. I am a man of my words. I keep myself out of the bargain. I wish you well. And he said: “you have not only told the world, you have told me too. But I want you to please consider and call me back.” The process of responding took some days and hours of real thinking, critical thinking and talking to stakeholders in my life – the church, my family and elderly people in the kingdom of God. When I was convinced that it was a right thing to do, I told him, yes, I will run with you.

It was Martin Luther King Junior who said: “At critical moment when certain positions are to be taken, different dimensions would begin to crop up.” For instance: cowards would ask: “ Is it safe?” Vanity would ask: “Is it popular?” Those who are politically correct would ask: “Is it politic?” But conscience would ask: “Is it right?” Is it right for a man to offer his services to the nation? That is what we should be talking about. Am I disqualified in any form? That should be the issue. If I can vote and be voted for and there is nothing against me doing that, why not? Let us all rise and bring quality men, God-fearing men and women into our polity to save our nation and pull it back from the brink.

What is the state of the alliance talks with other political parties?

Regardless of what is out there in the press, we still consider it an important factor to our electoral victory in 2011. If PDP must be roundly defeated at the polls, those who consider themselves progressives must put Nigeria first at this time. The problem that I think we have is that those who desire to function in the public arena sometimes have ego bigger than the nation they want to rule. But with trustful give and take and putting the nation first above our personal agenda, it will require that we come together and face election against PDP. I think that is still going on and it is still continuing. There maybe individuals that do not think so, but I tell you that it would happen.

What has been responsible for the parties not being able to reach an understanding to work together?

There is a committee working on this. They are working on different alliances and MOUs and they are better equipped to answer that question. You know I am just coming in and it is not proper to pass comments on what you have not been briefed thoroughly about. I was aware that those discussions are going on. From behind the scene, we encouraged it. We will still encourage it now. We will reach out to others and let them know this is not about us. It is about our nation, let us work together.

Does the CPC, as a party, have the structure, from local government to ward to face the octopus PDP at the 2011 polls?

The CPC, as a new party, is gaining ground by the day. As we are talking now, more people are rushing in; more offices have been opened. The PDP has been in office for 12 years and CPC came in a few months ago. So, you cannot compare their structure. But the truth of it is that Rome was not built in a day. We are putting structures in place. The one that are in existence are functioning and more will come. Before you know it, the remaining period that we have before the elections, people would be surprised about how many people of goodwill are willing to support and create that structure. When there is a will, there is a way.

General Buhari is not known to be a rich man and you are not known to be a millionaire. How do you hope to raise fund for the election?

Nigerians must come to terms with whether they want to continue to monetize politics, so that people would spend billions only to get into power and loot the treasury. We want to deemphasise that. Yes, General Buhari may not be a rich man and, like you have said, I may not be a millionaire also. But you know that if God is in a movement, he would raise men to give to them.

Remember Jesus was born in a manger and wise men came from the East to give him gifts. Not only that, Barack Obama, when he was going to the 2004 convention of his party, he put in his card and he was rejected and a few years later, he became the president of America. Ordinary people gave to them and we know once this thing starts, ordinary people, men and women, boys and girls of goodwill, would not only give resources, in terms of money, but their time, their talent, their energy and their ability to mobilize their friends, their relations and their territory of influence to vote. At the end of the day, money politics would fail in Nigeria.

What is the ideology of CPC? How do you integrate yourself into the system?

We talk about ideology, as if we are still polarizing the world. I am talking about eastern world and western world, as if we are talking about capitalism and communism. Time has moved beyond that. The purpose of government is the welfare of the people of the country. That is the priority of government. That people’s needs are met; that we ensure there is security. That is the ideology of the hour. With all the billions voted for security, we see the insecurity in our land. That must stop. Corruption must not continue to eat into the fabric of our nation. The central ideology is that Nigeria must be saved. It must be changed and become great in our lifetime and the people of this country must not continue to suffer in the midst of plenty. Whatever policies, whatever programme we are putting in place would be articulated in our contract with Nigeria so that they know that it is not about us; it is not about title; it is not about popularity but the people of this country.

If the like of Awolowo, the like of the Ahmadu Bello, Azikiwe and the like of Okpara did not live beyond self, some of us would not be here today. Awolowo blazed so much people-oriented programme that gave the like of us education at that critical point of our national history. Where are those men? They must return and their values must come back and we must make people the focus of governmental programme, not just building fantasies in the air and voting billions on what would not touch the lives of ordinary people. If we can get to the root of the matter and make people the focus of our attention and the purpose of government to be the welfare of the people, that is the ideology that I will embrace and I believe CPC will embark upon.

What would be the thrust of your social contract with the Nigerian people?

It cannot be business as usual. The local government chairman would come in broke and they will go home building mansions and all things. Funds that are voted for specific project would be executed within timeline and it would be obvious and evident to all Nigerians. You can be rest assured, I do not think I will come back richer than I am going in. I probably would come back broke. I don’t intend to touch anybody’s money but to put attention where it matters and to focus our energy on the development of the nation. You know you can trust General Buhari for that also. He has proved it over the years.

He is the only head of state without a petrol station. He has only two houses, one in Daura and they are just basic houses. He has no oil rig or oil well. He has no foreign account. He has no house abroad. He has lived even within his pension up to this time. He was petroleum minister and has no cent or one dollar per barrel sticking to his fingers. He has been governor in this country. He was Petroleum Trust Fund executive chairman and not a dime was traceable to him as being fraudulent. I think what Nigerians are face to face with is one vote for two honest men.

It is good you spoke about General Buhari this way, but you were once quoted to have said neither Buhari, nor Babangida nor Obasanjo would be part of the emerging Nigeria. Now, you are Buhari’s running mate.

How do you reconcile the contradiction?

The Christian word Messiah is Savior of souls and of the world and I don’t like such words being used for mere men. The best of men are still men at the very best. I won’t call any man messiah. Everyman will contribute his quota to the development of the nation. I know men who are rising, who are going to do their best. Using the word Messiah is making man God. That is what I want to communicate. But besides that, you did not quote me accurately. What you are saying was in 2006 October. I said some of these old men should allow young men to operate, to come into power.

But the truth of it is that emphasis of the hour. The current emphasis of the hour is not generational shift but generational integration so that older and the younger can come together as demonstrated by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Yakubu Gowon. Awolowo could father Gowon. He was 57 when Gowon was 30; they worked together to save Nigeria from that terrible time of our people in cold blood. May God heal the wound that it affected in our nation. Time has come for the young and the old, male and female to cooperate together and move on. 2006 quotation is not applicable to 2011. That was then, this is now.

You were quoted as saying in the interview that neither of them would be president?

In 2007, did they become president? They didn’t. That was my opinion for 2007. I didn’t say 2011 and I didn’t say they would never be president forever.

So, pastor, your opinion now is different from your opinion at the time?

Definitely, it is different. Remember, that is not peculiar to man. Even God Almighty spoke to Eli and said: “I said, now I say.” It is in the Bible. So, proceeding word is not what was said but the proceeding word of the hour is: this is the time of change. Nigeria has embraced this change. They would vote for God-fearing people who love this country and have demonstrated that they are not interested in materialism and they cannot be bought by gold but can put gold to use for the benefit of the society.

Many see you and Buhari as two strong characters. How do you avoid a clash when you have different opinions on issues?

There cannot be a clash. Issues would be debated, if my attention is called. The constitution is very clear on who the boss is. I can only make known to him when and as when necessary if I see a different perspective. But that does not make me lord it over him, as long as the decision being taking is in the interest of not only the electorate and the people who voted us into power. He would not undermine the security of our people and those who voted us into power. There are bound to be differences in opinion, but it doesn’t have to create clashes. Do you have differences with your wife and you still live together? That is the way it would be.

Under what circumstance can you resign?

I have firm principles I fought over the years. You don’t compromise principle, or you destroy yourself. General Buhari is also a man of principle. I don’t think either of us would violate the principle of uprightness, the principle of fairness, justice, fair play and the principle of individual liberty and freedom. Creating environment for our people to maximize their potentials and turn this country to a great country in our live time. If those things are never violated and I don’t see them being violated, there cannot be a reason for me to say I am resigning. If anything touches on my faith or compromise my faith in God or my values or my belief that people’s welfare should be the concern of government, it would be spoken loud and clear. But this is not a battle in which we are going with the mindset of resigning. Those who put their hands on the plough and turn back are not fit for the kingdom of God.

You are not just a Christian but also a leading pastor. General Buhari is a strong Muslim. Do you think he settled for you because of the need for Muslim /Christian ticket?

General Buhari is the one to be asked that question. I will not be answering for him. We had interactions. Not only with him but even the sitting president and other political heavy weights in the country. If he makes his choice, he knows the values he was looking for. I am sure he knows those values. There are other leading Christians well known better than I am. If he didn’t call them, he must have his reasons. We seize the moment to contribute our quarter. That he is a strong Muslim and I am a strong Christian should remove the doubt of anyone trying to Islamise Nigeria.

It is absurd and it is in the mind of propagandists who are spreading the rumour. It will surprise you to know that Buhari’s driver is a Christian and he has been with him for more than 10 years. This is not known to the whole world. All those who say Buhari has done this or that, let them show prove that one day, this is what he did and he has used his position either as governor, minister or as head of state at any time to deprive any Christian of what rightly belongs to him. How many people knew that when they were in power, Idiagbon’s wife was a Christian?
For a change, God is giving us the best of the North and the best of the South to come together to steered the ship of our country.

How do you hope to move the people of the South West to CPC? The ACN is domineering in the area.

Once upon a time, the NCNC was so domineering in Western Region that Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe contested to become the premier of the western region. But another person arose and swept the carpet and became the dominant person. Intrigues and other things followed. But the truth of the matter is: the South western people are very enlightened. They know what they want. They know it when they see it. They have values and when the time comes, they will answer. You can’t call monkey a dog. They know the difference. We are building alliances with all stakeholders in the South West. If alliance with the ACN does not work, direct alliance with the people will work.

What is wrong with Jonathan government that you and Buhari want to take over from him?

It is a question to be addressed at the appropriate time in a debate. I hope we would have a live television debate.

Are you calling for a debate?

I am calling for one so that the issues can be faced. The 12 years of reckless display of power and I-don’t-care attitude of PDP. You ask them how many civilians have died in the course of riot and religious crisis in the country. They don’t know. Why don’t they know? It is because they don’t care. The theme for 2011 should be anything but PDP and the best we can see is CPC: General Buhari and my humble self.

How Far Can Buhari Go?

By ANAYOCHUKWU AGBO

According to an Igbo adage, when an old woman falls two times, you count what she is carrying. Muhammadu Buhari, retired major-general and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, faces this proverbial syndrome in the April presidential election. It will be his third attempt at the presidency under a democratic dispensation, and it will be a watershed in his odyssey. This time, his chance appears brightest yet he is still very vulnerable, and a little wind could tilt the scales to either side. Though he says he will continue to run, many political analysts feel it will be his last viable attempt at the presidency if he does not win this time around.

Born on December 17, 1942, Buhari first came to limelight when he was appointed governor of the old North-eastern state in August 1975. This ended abruptly in March 1976, when another coup overthrew the military government of Murtala Muhammed. He was appointed minister of petroleum and mineral resources in March 1976; a position he held till June 1978.

He became the seventh head of state of Nigeria on December 31, 1983, after soldiers overthrew the civilian government of Shehu Shagari for corruption. For the 20 months his government lasted before it was overthrown on August 27, 1985, the Buhari-Idiagbon regime (as his administration was called, since he more or less shared the headship of that government with late Tunde Idiagbon, lieutenant- general) was known for its strong anti-corruption crusade anchored on War Against Indiscipline, WAI. Buhari described Shehu Shagari’s government as “hopelessly corrupt.” Regarded as authoritarian and draconian, Nigerians today still look back with nostalgia to those months as the only period since independence when Nigerians made a conscious attempt to be disciplined and the government corruption-free.

But on the democracy scale, Buhari’s scores were depressing. He abused human rights and imprisoned journalists. He executed drug suspects without proper trials and put the fear of government, not the love, into Nigerians.

Be that as it may, even Buhari’s critics agree that he is top gun when it comes to integrity and discipline. He was overthrown because of his aversion to corruption and insistence on investigating alleged contract scams in the ministry of defence. If this were not pre-empted through the palace coup, many military bigwigs would have been implicated, dismissed and probably sent to jail. He is one of the past Nigerian heads of state, who is not trailed by allegations of corruption.

Perhaps, because of this, the Abacha junta created the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, PTF, and appointed him to head it, which he accepted after much persuasion. Though the southern part of Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta where the oil comes from, accused him of marginalising them in the allocation of projects, none accused him of stealing the funds entrusted to him.

Many people, including Buhari himself, believe his mission in the life of the nation has not been accomplished and that is why he joined politics in 2003 to see if he could continue from where he was stopped in 1985. He contested the presidential election on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP, against Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003 and lost. In 2007, he again contested against the ruling party’s Umaru Yar’Adua, from the same Katsina State with him, and lost. He scored 18 per cent of the votes, as against Yar’Adua’s 70 per cent. In 2011, the retired, but not tired, general will take another shot at the presidency on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, a political party he formed after he fell out with the leadership of ANPP.

Today, Buhari’s politics has not changed much. He is the proverbial northern star whose course is ever fixed. His language is no longer martial but his heart is still as firm as his countenance. He says he knows the problems of Nigeria and that he can fix it. Like Chinua Achebe, he says Nigeria’s number one problem is irresponsible leadership. According to him, Nigeria is insecure because the government is not working. The high state of insecurity, to him, is a failure of government. He feels strongly that for things to work in this country those entrusted to lead must get the priorities right. And he knows these priorities too well. He says there are too many things wrong with PDP for the ruling party to solve Nigeria’s problems.

Buhari’s aversion to corruption and primitive accumulation of wealth has not been mellowed down by over 25 years of retirement from the army. He wonders how some politicians will be going home with over N300 million a year while most citizens go to bed hungry. He will be further appalled by the large contract scams, which have made the nation’s jobs the costliest in the world, according to cost engineers. Buhari reaffirmed his commitment to the anti-corruption war in an interview with the magazine as the beginning of the surgery to save Nigeria. And that is a message that connects with the streets. Anti-corruption tops the shopping list of Nigerians interviewed by the magazine on the type of president Nigeria needs in April. Most respondents said Buhari has the discipline to fight corruption. This will count if votes count in April.

But is Buhari ready to harvest the discontent in the polity as votes in April? That is concern even to his hardest admirers. Reason is that the CPC, for now, is clearly a northern party with no electorally viable presence in the southern half of the country. To win the presidential election, he needs at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-thirds, or 24, of the 36 states of the federation, and also score the majority of the votes. The North has 19 states, and in the event that he could win the whole northern states, he needs at least a quarter of the votes cast in five states in the South. To win, he needs to go into alliance with other opposition parties to actualise his ambition. The magazine found that the thinking around Buhari is that Jonathan may not win in the first ballot. “In the second ballot, we don’t need the South as it is simple majority,” reasoned a Buhari aide.

Buhari says he is ready to go into alliance with other stakeholders to push PDP out of power. However, he rules out any alliance with ANPP because he says his former party is in alliance with the ruling party. This may hurt him deeply in April. Kano, one of the most populated states in the country is under ANPP, whose presidential candidate, Ibrahim Shekarau, is governor of the state. Shekarau rode on Buhari’s shoulders to become the governor of Kano State in 2003 but they have parted ways politically. If Shekarau loses elsewhere, he would want to win in Kano to prove a point and if Buhari loses Kano, his ambition might go off-course.

Borno State is another ANPP state, which Buhari might lose to PDP. Modu Sheriff, governor of the state, is seen as a silent supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan. He is finishing his second term in April and may have no objection to his state voting Jonathan in the presidential election. Moreover, Borno is one of the northern minority states, which appears to be hoping to use the Jonathan presidency to liberate themselves from the domination of the Hausa/Fulani. Buhari needs a lot of marketing and paradigm shift to make an impact in Borno.

Another factor Buhari has to contend with in the North is Nuhu Ribadu. The presidential candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, is another candidate who is in good standing with the public for his anti-corruption effort as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He is also highly respected by the international community and has an edge over Buhari in international circles as more likely to run a government based on the rule of law and have respect for human rights. He also has better electoral assets in the South than Buhari but with Jonathan in the race, his standing in the South may not translate to votes in April. In the North, it appears that Ribadu may not pose some problem to Buhari when the chips are down. On whether he could step down for Ribadu, to become the presidential candidate of the alliance, Buhari says that would not arise at all.

The reason is not far-fetched. In the North, he is the clear favourite of the youth. In motor parks and most public works in the North, his name is a popular mantra. They hail him all over as “Sai Buhari!” which means, “Buhari is the man!” Buhari’s CPC is also taking the North by storm. So in a free and fair election, it is expected that he could make a better showing than he did in 2003 and 2007. He appears ready to dislodge PDP from power in most of the northern states, beginning with his home state, Katsina, where late President Yar’Adua’s younger brother is the deputy governorship candidate of CPC.

But that is only on paper. In reality, Buhari has the battle of his life to fight against the power elite in the North, who appears not to want him. The same qualities, which endeared Buhari to many Nigerians, make him a hard sell to the smaller power elite in the North. His stance against corruption appears not to be popular with them since their political economy predicates on loose money from politics. Many of them are afraid they would end up in jail if Buhari becomes commander-in-chief again and they would prefer any other candidate but Buhari to be the president for their own security. Buhari’s opponents are also banking on this to diffuse his influence.

Some analysts also say that Buhari’s nature and the nature of the core politicians in the opposition parties will make an alliance almost impossible.

Again, Buhari’s national appeal is threatened by some fanatical supporters. Sule Lamido, governor of Jigawa State, last week, asked Buhari to call his supporters to order before they ruined his electoral chances. He was referring to the increasing recourse to ethnicity and religion by Buhari’s supporters as campaign issues. After the “northern consensus” failed to fly at the PDP primary, a concerted campaign of calumny began against the PDP governors from the North who supported Jonathan. The text read: “Allah ya tsinema Reverend Murtala Nyako, Bishop Shehu Shema, Pastor Sule Lamido, Rev Aliyu Akwe Doma, Deacon Isa Yuguda, Pope Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Arc Bishop Bello Mohamed and Primate Idris Ibrahim. They are enemies of the North and Islam. Vote for Buhari. Pls forward same to others.”

This text message swept through the North like wild fire. If Buhari did not like it, he is not known to have dissociated himself from the divisive message. Lamido thinks this will boomerang in April. “They think they are helping Buhari; they are simply destroying him, those text messages are undermining Buhari and I feel very sad for him because he is being demystified as a former head of state. I am not worried I was called a bishop, Those who thought they are campaigning for him are actually undermining him and reducing him to a local person and I don’t think he is happy.”

Furthermore, Lamido says the message is out of sync with the core values of the North. “Those text messages do not carry a proper reflection of the mind of northerners, the North, which the late Premier (Ahmadu Bello) laboured to build across all divides. At any rate, we must decide what we want in Nigeria. (Whether) we want a united, stable, secure and prosperous country, or we want a country where we kill each other every other day.” A lot of people feel Buhari should have called the campaigners to order to prove he did not authorise it, or that his opponents are responsible to put him in bad light.

Perhaps he thinks that people should read his steps enough for them to know that he could not have approved such a campaign. To further reassure Christians, Buhari, last week, chose Tunde Bakare, the general overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos and the convener of the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, as his running mate. Bakare, a lawyer, was born a Muslim but he converted to Christianity and became a radical pastor who has been making political statements since Olusegun Obasanjo was elected president in 1999.

Prior to his selection of Bakare, Buhari had been meeting with many Christian leaders to explain his politics and attitude to religion. These series of dialogues had been on since July 2010. He met with Enoch Adeboye, influential general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, and Sunday Makinde, the equally influential primate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. During his meeting with Makinde, a source present at the meeting said that the primate told Buhari “We Christians are afraid of you.” They also raised the issue of a popular allegation that Buhari said Muslims should not vote for Christians. In his response, Buhari denied all the allegations. He explained that he only attended the launching of a book on Sharia in Sokoto and asked people to vote for people they know. He had declined to comment on the book for lack of competence in Islamic jurisprudence but noted that those bending the Sharia law are Muslim elite. “If anybody can show I was biased against a Christian, let them say it. Your Eminence, this is all nonsense,” Buhari told Makinde.

But can Bakare deliver the Christian community to Buhari? Can an alliance with Christians work where it failed with politicians? Can the nation’s political debacle be resolved in a Christian/Muslim alliance? Would the Christian congregations accept the recommendation of their clergy as to which candidate to vote for in the April presidential election? These among others are the banana skins Buhari must meander through successfully if he would win the April presidential election.

http://www.tellng.com/contentdisplay.aspx?page_id=10&id=154

Random notes on Bakare and Igbo presidency

By Dimgba Igwe [08055001932 (dimgbaigwe@gmail.com]

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Warning: these are just random notes of a man who became too busy to write. You don’t have to take it too seriously. You don’t even have to read it—unless you have nothing better to do! In other words, you are reading at your own risk.

Come on again, what’s this nonsense about being too busy to write? Busy? Yes, and it happens often. Suddenly, you have no time to think of anything. No time to compose your thoughts into a thousand words of meaningful perspective which you toss out to the public to enjoy or gripe about. In Nigeria, columnists are allowed to pretend to be rarefied mediators in shaping public issues. We probably get taken far too seriously than we deserve including this writer. The place of the burgeoning army of columnists in shaping public agenda, is of course, a subject for another day.

In these days of maddening politics, writing for a print media platform has become like some form of warfare. Everything excites extreme emotions. Only two weeks ago, I wrote the column, Run Bakare, Run…
Since then, hell has been let loose. Some people had made the article subject of endless debate in various internet platforms. Naija politics for instance. But that meant that my mail box is now invaded by hundreds and hundreds of mails daily, making it impossible for me to access normal mail. I’ve missed meeting appointments because I was unable to scroll through the avalanche of mails each day to pick out normal mails as opposed to the furious political tirades being traded by over-politicised Nigerians hyperventilating on everything, but especially the Buhari-Bakare ticket.

To say that Pastor Tunde Bakare’s acceptance to become General Mohammadu Buhari’s running mate is now the most debated issue among Nigerians and the Diaspora as attested to by the various internet and other media platforms, is probably an understatement of the century.
Poor President Goodluck Jonathan-Sambo team! Suddenly, Buhari and Bakare are grabbing all the media attention at a time like this. In politics as in branding, controversy is everything. Probably, the worst thing to happen to any campaign team is to be genuinely ignored. Jonathan-Sambo team’s case is not helped by the fact that rather than going fully pugilistic, Jonathan’s rival, Atiku Abubakar, has tamely thrown in the towel, now only declaiming his willingness to yield to negotiation.

This is a good thing for the Jonathan-Sambo team, fitting neatly into what I projected as the way forward for Jonathan if he must win the votes of aggrieved northern electorates. What we hear now is that Jonathan has gone full swing into political horse-trading with the aggrieved elites of the northern political establishment, promising them everything to sway their support. Good politics, Nigerian way. But, do these negotiations translate into anything for the northern electorates or merely fattening the bloated pockets of these political grandees?

So, while Jonathan-Sambo are wheeling and dealing with the political aristocrats, seeking their support in exchange for—juicy contracts, appointments or oil blocks, etc?—the financially lean Buhari-Bakare team rules the airwaves, the cyberspace, the print media, the religious centres, exciting endless debates, those for and those against.

I had invariably been sucked into these debates. For me, it was a harvest of encomiums from those who think that my article played a part in shaping the appointment of Bakare as the running mate. This was not helped by the fact that even Bakare, I am told, read the article to the whole church and used it to rationalize his political options before his congregation. But, so have I also been vilified by those who hold me solely responsible for engineering Bakare’s choice! This is taking a simple column too seriously perhaps. By so doing, according to some of my Igbo kinsmen, I have sold out and betrayed the Igbo nation.

But me, I just dey laugh o! Who stole this people’s brain? If one were to sell out, why sell to a team that is so patently poor that they don’t even have enough to run their own political affairs? Whoever heard of a Buhari, a pensioner who borrowed money to build himself a modest bungalow, doling out money to a journalist? Or perhaps, Bakare is the one doing the bribery? That would be carrying jokes too far! If it is about selling out business, it makes eminent good sense to sell out to those who control the national treasury and many governors too; it should be definitely more lucrative to sell to those who funded the type of extraordinarily expensive PDP national convention bazaar we read about, a bazaar which saw thousands of delegates smiling home with millions of naira in each pocket! For now, Buhari-Bakare team doesn’t even control the treasury of a local government yet!

Well, there is this grand fallacy that this abstract concept called the “Igbo interest” is embodied in the choice of somebody of Igbo origin for either the presidency or the vice presidency. Femi Adesina has strenuously argued this point, I think only because, pissed off as he were, with the ongoing political malfeasance in Abuja and all over the nation, he is desperate for a political combination that could rescue the nation. He has been consistent either with a support for Ibrahim Shekarau or now his avid favourite, Buhari. But Femi didn’t think Bakare would cut it. He needed an Igbo face.

Now faced with Bakare as a fait accompli, Femi has finally come around. Good boy! The thing an old man sees sitting down, younger men would eventually see standing! Then, I read Onuoha Uke’s jeremiad, an elegiac lamentation of how the Igbo race had boxed themselves into a corner of political irrelevance, crashing from a political number one some decades ago to political number nowhere. The plank for this argument, of course, is that of all the political combinations which had the chance of winning the presidential race, none has an Igbo candidate in the first or second position. By way of argument, Uke’s article is sound, but from experience over the years, including personal experience, I simply no longer share those cheap ethnic sentiments.

Politicians only jiggle ethnicity as a tool to climb into political office, but after that, they really work for themselves. I no longer believe that the solution to our acute national political malaise comes from enthroning our kinsmen to power, even if they are nincompoops. I am for the best man for the job, no more. My favourite political enemy, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, proved this point during his administration when he surrounded himself with the best of Igbo egg-heads to shape his economic reform agenda—the Dr. Okonjo Iwealas, the Chukwuma Soludos, the Dora Akunyilis and the Oby Ezekwesilis—because he thought that these were the best people for the job. And, they delivered, not because of their ethnic skin, but because they are Nigerians, patriots, knowledge-drivers, competent souls. It was not an Igbo administration, mind you. Despite the inherent perversity of Obasanjo’s nature which tends to blight even his best intention, he earned my respect on this score. Jonathan could have followed the same pattern, but couldn’t.

In any case, for those who want a president of “Igbo extraction” as the clichés goes, didn’t they notice that these days, President Jonathan now parades his Igbo names like a flag? Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan! Come to think of it, is President Jonathan really an Ijaw man? If so, where are his Ijaw names? At least, Ebele and Azikiwe are certainly Igbo names and the president himself has been quoted as telling Igbo leaders that “I am one of you.” Some food for thought?
For lack of space to elaborate further my point, let me just cite one good example. The governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje, earns about the same revenue with say, Abia State, plus or minus. With that he was able to build a state university from the scratch with 22 courses—as at the time I visited about three years ago—accredited. He built roads, built a multi-billion waterworks that turned a landlocked state into a state with pipe borne water flowing everywhere and he built an airport from the scratch, which is now in use.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, all the universities were on strike for five months. Officials of the Abia State University pointed out that not only had the state government cut their monthly subvention from N140 million to N100 million, the subvention had not even been received for the past ten months before the strike! Now, if you are from Abia and you had to choose a governor to run Abia State in terms of utility value, would you go for the present incumbent or for a Danjuma Goje if he were to run for governorship in Abia State? You can only replicate this example in some of the other states. That is the critical question, not the sentimental nonsense about ethnicity. The choice of who rules Nigeria should be based on who has the gravitas to deliver the goods, period. This is not yet a popular position to take, but we finally must start somewhere. The things an old man sees sitting… For now, the field is still open for all the candidates to prove their mettle and earn our votes. Until then, the jury is still out!

Alliance: ACN, CPC, ANPP, SDPM Meet In Abuja

Saturday, 12 February 2011 02:25 Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Abuja


If the renewed effort by four main opposition parties is anything to go by, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be in for a serious trouble in the April general elections.

LEADERSHIP WEEKEND gathered last night that the four parties: the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDPM) had met in Abuja for the last four days to harmonise their manifestoes, divergent interests and present a common force against the PDP.

An insider involved in the discussion described it as “the last ditch effort, to wrest power from the PDP in the April polls.”

According to him, “In spite of the very known fact that the parties involved in the current discussion have submitted their presidential candidates and running mates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, we still believe that the alliance can work if we are really serious to wrest power from the PDP.”

The alliance talks among the parties, especially the ACN, CPC and ANPP recently broke down, with the parties blaming one another over the collapse. But an insider had told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that the disparate interests of the parties were responsible for it.

However, the presidential candidate of the CPC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), had said recently that he had not quite given up hope on the possible alliance between his party and other oppositions, especially the ACN.

Speaking through his spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the former military head of state was quoted as saying that, “Political maturity on the part of the two parties was the only way to respond to the yearnings of our people for liberation from the 12-year Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) misrule.”

Buhari had expressed hope that the parties could still forge ahead with the alliance talk and said that the ACN and CPC were the “most ideologically compatible and have the responsibility of providing leadership in the political space to give an alternative to the people of Nigeria.”

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25041:alliance-acn-cpc-anpp-sdpm-meet-in-abuja-&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=101

honeric01:

Alliance: ACN, CPC, ANPP, SDPM Meet In Abuja

Saturday, 12 February 2011 02:25 Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Abuja


If the renewed effort by four main opposition parties is anything to go by, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be in for a serious trouble in the April general elections.

LEADERSHIP WEEKEND gathered last night that the four parties: the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDPM) had met in Abuja for the last four days to harmonise their manifestoes, divergent interests and present a common force against the PDP.

An insider involved in the discussion described it as “the last ditch effort, to wrest power from the PDP in the April polls.”

According to him, “In spite of the very known fact that the parties involved in the current discussion have submitted their presidential candidates and running mates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, we still believe that the alliance can work if we are really serious to wrest power from the PDP.”

The alliance talks among the parties, especially the ACN, CPC and ANPP recently broke down, with the parties blaming one another over the collapse. But an insider had told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that the disparate interests of the parties were responsible for it.

However, the presidential candidate of the CPC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), had said recently that he had not quite given up hope on the possible alliance between his party and other oppositions, especially the ACN.

Speaking through his spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the former military head of state was quoted as saying that, “Political maturity on the part of the two parties was the only way to respond to the yearnings of our people for liberation from the 12-year Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) misrule.”

Buhari had expressed hope that the parties could still forge ahead with the alliance talk and said that the ACN and CPC      were the “most ideologically compatible and have the responsibility of providing leadership in the political space to give an alternative to the people of Nigeria.”

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25041:alliance-acn-cpc-anpp-sdpm-meet-in-abuja-&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=101

I really hope this alliance comes true. Else it will be very difficult to defeat pdp.

i pray oh, im from south south but will never vote for gej, buhari/bakare for life

Good job guys, I love Dimgba Igwes article, it should have a thread of its own

Mchewwwww

Mchewwwww

What Nig needs today is not a honest leader but a visionary leader.That 4 now is GEJ,

^^can you provide evidence to support your post.

doesnt mean i'm pro buhari btw.

how will you be honest about your vision if you are not honest?

This JEEL is a dundee!

Everybody has a vision but it takes honesty, sense of purpose and integrity to pursue that vision. Not everybody has these, including your clueless Jonathan

It will come to past by God's grace.

@OP

How much were you paid?. .or do you mean you have so much spare time?

ladi02:

@OP

How much were you paid?. .or do you mean you have so much spare time?

This is one of the sacrifices i have taken upon myself, i have to promote these 2 people, they need to be heard, known and understood. they stand for what we need at this time of our political lives.

You want a better Nigeria? vote for these incorruptible pair.

God won't come down from heaven to change Nigeria, he uses humans to make things work, open your eyes, see the signs.

first time i'm seeing buhari's family.

the oldest daughter is quite pretty.

but i thought he had many wives?

and the children in this photo must have been born relatively recently, because i'd have thought he'd have kids who were 30+ years old unless he married late.

good photoshoots btw.

the lighting, poses, etc.