I am writing this piece in a sad mood. Why wouldn’t I. Muhammadu Buhari, retired army General was one of my authentic Nigerian heroes, a man of untrammeled integrity and granite cast will.

In the 2011 presidential election, I voted for him without any qualms. I have argued strongly against the notion that he is an ethnic jingoist or a religious bigot.

I had followed his career in the military; from being a military governor to Petroleum Minister and then head of state. I could only speak about him with utmost veneration.

When some weeks ago, the revered Sultan of Sokoto called for amnesty for Boko Haram, I was staggered by the shift in his posture towards these merchants of terror he had consistently condemned without any equivocation.

But his royal majesty’s amnesty trumpet was soon chorused by the Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, and almost with the speed of a tornado, the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, followed, urging President Jonathan to grant amnesty to a band of misguided, blood- thirsty terrorists.

I was disgusted by the impish and warped theory of amnesty being propounded by these men. I was so sure that ‘noble’ men like Buhari would not lend their voices to the evil cacophony of the NSGF and the NEF.

I argued that if Buhari had been silent, it was simply because he didn’t want to speak against Boko Haram for political reason. “But he will never, ever endorse Boko Haram’s murderous activities; never,” I had argued.

But on Sunday, June 2, 2013, Buhari broke what I found now to be his ominous silence. Speaking on Liberty Radio in Kaduna, the reticent retired General criticized the declaration of state of emergency in three Northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, describing the action as a grave injustice against the North.

Buhari holds the strange notion that while Niger Delta militants were given special treatments, the Boko Haram terrorists were being killed and their house demolished.

Hear this soldier: “You see, in the case of Niger Delta militants, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua sent an airplane to bring them, he sat down with them and discussed with them, they were cajoled and they were given money and amnesty”. But he was not done yet.

“They were trained in some skills and were given employment, but the ones in the North are being killed and their houses demolished.”

Again, I stress that I am at pains that a man I admire and practically adore could allow his emotion to so blur his reasoning that he could sound so parochial and pathetic. First I want to ask Buhari, what is the cause of Boko Haram.

What are they fighting for? In the case of the Niger Delta militants, we know about the degradation of their environment by Nigeria and foreign oil companies prospecting and exploiting the oil buried in their land by God.

Their land, water and even air are so polluted that survival is put in peril. For all these threats to their lives, successive governments in Nigeria had paid but scant attention to a people who tragically found themselves mired in poverty by the very natural gift that should elevate them to an earthly paradise.

So, when the young militants found themselves with arms, they decided to redress the gross injustice and oppression that had pervaded for decades. And while many of us would not agree with their violent approach, we would not deny that they has a cause.

What is the cause of Boko Haram? They don’t want Western education. Simply idiotic. The arms they use is a product of Western education, so is electricity and the clothes they wear. They said they want Islam as only religion in Nigeria. So, some of us that are non-Muslims should jump into the river. Very foolish. These are rascals with out a cause except mypotic, wild and horrid religious fanaticism.

Buhari said Yar’Adua sent an airplane to pick the militants and they brought them to Abuja. Correct. But did the airplane land in the creeks, the abode of the militants and picked them?

The fact is, Yar’Adua called the Niger Delta leaders and appealed to them to persuade their ‘boys’ to drop their arms and come for talk, for negotiation on the way forward for their exploited and devastated homeland. And the elders returned and met their wards in the creeks and convinced them to meet with Yar’Adua.

The militants in deference to their elders sat with Yar’Adua and negotiated the Niger Delta question. They did not negotiate out of fear; but they didn’t fear to negotiate.

I ask Buhari, where are these terror elements called Boko Haram? They remain ghosts, apologies to President Jonathan.

The Niger Delta elders and leaders went to the creeks to fetch their boys. Buhari is both a leader and an elder. I ask him, where are those sons of terror? Why can’t he and the likes of Professor Ango Abdullahi (of Ali-Must-Go shame) fetch their boys so that Jonathan can also send an airplane to fly them to Abuja.

The Northern leaders, including the Sultan of Sokoto, clamoured for amnesty for the murderous gang. Jonathan accepted and set up an amnesty committee.

The foolish boys in reaction said it was Nigeria and Jonathan that needed amnesty. As if this reaction is a huge shame to the Northern elders and to the Nigerian governments because they are forcing amnesty on killers, gangsters and animals that have no iota of remorse.

As if all that was not enough, they increased their barbaric unslaught not only on innocent Nigerians but the police and the military, killing and maiming in horrifying proportions.And you said Jonathan should not declare state of emergency?

Some of us that always knew buhari for the hypocrite he is were not surprised with his veiled support/defence of boko haram. He is certainly not a Patriot he is at best a tribal leader and religious fundermentalist.

^^^
You should know calling tithes from unsuspecting individuals is a different ball game to making political analysis

vedaxcool: ^^^
You should know calling tithes from unsuspecting individuals is a different ball game to making political analysis

What's this dunce talking about Those who know me on this forum know that I am the number crusader against tithes on nairaland. I would advise you go and continue to exhibit your ignorance in the muslim section were you can get away with it.

When Okupe said some of them are deranged, I saw reasons.

This will be my last comment on any topic bothering on Buhari.
My last word for him and his gangs is to leave Nigeria alone
and allow the young generation to rebuild what they have so
much plundered.una wan turn to Robert Mugabe?Leave Nigeria
alone oo! Or else.....

OP is an anti-Buhari disguising as a supporter!

If u are not open-minded and unbias u wil nt understand d context under which GMB made those statements

He is not a supporter of Boko Haram but a factual n critical analyst of d causive factor of d menace and d fact that injustice and selective treatment in comparism wt d Niger Delta agitation is d reason why things are d way d are in dis country

Keep living in denial of d fact that until a wholistic solution which include but not limited to using a carrot n stick approach by granting amnesty to ready to repent n gullible members within a time frame and crushing d renegade remainder is used under an atmosphere of sincerity until then we will just kip halving a venomous serpent whose other part is stil as deadly as d whole

Buhari infact dealt wt a semblance of BH in d Maitatsine sect in 84 so skewing n using his sincere opinion against him wud nt hold waters.d band of economic Boko Haramites in d Niger Delta who are stealing our crude oil are not different frm d religious Boko Haramites n Kidnapping Boko Haramites in d south east.d fact is Nigeria is under seige occassioned by d long years of socio-political injustice meted on us by d accursed political leaders we have had over d years except Buhari

Hence d youths of evri region of d country just developed a survival strategy best suited to his own environment.In d west,Yahoo-Yahoo,Cultism is so rampant,in d east Kidnapping,money rituals and drug pushing is d order of d day,in d Niger Delta it is bunkering,militancy and political thuggerry is d in-thing,while in d North illiteracy,religious extremism and fanaticism is their forte

So we are not all different frm each oda...until n unless d govt decides to fight corruption and b humane by creating an economic blueprint which will b used to substitute our recourse to negativity thru jobs creation am afraid we are just deceiving ourselves

.

Pastor Kun:

What's this dunce talking about Those who know me on this forum know that I am the number crusader against tithes on nairaland. I would advise you go and continue to exhibit your ignorance in the muslim section were you can get away with it.

please no one here will offer you tithe no matter the bad words you say about Buhari, so go back to the religion section and share your ignorance with them oh "intelligent" one

@op,Ur claim 4 labeling GMB a BH sponsor,is 2 weak. Stop deceiving urslf that ND militants fought 4 Niger Deltans,they fought 4 their belly,the only thing that has changed in ND is d fact dat crude oil theft is on d increase. I wasn't impressed with Buhari's comment sha

Infact Buhari is d last person anybody would accuse of being sentimental or condoning of evil or anything illegal

He is too strict,firm,unsparing of anything that will not benefit d masses.he is d only man whose elites of his tribe n region fear.history is replete with d ruthlessness with which he broke d economic monopoly of Northern oligarchs who were enjoying import waivers,contracts etc unlike GEJ who intentionally and as a state policy empowered economic saboteurs called Militants who were rewarded wt Pipeline security contracts,a job they refused to do instead even engaging in criminal theft of crude oil

Buhari is sure better than a president whose govt backs those who detonated bomb @ eagle's square with a view to roping in d owner of AIT just because d man then was giving media visibility to IBB who was to contest d PDP ticket then,a situation which made d president to quickly say that it cudnt av bn MEND! So d president knows d modus operandi of MEND

D PDP criminal govt is only interested in soiling Buhari's name n unimpeachable integrity in d eyes and mind of d youths of nowadays most of whom were not born when Buhari shook dis country n sent jitters down d spine of d corrupt ruling class

I wish to God that they can prosecute him with any evidence they might have gathered all dis wyl after d severally celebrated arrest n prosecution of so many Boko Haram members but they can't and won't because they know that their is nothing to pin on d man hence are content with casting broad aspersions on d guiltless

The Niger Delta elders and leaders went to the creeks to fetch their boys.

And 'their' boys are ready to go back to their homes (creeks) post GEJ government.?

You can't blame Buhari on BH issue. GMB knows BH is an extension of PDP. OP your clueless 1 and his people are only looking for whom to blame for their inefficiency. Don't be that gullible oga.

Ur president to be

Wendyslim: Ur president to be

He is your president and not mine.
or where you paid to canvers for him. Rubbish.

Wendyslim: Ur president to be

God forbid bad thing.

REHOZIBAH: Infact Buhari is d last person anybody would accuse of being sentimental or condoning of evil or anything illegal

He is too strict,firm,unsparing of anything that will not benefit d masses.he is d only man whose elites of his tribe n region fear.history is replete with d ruthlessness with which he broke d economic monopoly of Northern oligarchs who were enjoying import waivers,contracts etc unlike GEJ who intentionally and as a state policy empowered economic saboteurs called Militants who were rewarded wt Pipeline security contracts,a job they refused to do instead even engaging in criminal theft of crude oil

Buhari is sure better than a president whose govt backs those who detonated bomb @ eagle's square with a view to roping in d owner of AIT just because d man then was giving media visibility to IBB who was to contest d PDP ticket then,a situation which made d president to quickly say that it cudnt av bn MEND! So d president knows d modus operandi of MEND

D PDP criminal govt is only interested in soiling Buhari's name n unimpeachable integrity in d eyes and mind of d youths of nowadays most of whom were not born when Buhari shook dis country n sent jitters down d spine of d corrupt ruling class

I wish to God that they can prosecute him with any evidence they might have gathered all dis wyl after d severally celebrated arrest n prosecution of so many Boko Haram members but they can't and won't because they know that their is nothing to pin on d man hence are content with casting broad aspersions on d guiltless

where did you forget you thinkin cap?

Giving the circumstances that led to the escalation and wide of the insurgency, that is open brutality, massacre of its unarmed members by fg was on that premise that Buhari express his disgust and demand for an amicable route for settlement. It was d unprofessional handling of d situation by d fg that has caused us to bear d brunch at this point in time. The General at no point express support the group. He was being objective, but unfortunately, those bent on destruction readily found an occation to labelled him as a sympathiser. Less we forget that, he Buhari had dealt with a similar notorious group like this b4 and successful. The challenge b4 fg now is to minimize civilian casualities in their bid to dislodge the islamic group and stop unnecessary whinning.

Giving the circumstances that led to the escalation and d wide spread of the insurgency, i.e d brutality and massacre of its unarmed members by f.g, was on that premise that Buhari express his disgust and demand for an amicable route for settlement. It was d unprofessional handling of d situation by d fg that has caused us to bear d brunch at this point in time. The General at no point vent support 4 the group. He was being objective, but unfortunately, those bent on destruction, readily found an occation to labelled him a sympathiser just to reduce him politically. Less we forget that, he Buhari had dealt with a similar notorious group like this b4 and successful. The challenge b4 fg now is to minimize civilian casualities in their bid to dislodge the islamic group and stop unnecessary whinning.

Another anti buhari thread! Buhari is really giving some peeps sleepless nights on this forum. na wah!

berem: Another anti buhari thread! Buhari is really giving some peeps sleepless nights on this forum. na wah!

i dont think so.the article seems to e pro-buhari but the sarcasm was overplayed.the writer seems to be saying if buhari is indeed the sponsor of bokoharam as adduced in some quaters,he hasnt displayed any evidence to prove same