Dele Momodu: President Buhari, your enemies are skilfully
setting you up for failure
Your Excellency, it’s been months since I wrote my
desperate memo to you. I wish to thank you once more for
reacting promptly and swiftly at that time and for giving me
the honour and privilege of meeting you in your office.
I remember presenting you a special compilation of my
articles, especially the many admonitions to your immediate
predecessor, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. After
handing over the book to you, Sir, I promised to continue
acting in my self-appointed capacity as Special Adviser
because of the need to tell you what those very close to you
might not be able to say.
ad serving
They might be afraid of you and your reaction. The truth is
you are a plain and simple man imbued with a mission and
a passion to save this great country but you cannot do it on
your own. You can only do it if people close to you, who
should be advising you, tell you as it is so that you can do
that which you were elected to do.
Sir, it is on the above basis that I’m back today for reasons
some of which you probably know already from your own
personal observations and readings. But before I go further,
kindly permit me to set some records straight before some
conspiracy specialists step forward to ascribe other people’s
opinion to me. I shall clearly expose my personal views and
state where I belong or stand for any avoidance of doubt.
Everywhere I go people refer to me as Buhari’s man and ask
“what’s your Baba doing ooo?”. I seriously have no problem
with that. I’m proud that I joined so many other Nigerians as
well as foreign friends in supporting a man of impeccable
pedigree and solid integrity. No matter your view of
President Muhammadu Buhari, one thing his bitterest
enemies give to him is the fact that he is way above the level
of most mortals in matters of uprightness.
This is why many of us volunteered to scream your name to
high heavens and we were ready to follow you to Golgotha.
Many of your opponents have not gotten over the thrashing
you gave them and would forever seek everything and
anything to smear you with. It is therefore not surprising
that there has been so much noise about what you’ve done
or left undone. Whether they are right or wrong in their
assessment, I feel it is right and proper to let you know what
people are saying about you including your most ardent
fans and supporters.
Sir, please, let’s not dismiss them as mere rabble-rousers. A
groundswell of public opinion can easily metamorphose into
an ocean of disenchantment and cataclysmic confusion. In
short, I believe your enemies are skilfully setting you up for
failure in order to be able to taunt your supporters later by
saying we “we told you so!” In this regard it is pertinent to
always bear in mind the Yoruba saying ‘ehin kunle l’ota wa,
ile ni a se ni ngbe’! Loosely translated it means “the enemy
lurk outside in the backyard but your foe resides inside your
house.”
What is the matter this time? Many Nigerians are lamenting
that the change you promised them is fast becoming a
mirage. It is certainly not what they are seeing right now.
They insist that your style and methodology appear too slow
for a nation in dire straits and in need of urgent and
miraculous deliverance. They are not happy that you are no
longer the prudent man they used to know.
They think you’ve already capitulated by frolicking with
members of the bourgeois class and junketing around the
world while Nigeria burns like Dante’s inferno. They are
miffed that you are still keeping the Presidential fleet when
you are supposed to have sold most of them off, if not all.
They are worried that the mandate of four years they gave
you is being unwittingly frittered away and before you know
it all the goodwill you garnered would have evaporated and
vamoosed. Time, they say, waits for no man!
The economy and the free fall of the Naira have become
worrisome. There are all manner of rumours that may make
matters worse, if true, about the current state and status of
our banks. Though the Central Bank of Nigeria has come out
forcefully to dispel the dangerous rumours, they want you to
unleash your economic master-plan as soon as possible, so
that what was once a baseless rumour does not somehow
become harsh reality.
They are expecting a blue-print that would guarantee a
farewell to poverty. On this I agree with the opinion that
something drastic has to be conjured up to arrest this drift
to perdition. Nothing amplifies this monumental tragedy
than the debit card fiasco which stipulates that Nigerians
cannot live in a civilised world by walking into any
international hotel or shop of their choice and paying with
their cards. This is terribly depressing.
What this means in plain terms is that Nigerians must
patronise the black market and run the risk of carrying cash
recklessly whenever they travel abroad. It makes a mockery
of the cashless society that the CBN has fought so hard to
put in place and jeopardises your fight against corruption
because government officials who travel abroad must of
necessity carry large sums of cash if they are not to be
embarrassed or even disgraced. Sir, the most important
thing is that this is not healthy at all.
The last thing your Government should be telling the world
is that we are so broke that we are on our knees. The world
laughs at us and treats us with derision because we have
resources other than crude oil which should make us one of
the richest in the world if we properly harness them. We
must stop giving the impression that we are so
impoverished when it is leadership, brigandage and a lack of
focus that has failed us.
The other matter that continues to embarrass Nigerians is
the issue of Boko Haram. The matter is made worse by the
fact that you are a retired army General who should know
and have what it takes to drastically reduce if not
exterminate the cankerworm. But rather the menace has
exacerbated. It has snowballed into a seemingly
unquenchable conflagration. I had argued repeatedly that
the military alone cannot achieve this result. Intelligence
seems to be the key word here. Also identifying and locating
some of the cells and prominent sympathisers is crucial.
Those who arrogantly and naively say that no form of
negotiation should take place are very far from the theatre
of war. They have probably not heard of a group called IRA,
the Irish Republican Army, that terrorised Great Britain for
God knows how many years. I and my directors at Ovation
International were lucky to escape a massive explosion that
shattered the peace and tranquillity of London Docklands
when a bomb went off inside the South Quay light rail
station which was next to our office at Beaufort Court.
The battle of wits and the war of attrition had to be fought
using the carrot and the stick approach. It was the carrot
approach that eventually succeeded and the United
Kingdom has now been rid of that hitherto interminable
scourge for many years!
The Boko Haram issue has defied every effort made so far
and it is time to expand the options for the sake of our
fellow citizens in the heart of this conundrum. When over
200 girls vanished into thin air, we were so sure they would
return very soon but that has remained an illusion. This
should tell us that this issue is not a joke and that we need
to keep all windows open. Sir, Nigerians want to see
government show a different approach and better
compassion than what we had in the past. They are waiting
to see how you will do this with minimum collateral damage.
Sir, you have a herculean task ahead but it is not a mission
impossible. Other nations are experiencing almost similar
challenges and they are forging ahead. The first indicator to
exhibit our seriousness is when we stop the business as
usual syndrome and tighten the belts of government officials
and politicians. If the idea is to continue along the path of
profligacy then Nigeria is contagiously jinxed. The Republic
of Tanzania has already taken the lead. I will publish a
report that has already gone viral below this letter as a
veritable example of what is possible.
I wish you well as always Sir.
CHANGE, THE TANZANIAN WAY
Before I’m accused of plagiarism, let me say quickly that I
don’t know the author of this widely circulated story which
was forwarded to me by WhatsApp. I found it too good to be
true but worth sharing all the same. I pray our politicians
would pick some patriotic inspiration from it:
“(This is what is called change) UPDATES FROM TANZANIA
POST ELECTION ACTIVITIES
Last weekend they were opening parliament and there was a
state dinner planned for all guests that was going to cost
about 300m. President Magulufi cut the budget to 25m and
ordered that the rest be taken to buy hospital beds for
Muhimbili. They got 300 beds and mattresses and 600
bedsheets from that money.
On 23rd Nov 2015 he announced that there will be no
official ceremonies for Independence Day on 9th December,
the money is to be used for more pressing issues and the
day should instead be spent cleaning up our environment.
On Saturday 21st Nov 2015 a group of 50 people were about
to set off for a tour of commonwealth countries (don’t know
for what) but President Magulufi cut that list down to 4
people, saving government 600m in tickets, accommodation
and per diems.
No more foreign travel, embassies will take care; if it’s
necessary to go, special permission must be sought from
him or Chief Secretary.
No more 1st class and business class travel for all officials
except President, Vice, and Prime Minister.No more
workshops and seminars in expensive hotels when there are
so many ministry board rooms available.
President Magulufi asked how come engineers are given V8s
when a pick-up is more suitable for their jobs. No more
sitting allowances. How the hell are you paid allowance for a
job which you have a monthly salary? That also applies to
MP’s.
President Magulufi has literally pressed the reset button;
returning Tanzania to default factory settings, because that
was the TZ Nyerere left us with.
On the day after he was brought to power, in the morning as
State House officials were showing him round he decided to
take a walk to ministry of finance, told them to get their act
together, asked why some employees weren’t in office (ever
since then the traffic jam in mornings has become worse)
and ordered TRA to scrap all tax exemptions, everyone must
pay taxes especially the big guys
President Magulufi went to Muhimbili Hospital unannounced
and walked through the worst parts that they keep hiding
from important visitors. He fired the director, fired the
hospital board and ordered that all machines that weren’t
working (so that people go to private hospitals owned by
some doctors) to be repaired within 2 weeks otherwise he
fires even the new director; the machines were repaired in 3
days
Finally, last week when going to officially open parliament
President Magulufi didn’t go by plane, drove the whole
600km from Dar to Dodoma.
President Magulufi has reduced the size of the presidential
convoy, even reduced the size of presidential delegation that
travels with him
President Magulufi chose a Prime Minister we haven’t heard
of before, a guy with reputation for hard work and no
corruption. All the big guys we expected could be PM have
been let wondering what hit them. His motto is: Hapa Kazi
Tu
After President Magulufi visited ministry of finance and
Muhimbii Hospital without announcing, it is said the ports,
(most corrupt, delaying, thieving officials) were all of a
sudden the most efficient place. No loads are missing, things
are done quickly and that habit of forcing for a bribe so that
your container is released is no more.
Oh, they say when he was confirmed as winner people
started congratulating him and wanting to bring gifts to his
place he turned them back, saying he will receive all
congrats over the phone, nobody should visit him.
All individuals/firms that bought state companies that were
privatized but haven’t done anything (20yrs later) are to
either revive the industries immediately or hand them back
to the government.”
https://mobile.facebook.com/ncrmcomments/photos/a.405300569484081.110555.131517020195772/1187613717919425/?type=3&refid=28&_ft_=qid.6222957341932049310%3Amf_story_key.3158158119512112694&__tn__=%2As

Long story. Abeg tell us what u want.