MUHAMMADU BUHARI, HIS IDEOLOGIES AND OUR EXPECTATION OF LEADERSHIP


Just like the great philosopher, James Allen, posits in that timeless essay, "As A Man Thinketh, So Is He", every man is a reflection of what he thinks; and what he thinks, he becomes. All of a person's actions and inactions are the fruits of his thinking. Furthermore, this thinking is anchored principally on his or her ideologies.

Millions of lives and livelihoods depend on the character, competence, altruism, ideology and integrity of the man or woman who sits in office as our president -- whatever their party affiliation maybe.



Nigerians, especially those who put their trust in the 'messiah' Buhari, in the hope for a life of eldorado, are left in serious bewilderment; with some wriggling in pain as to the kind of 'change' that he has brought on them. To make matters worse, after a failed Change in his first term, he has now taken Nigeria and Nigerians to the 'Next Level' of hell.


What manner of change has brought hyperinflation to the land? The ordinary or the poorest of the poor, as Mr Buhari labels them, still wonder how a man who claims to love them has allowed a bag of rice they bought N8k in 2015 to rise to N36k today. How did a sachet of Milo and Milk that he and his VP deceptively used for campaign in 2015 now sell for N150 today from N50? They wonder how pump price of Fuel has jumped from N85 in 2015 to N162 today. As a supposed progressive who he claimed he is, they are still wondering how N10k in their pockets in 2015 has 'progressed' to a value of about N3k today.


Whilst they were wondering, the man of 'integrity', the man who abhors corruption, the man who loves them, increased VAT by 50%, hiked electricity tariff by over 100% and imposed all manner of levies on financial transactions.



My message to Nigerians, in the words of Ngugi Wanthongio: "weep not child", because a leopard never changes its skin.


I have studied Buhari for some time now and can accurately predict his actions. I was once swayed by his well-groomed and packaged deceit. I took him to be a Spartan, an incorrigible and honest man. I was wrong! I was a core Buharist from 2007 to 2014 preaching his 'gospel' and getting backlashes from all angles. I stood firm. When he cried on National Television, professing his love for our nation, I cried with him. Thankfully, I could not be fooled for long.


What Ideologies guide the thinking, actions and inactions of the man, Buhari? Simple: Feudalism!


Feudalism is a political, economic and social system practised in medievial times. In feudalism, vassals and peasants lived in the farmlands of the nobles, working and giving back produce. Beyond these, they pay homage to the nobles in expectation of protection. In feudalism, the vast majority of the people MUST remain in abject poverty as to have the critical mass that would always bow and pay total allegiance to the nobles. In this practise, suffering and poverty is an acceptable way of life for the peasants; and the nobles must live in royalty and opulence.



In essence, feudalism is a modified practise of caste system. In this case, the poor live to serve the rich; as a result, must be made to remain poor. If Nigerians understand these facts, they will understand the man, Buhari, and begin to determine how to reclaim our today and future from his stone age ideologies.


In his first coming in 1983, Buhari gave us a taste of his innermost ideologies and unfortunately we still allowed him a second chance to accentuate it. Between 1976 and 1983, Nigeria's economy was booming with the attendant rise and uptick in the middle class population. Families and households began to enjoy enhanced standards of living; and society also began to upscale. As a child in the early 80s, I witnessed and experienced these upgrades. My father bought a brand new Peugeot 504 Station Wagon in 1982; at that same period, my mother's retail and distributorship business was booming.


In came Mr Buhari with his wicked anti-people policies and life as many families knew it collapsed. Many families could no longer afford the basics, even feeding became a problem. Buhari sent soldiers to breakdown and loot shops. I remember waking up one early morning by 5am and going to queue in front of Kingsway SuperStores in Enugu with my mother for groceries, which were now termed 'essential commodities'. For the first time as a child, I saw despondence and helplessness in my mother's face. Helplessness! How could she reconcile the fact that a few a months ago, the milk, sugar and 'Ovaltine' we were going to queue for were freely served in excess, and sometimes wasted on the family dining table?


That was the man, Buhari! Yes, this is the man, Buhari! That will always be the man, Buhari!


How did he intentionally make a majority of the people poor, and deliberately dismantle the middle class?


1) He changed our currency within a very short period, thus making many citizens lose humongous sums that couldn't be changed within the banking system.


2) He banned the importation of staples and basics without providing alternatives.


3) He closed our land borders and pitched us against our neighbors.


4) He heavily devalued the Naira.


Fast forward to his present coming and ask yourself if anything has changed. His ideology is about creating a critical mass of the poor, dismantling the middle class whilst deceiving the people.


How else would you describe a leader who, in the face of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in massive job losses and highly diminished incomes for households, would approve almost a 100% hike in electricity tariff and increment in pump price of fuel? This is in addition to the 50% VAT increase earlier in the year. In his feudalistic ideology, the citizens are the vassals and peasants; and should be taxed to fund the lifestyles of the nobles like him.


This ideology is exactly while he would lockdown the country, but allow his wife and daughter travel to the UAE to undertake shoppings for a royal wedding. All in the same week he imposed this increases on the 'peasants'! To him, he is a noble and the rest of Nigerians are peasants. The same thinking would make him feel no remorse when an Al Jazeria journalist asked him why he stopped the deposit and transfer of forex in 2015, and how it would affect students studying abroad whilst children like his will have no problems. He smiled and answered, "It's tough luck! Those who can afford it, can have it." Exactly while he would ceaselessly embark on medical tourism abroad, but still look us in the face and condemn the same act. He is nobility and can't be judged on the same score with peasants and vassals.



This same thinking made him go to Benue or Maidugiri in the heat of incessant attacks by terrorists and make them feel they are privileged to even have him visit them. The same reason he would be smiling in the face of thousands of his country men and women killed by bandits as he responds to questions from journalists.


Buhari, the noble, finds it very belittling to be talking directly to his peasant citizens; and chooses rather to have the King's spokesmen always release senseless and emotionless statements -even on burning national issues. What more? He doesn't care any less if we accept or believe whatever they release! It is still exactly the same reason why he doesn't deem it fit to address Nigerians on the hikes in electricity tariffs and pump price of fuel at such a difficult time, but would rather jet out to Niger Republic and address his fellow nobles on mundane issues of political power.


When Buhari says he would take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years, in his heart he meant the opposite. His plan is to take 100 million Nigerians into poverty; and we can all see as his plans are unfolded in bits. Under his watch, Nigeria has attained to the unenviable title of the poverty capital of the world? What other proofs do you need to understand the goals of Buhari? It would do Nigerians a lot of good to glean into the mind and ideologies that guide Mr Buhari to be able to withstand the shocks of his ill winds.



Unfortunately, for the sake of selfish and personal ambitions, ethnic and primordial sentiments, supposed progressives and urbane men like Bola Tinubu and Yemi Osinbajo joined forces with a feudalist; and have since given traction to his retrogressive and anti-people policies. As civility demands, and as people who are observing table manners on the King's dining table, they can't talk whilst they are eating. Their mouths are filled, and our Senior Pastor would look Nigerians in the face and force us to admit that our lives are better today than it was 5 years ago. How exactly? How are our lives better?


1) Unemployment has soared from about 8% in 2015 to almost 29% today.

2) Inflation, especially food inflation, has topped over 200% from 2015.


It is only an evil man that will destroy your life and force you to accept that you are faring better.



The worst attributes of feudalism is the belief that the peasants and vassals must not have a voice. They must endure their sufferings and poverty in dignified silence, accepting it as their lot and position in life. The peasants should enjoy glitz, glamour and royal opulence, only from those oozing from the courtyards of the nobles in pictures and videos; whilst they languish in actual desolation. This is the reasoning behind the recent Executive enactment of the Hate Speech Bill. This is also why we cannot gather as citizens to protest any negative actions of Buhari's government. How dare you mere mortals, peasants and vassals question the decisions of the nobles? Yours is to obey all the commands of the 'gods'.



However forlorn the situation might be, man is like all creations of the Almighty God. All beings will have their own time in power; and, ultimately, their own time on Earth. They can decide how they use both power and time; but, will surely account for their deeds.



Let us not despair, for even Buhari's time too shall pass!



Author
Engr Uchenna Alban Ekechukwu
BEng, MBA
Management Consultant and Public Affairs Analyst
uchennaekechukwu5@gmail.com

Good read. But the truth be told my brother, I'm not sure I'm expecting any significant changes from any Nigerian politician. Period!

The don't have me in their plan

Kudos to the writer. Anonimi, pls we need that meme. Hopeless religious bigot. A Leopard never changes.

Summary pls

My only problem is that the same mistake will repeat itself in 2023.

People will rather vote based on ethnicity and religious sentiments rather than ability to deliver promises

What about vote buying for paltry sums? Won't that still be the case in 2023?

I doubt if the masses are really ready for a change.

These politicians use the poverty situation in the country to buy the conscience of Nigerians during election periods but fail to deliver on their promises

Leave vp and tinubu out of it then your write up would make an absolute senses...

Playing tribalism cannot help solve the issue of fuedalism cos that's their main power ( divide and rule)


Comdem Bihari in its whole and entirety


We sensible Nigerians are closely watching the game from a different angle, we can't be deceived again.

updatechange:
Leave vp and tinubu out of it then your write up would make an absolute senses...

Playing tribalism cannot help solve the issue of fuedalism cos that's their main power ( divide and rule)


Comdem Bihari in its whole and entirety


We sensible Nigerians are closely watching the game from a different angle, we can't be deceived again.

How do you mean he should leave VP and tinubu out of the issue? Are they not members of the same party, running the govt together?

Anyway the wise have got the message from the article!

You can continue to deceive your zombies!

GoodofNaija:


How do you mean he should leave VP and tinubu out of the issue? Are they not members of the same party, running the govt together?

Anyway the wise have got the message from the article!

You can continue to deceive your zombies!

True talk.

How can someone be wailing about someone for almost 8yrs beat my imagination.

God should not allow me to wail cuz of someone for 8yrs either senseless or meaningful.

GoodofNaija:


How do you mean he should leave VP and tinubu out of the issue? Are they not members of the same party, running the govt together?

Anyway the wise have got the message from the article!

You can continue to deceive your zombies!

Hello! Tinubu is not the president and everyone knows that should the VP attains that level the there will be a game change as clearly this government belongs to buhari and his agenda which is far from the west.

In his first coming in 1983, Buhari gave us a taste of his innermost ideologies and unfortunately we still allowed him a second chance to accentuate it.

This is the grave reality Nigerians have to accept.My bosom friend was lamenting the same thing since 2015 after rooting for this unmitigated disaster as the messiah
Helinues I also told you same thing but you keep mistaking it for God knows what.

This is another Igbo brother who choose to remain a zombies despite know the Buhari of 1980s.IBB & co removed him in 1985 because they knew the evil that he is but myopic Indomie generation wanted Change blindly.

updatechange:




Hello! Tinubu is not the president and everyone knows that should the VP attains that level the there will be a game change as clearly this government belongs to buhari and his agenda which is far from the west.

Be deceiving yourself!

Buhari have failed in all ramification.

Racoon:

This is the grave reality Nigerians have to accept.My bosom friend was lamenting the same thing since 2015 after rooting for this unmitigated disaster as the messiah
Helinues I also told you same thing but you keep mistaking it for God knows what.

This is another Igbo brother who choose to remain a zombies despite know the Buhari of 1980s.IBB & co removed him in 1985 because they knew the evil that he is but myopic Indomie generation wanted Change blindly.

3 more years of wailing..

Tell us your personal experience with Buhari instead .. What exactly did he do to you?

GoodofNaija:


Be deceiving yourself!

U watch out!

GoodofNaija:


How do you mean he should leave VP and tinubu out of the issue? Are they not members of the same party, running the govt together?

Anyway the wise have got the message from the article!

You can continue to deceive your zombies!

Can you see you're not smart enough to hide your bigotry against Yorubas? What power does the VP have in our Presidential system of governance?

Is Osinbajo the head of the executive arm of Governance? Should he usurp the powers of the President when he suggests initiatives that are brushed aside or ignored by the head of the executive arm?

As for Tinubu, what executive or legislative power does he have in Buhari's Government? Is Tinubu the only APC member you know to attach blame to? What of Ogbonaya Onu, Ken Nnamani etal? Only God can cure you people of your open bigotry against Yorubas.