Here is the text of Buhari's speech broadcast after the coup of 1983. It was made about 28 years ago but still remains relevant to our times.

FIRST POST-COUP BROADCAST OF GENERAL MOHAMMED BUHARI -1984

In pursuance of the primary objective of saving our great nation from total collapse, I, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari of the Nigerian army have, after due consultation amongst the services of the armed forces, been formally invested with the authority of the Head of the Federal Military Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is with humility and a deep sense of responsibility that I accept this challenge and call to national duty.
As you must have heard in the previous announcement, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1979) has been suspended, except those sections of it which are exempted in the constitution.The change became necessary in order to put an end to the serious economic predicament and the crisis of confidence now afflicting our nation.
Consequently, the Nigerian armed forces have constituted themselves into a Federal Military Government comprising of a Supreme Military Council, a National Council of States, a Federal Executive Council at the centre and State Executive Councils to be presided over by military governors in each of the states of the federation. Members of these councils will be announced soon.The last Federal Military Government drew up a programme with the aim of handing over political power to the civilians in 1979. This programme as you all know, was implemented to the letter. The 1979 constitution was promulgated. However, little did the military realise that the political leadership of the second republic will circumvent most of the checks and balances in the constitution and bring the present state of general insecurity. The premium on political power became so exceedingly high that political contestants regarded victory at elections as a matter of life and death struggle and were determined to capture or retain power by all means.
It is true that there is a worldwide economic recession. However, in the case of Nigeria, its impact was aggravated by mismanagement. We believe the appropriate government agencies have good advice but the leadership disregarded their advice. The situation could have been avoided if the legislators were alive to their constitutional responsibilities; Instead, the legislators were preoccupied with determining their salary scales, fringe benefit and unnecessary foreign travels, et al, which took no account of the state of the economy and the welfare of the people they represented. As a result of our inability to cultivate financial discipline and prudent management of the economy, we have come to depend largely on internal and external borrowing to execute government projects with attendant domestic pressure and soaring external debts, thus aggravating the propensity of the outgoing civilian administration to mismanage our financial resources. Nigeria was already condemned perpetually with the twin problem of heavy budget deficits and weak balance of payments position, with the prospect of building a virile and viable economy.
The last general election was anything but free and fair. The only political parties that could complain of election rigging are those parties that lacked the resources to rig. There is ample evidence that rigging and thuggery were relative to the resources available to the parties. This conclusively proved to us that the parties have not developed confidence in the presidential system of government on which the nation invested so much material and human resources.While corruption and indiscipline have been associated with our state of under-development, these two evils in our body politic have attained unprecedented height in the past few years. The corrupt, inept and insensitive leadership in the last four years has been the source of immorality and impropriety in our society. Since what happens in any society is largely a reflection of the leadership of that society, we deplore corruption in all its facets. This government will not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of contracts and over-invoicing of imports etc. Nor will it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement, misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in foreign exchange and smuggling.
Arson has been used to cover up fraudulent acts in public institutions. I am referring to the fire incidents that gutted the P&T buildings in Lagos, the Anambra State Broadcasting Corporation, the Republic Building at Marina, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Capital Development Authority Accounts at Abuja and the NET Building. Most of these fire incidents occurred at a time when Nigerians were being apprehensive of the frequency of fraud scandals and the government incapacity to deal with them. Corruption has become so pervasive and intractable that a whole ministry has been created to stem it. Fellow Nigerians, this indeed is the moment of truth. My colleagues and I ¨C the Supreme Military Council, must be frank enough to acknowledge the fact that at the moment, an accurate picture of the financial position is yet to be determined. We have no doubt that the situation is bad enough. In spite of all this, every effort will be made to ensure that the difficult and degrading conditions under which we are living are eliminated. Let no one however be deceived that workers who have not received their salaries in the past eight or so months will receive such salaries within today or tomorrow or that hospitals which have been without drugs for months will be provided with enough immediately.We are determined that with the help of God we shall do our best to settle genuine payments to which government is committed, including backlog of workers¡¯ salaries after scrutiny. We are confident and we assure you that even in the face of the global recession, and the seemingly gloomy financial future, given prudent management of Nigeria¡¯s existing financial resources and our determination to substantially reduce and eventually nail down rises in budgetary deficits and weak balance of payments position.The Federal Military Government will reappraise policies with a view to paying greater attention to the following areas:
¡öThe economy will be given a new impetus and better sense of direction. ¡öCorrupt officials and their agents will be brought to book. ¡öIn view of the drought that affected most parts of the country, the federal government will, with the available resources, import food stuffs to supplement the shortfalls suffered in the last harvest. Our foreign policy will both be dynamic and realistic. Africa will of course continue to be the centre piece of our foreign policy. The morale and combat readiness of the armed forces will be given high priority. Officers and men with high personal and professional integrity will have nothing to fear.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other holders of judiciary appointments within the federation can continue in their appointments and the judiciary shall continue to function under existing laws subject to such exceptions as may e decreed from time to time by the Federal Military Government. All holders of appointments in the civil service, the police and the National Security Organisation shall continue to exercise their functions in the normal way subject to changes that may be introduced by the Federal Military Government. All those chairmen and members of statutory corporations, parastatals and other executive departments are hereby relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.
The Federal Military Government will maintain and strengthen existing diplomatic relations with other states and with international organisations and institutions such as the Organisation of African Unity, the United Nations and its organs, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth etc. The Federal Military Government will honour and respect all treaties and obligations entered into by the previous government and we hope that such nations and bodies will reciprocate this gesture by respecting our country¡¯s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Fellow Nigerians, finally, we have dutifully intervened to save this nation from imminent collapse. We therefore expect all Nigerians, including those who participated directly or indirectly in bringing the nation to this present predicament, to cooperate with us. This generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together. May God bless us all. Good morning.

It was a coup he did not actively participate in but was vested with the authority to turn around the fortunes of our dear Nation. That speaks volumes for itself.

Actually in 1984 when Buhari took power, inflation was 39% and he brought it down to 4%

Buhari refused to dance to tune of IMF and Britain who were accustomed to controlling and using past corrupt leaders, and I am convinced that the UK sponsored Babangida (IBB) , to overthrow him.

IBB and Obj are western stooges and are not loyal to Nigeria, but to their western (white man) masters.

Yusufi:


The principal achievements of his government in 18 months among others include:


1. It instituted the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) to stem corruption which was a 100% success

2. The administration reduced the inflation rate in the economy from 23% to 4%

3. It supervised and oversaw the birth of ALL the existing refineries in the country

My fellow Nigerians, I implore you to make the right choice for your children's sake

9ijaMan:

If you are claiming to be an advocate of freedom, how come you are against the majority of those states who out of their free will and the freedom of expression have decided to live under a sharia law? I hope you would not be describing freedom from your own point of view only. It is the same freedom you want that those living under Sharia law are exploiting.

I acknowledge your concern about how proponents of Sharia should be given their "freedom" to practice Sharia law, but as a practical matter, a society that wants freedom should not support Sharia law. Proponents of Sharia law, especially those in the West, always want to claim that denying them the ability to practice Sharia infringes on their freedom, but the doctrines of Sharia itself does not espouse freedom. Sharia and freedom is like oil and water; it cannot coexist. And their teachings often offend the notions of freedom found in the same Constitution.

1) You do not have the freedom to drink alcohol under Sharia law.
2) Women have lesser rights under Sharia law than men. Women are not allowed to marry nonmuslims, while men can marry nonmuslims.  Women must cover their bodies and faces like masquerades. Such forcing infringes women's right to choose whether they should cover their faces or not. In short Sharia espouses male supremacy.
3) Under Sharia law, any form of music or teachings that is deemed offensive to Islam is banned. You have no freedom to criticize Islamic religion or Sharia. Remember when Sharia proponents caused the Miss World competition to be moved away from Nigeria.

Nigerian constitution guarantees the freedom to speak and express your ideas, but recently, a Sharia court in Nigeria issued an order permanently forbidding a group from holding a twitter debate about whether amputation is a good from of punishment. That ruling is offensive to freedom and contradicts Nigeria's constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression. I can go on and on, but you get the gist why a society that is encouraging freedom cannot allow Sharia law. Just take a look at the other countries that practice Sharia law and tell me whether and see how their freedom is severely restrained.

@ PrinceK14
I acknowledge your concern about how proponents of Sharia should be given their "freedom" to practice Sharia law, but as a practical matter, a society that wants freedom should not support Sharia law. Proponents of Sharia law, especially those in the West, always want to claim that denying them the ability to practice Sharia infringes on their freedom, but the doctrines of Sharia itself does not espouse freedom. Sharia and freedom is like oil and water; it cannot coexist. And their teachings often offend the notions of freedom found in the same Constitution.

Even within the context of man-made constitution, there is no such thing as absolute freedom. Ask the legal practitioners. They know best. What I find unacceptable is for the rights and freedom of others to be denied for fear of others loosing their freedom. That is absurd and the highest point of human rights abuse.

Yusufi:

Even within the context of man-made constitution, there is no such thing as absolute freedom. Ask the legal practitioners. They know best. What I find unacceptable is for the rights and freedom of others to be denied for fear of others loosing their freedom. That is absurd and the highest point of human rights abuse.

I never said there is such thing as absolute freedom. For example, you do not have the freedom to take another person's life without justification. But there is such thing as basic freedom, such as the right to speak or criticize a belief and speak your thoughts and the freedom to choose whether to cover or open your face. Sharia law forces women to do many things. There is no freedom for women under Sharia law. A sharia law banned a twitter debate about Sharia punishment. A society that promotes the exchange of ideas cannot do well under Sharia law. My main point, nonetheless, is that our Constitution promotes exchange of ideas and, in the same breath, allows for the establishment of Sharia law in some States. As usual, in Nigeria, people do not think things through, because the same Nigerian Constitution that is allowing freedom of ideas is also allowing Sharia law that cherry picks  and arguably against the freedom of ideas. Hence you have contradiction and chaos, which is why Nigeria is messed up. Nigeria has to choose whether she wants to be like Iran or Saudi or a country that is progressive and encourages freedom like the U.S. We have to live by one idea.

So if, for example, the Nigerian Constitution allows you to hold a debate about amputation, and a Sharia Court in Kano orders that you not to hold that debate about amputation, which law prevails? Common sense will suggest that the Constitution should prevail since that Sharia order infringes on a fundamental right afforded by the Constitution, so why even allow the Sharia law that offends the Constitution in the first place? And even worse why does the same Constitution expressly allow it.
The Nigerian Constitution should have severed every part of the Sharia law that infringes on a Constitutional guarantee or included a provisio that forbids any part of the Sharia law contradicting the same Constitution, which will reduce Sharia law to our regular common law and there would be no need for it. But no, the North is doing its thing, and other parts of the country are doing their thing; So you get the gist why Nigeria is a phucked up country. It will be the equivalent of the U.S. Constitution, which the Nigerian Constitution was modeled after, adopting Sharia law. Funny, right? If Nigeria wanted to be a Sharia country they should have modeled their Constitution after Iran or Saudi Arabia's constitution.

The legal effect of Nigeria's Constitution is that it somewhat allows two Constitutions in one, primarily a free Constitution modeled after that of the United States, and the right for States to adopt a Sharia system like Iran, whose principles contradict the principles of the free Constitution. I know it sounds like a dumb move, right! That is Nigeria for you, my brothers and my sisters. Thirteen states, I believe have adopted Sharia law.

Moreover, the freedom of religion is guaranteed to individuals, not to states, and any civilized society knows that there should be an anti-establishment clause that prohibits the State from establishing any religion. That is the principle of separation of religion from the state. Imagine if every state wanted to create its own religious court, which will be a recipe for anarchy. But as usual, the drafters of the Constitution are probably dumb folks who put religious interests ahead of national interests, and have refused to separate government from religion. The establishment of a Sharia court should be unconstitutional.

To those saying Buhari will introduce SHARIA LAW.

I have this for you. 12years under PDPRULE without SHARIA can never, i repeat CAN NEVER BE BETTER THAN 4 years of BUHARI LEADERSHIP. PDP's 12years of misrule failed when compared to BUHARI's GLORIOUS military rule.

We BUHARI FANS prefer a BUHARI SHARIA to a GEJ PDP

                              [size=18pt]VOTE BUHARI BAKARI FOR PRESIDENT 2011[/size]

heilige:

                                       To those saying Buhari will introduce SHARIA LAW.

I have this for you. 12years under PDPRULE without SHARIA can never, i repeat CAN NEVER BE BETTER THAN 4 years of BUHARI LEADERSHIP.
PDP's 12years of misrule failed when compared with BUHARI's military rule.

We BUHARI FANS prefer a BUHARI SHARIA to a GEJ PDP

                              [size=18pt]VOTE BUHARI BAKARI FOR PRESIDENT 2011[/size]

Sharia already exists in Nigeria, and 12 or 13 states (all Northern states) have adopted it. The Nigerian Constitution allows Sharia law, so Buhari will not be the one to introduce it. People are just curious as to his views about Sharia, and whether he wants Sharia law to be the law of the land, or whether he wants to make Nigeria an Islamic country like Iran or Saudi. Right now, Sharia law is optional, and States can adopt it if they choose to.

Guys,
You can donate to the BB campaign by sending an SMS to the short code 33724. Available only on Etisalat for now, and should be available on all networks before the week runs out.
SMS is charged at N100, I believe.

Truth is GEJ will win this election even if it is free and fair. AC combining with CPC would have been GEJ's only obstacle. PDP has strong political structures which count a lot in a non-idealistic state like Nigeria. If u must know people vote for parties not candidates. The political structure of a party is the most important factor in Nigerian elections.

BB became very popular recently, no thanks to the incessant faux- pas by GEJ (i am almost believing that the guy is really clueless) but that popularity does not transcend the online/nairaland/disapora population, or at best, the young educated population. The aforementioned bloc accounts for less than 10% of the voting population. In my village and most surrounding villages, all the people know is just Umblerra despite the fact that Adams Oshiomole is the governor.

BB needs to intensify campaign in the west at the grassroot level like they are doing in the north. The north doesnt need more campaign as they usually vote to religious and tribal affiliations (BB's best weapon there). No need pushing too much in the north as it creates the impression that the south i irrelevant especially from a man who said "Muslims should only vote for muslims" in 2003. Buhari needs to remove any sectional tendencies lingering in people's minds about him. As at today, GEJ (better PDP as GEJ is really nothing woithout the party) will still win the elections.

Ribadu, however doesnt hurt BB as much as peeps would like to think cos though he takes some of buhari's vote in the north, he takes even more of GEJ's votes in the south, especially south-west (Political structure of AC and Tinubu). Buhari is really a loner as his name and personality is all he has.

Buhari strong points are that even his critics know his zero tolerance for corruption and that the north would likely vote on religious grounds.
Bakare's controversial nature does him little good as even south-west pentecostals are not really in support of him.

^ Correct.

But in a way, Buhari's strong "anti-corruption" point could also become his weak point!

@Princek12

The Nigerian Constitution should have severed every part of the Sharia law that infringes on a Constitutional guarantee or included a provisio that forbids any part of the Sharia law contradicting the same Constitution, which will reduce Sharia law to our regular common law and there would be no need for it.

The Constitution of every Country in the world is largely derived from the norms and customs of the respective society it is intended to serve. No Constitution was drafted out of mere imagination or nothing.  NORMS AND CUSTOMS DETERMINE THE CONSTITUTION and not the Other way. I suggest you update yourself with respect to the basics of Constitutional Law.

Princek12
Posts: 2024

Offline
I am not saying he instituted it; I said whether he is an advocate of Sharia. You don't have to institute Sharia to be an advocate of Sharia. Katsina is one of the states that has Sharia courts, and I am still appalled that a Nigerian Constitution that supposedly espouses freedom expressly empowers States to create Sharia courts as they deem fit. Sharia as we all know it is antithetical to freedom. I am just calling a spade a spade.

I still think you are asking the wrong question here.  For instance, as a Christian, I can tell you that I do believe what is written in the Bible that sin is abomination to God. Knowing this would you then conclude that I believe sinners ought to be stoned? or that I would move thousands of miles away from those I consider sinners whose sins are worse than I? I would think not. Especially since I rarely ever bring my religious belief up in discussions, neither do I try to impose it on others.

The point again is, the man never had a hand in the instituting of this act. Sharia has been in Nigeria since we can remember -- it existed in much the same way traditional religions have in the country for as far back as we can tell. However, the instituting of it is what brought on the new wave of human rights abuses we have seen in the past 12 years. It was made a part of our constitution in 1999, and so essentially placing the few above the majority, which should not be, and Buhari, Ribadua/Shekarau/Tinubu, did not do that. The two Christian President's we have so far had knew well of the situation but chose to allow it, and turn a blind eye. Do you then expect a Muslim to come in and say it is wrong? I would think not. But the first issue is the current government helped to push for it.

So, for that constitution to be amended, it is not the person who sits in the executive arm we must first worry about but those who we elect to the executive arm. We need for them to come in to find a way to remove that from our constitution so the barbaric nonsense does not continue.

Yusufi:

@Princek12

The Constitution of every Country in the world is largely derived from the norms and customs of the respective society it is intended to serve. No Constitution was drafted out of mere imagination or nothing.  NORMS AND CUSTOMS DETERMINE THE CONSTITUTION and not the Other way. I suggest you update yourself with respect to the basics of Constitutional Law.

I agree with you 100%, that norms and customs of that country determine the Constitution. So the question is whose norms and  customs should we allow to determine our Constitution? An that every Constitution has a basic principle, and should not contradict itself. If you stand for freedom, then make a Constitution that supports freedom. It is a recipe for chaos to have a constitution that treats like citizens differently. If the norms and customs of Northerners is to have their hands cut off for stealing a cow or to restrict the freedom of women then maybe Nigeria should separate and they should make their own constitution. But it is irrational to have a Nigerian Constitution that contradicts itself, it promotes freedom and allows Sharia law that restricts the same freedom it promotes. How do you reconcile that?

so whose norms and customs is the Nigerian constitution designed to serve? And why have a constitution that contradicts itself? And why does the Constitution empower the State to establish an Islamic state within a country, which contradicts the customary law of the land? And does this Sharia Court's ruling supplant the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria? How are Christians supposed to be treated in a Sharia state like Kano, and how will my fundamental constitutional right be protected  in a Sharia state like Kano?

Why does the Nigerian Constitution provides for one thing, and why does that same Constitution provide for the establishment of Sharia laws that same Constitution? Why do you  have a system that supports two sets of laws that contradict each other.

You guys are forgetting that also recently many Nollywood actors could not even shoot their movie in a Sharia state in the North. The country is phucked up, mehn!

Yusufi:

@Princek12

The Constitution of every Country in the world is largely derived from the norms and customs of the respective society it is intended to serve. No Constitution was drafted out of mere imagination or nothing.  NORMS AND CUSTOMS DETERMINE THE CONSTITUTION and not the Other way. I suggest you update yourself with respect to the basics of Constitutional Law.

I agree with you 100%, that norms and customs of that country determine the Constitution. So the question is whose norms and  customs should we allow to determine our Constitution? An that every Constitution has a basic principle, and should not contradict itself. If you stand for freedom, then make a Constitution that supports freedom. It is a recipe for chaos to have a constitution that treats like citizens differently. If the norms and customs of Northerners is to have their hands cut off for stealing a cow or to restrict the freedom of women then maybe Nigeria should separate and they should make their own constitution. But it is irrational to have a Nigerian Constitution that contradicts itself; it promotes freedom and allows Sharia law that restricts the same freedom it promotes. How do you reconcile that?

so whose norms and customs is the Nigerian constitution designed to serve? And why have a constitution that contradicts itself? And why does the Constitution empower the State to establish an Islamic state within a country, which contradicts the customary law of the land? And does this Sharia Court's ruling supplant the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria? How are Christians supposed to be treated in a Sharia state like Kano, and how will my fundamental constitutional right be protected  in a Sharia state like Kano?

Why does the Nigerian Constitution provides for one thing, and why does that same Constitution provide for the establishment of Sharia laws that same Constitution? Why do you  have a system that supports two sets of laws that contradict each other.

You guys are forgetting that also recently many Nollywood actors could not even shoot their movie in a Sharia state in the North. The country is phucked up, mehn!

[center]The New Dawn is here.[/center]
They claimed they will govern us for 60 years; that we will never be able to defeat them. Lately, they dreamt of 200 additional years of their continuous misrule.

They have ruined our land; our youths are lavishing without jobs. Our infrastructure is worse than they met it. Our external reserves and every other national savings have gone; they have further mortgaged our tomorrow with massive internal and external borrowing, in order to sustain their gluttony, despite the accrued trillions of the last oil boom. Our economy is on autopilot; our education has been debased; our land stinks of corruption and indiscipline of unimaginable proportion. Our masses are hopelessly hungry while the few office looters among us gloat in the midst of stolen wealth. Morals, intelligent, innovation and inventiveness have taken the backseat in our land, while crude power and stinking wealth are being worshiped.

G34 began as an honourable group that championed our course. They sought for the good of our people; they gave birth to PDP as a party. But the party has been hijacked by the inept office looters among us. These gangsters masquerading under PDP has destroyed our land. They have stolen all our money and have emptied our national treasury. Our land bleeds; our blood is dripping. Our lives are at stake; our future has been compromised. They consecutively rigged our elections in 2003 and 2007. They destroyed our electoral process as a result; they destroyed our judiciary as a consequence. Our nation Psyche has been bruised; our national cohesion is threatened. Our life and peaceful coexistence is in danger. This group of dishonourable, uninformed, uneducated, and uncultured men in power – called PDP – has proved they cannot be trusted with our future.

This we know. This we have since realised. We said so with our votes in 2003 until they rigged our election. We trooped out to cleanse our land in 2007 and they rigged again. The judiciary was brave enough and contemplated putting an end to their rigging of 2007 until the very money stolen from us was used to bribe the ignoble man of the bench. Those that honour called refused the acts of heroism for a slice of bread. Our men of justice were further compromised. Thanks to Wiki leaks; thanks to the progressive forces from the civilized part of the world; we can live to tell the forces that held back our dawn from among the bench.

But today we know better. Today our God lives. Today we have a Professor Jega that has given all the promises. Today we have a Jega that has done all the home work. We know there are still some crooks at the corridors of INEC. We know them by their names; we know them from their offices. We know them from their dirty past; we know them by their secret doings. We have, and will continue to expose them.

We are also aware of the police chief that was appointed to help repeat the electoral manipulations of 2003 and 2007. We know his past – the hatchet man job he executed against Alams; the forced and arranged impeachment with the subsequent premeditated arrest and prosecution. We know him as the commissioner of police in charge of Bayelsa State then. We know he masterminded the failure of the police force in the East as the AIG in-charge of zone 9 in Umuahia. We know he supervised the peak of kidnapping and armed robbery in the East. We know he was honoured with the top job even when he failed as an AIG, even when he has no outstanding academic or on-the-job performance record.

We have seen, he is very much at his “hatchet man job” again. When Buhari went to Niger state for campaign, they tried to stop him; when he went to Ibadan they locked him out. When it was the turn of Jos, stopping him was not enough; they went ahead to supervise the death of his supporters. ACN suffered same fate in Benue; they had a worse fate in Akwa Ibom. ANPP has same tale to tell from Ebonyi. It is all about a well planned manipulation that has refused to work. Their plans have failed to click. They underestimated the will of the Nigerian people. They took us for fools, which we are not.


We are certain our free and fair elections have come to be. We are sure the Judgment day has come. They never expected it so soon because they are fools. They are unintelligent and lack the capacity to see tomorrow. They live and wallow on the immediacy; they live and die on greed and instincts as the beast of the earth.

At their last rally on 26th March – a gathering that they should have used to tell us why they need our votes – they choose to further their lies. All the appointed governors of theirs who have never won a free and fair election (including those that are waiting to be appointed) choose to promise votes they do not have. They swore to their “packaged messiah” that they have guarantees for our votes. Their BABA, their mentor – a man that know how not to win an election, a master rigger, a master destroyer, a tamed bull whose horns have been cut off; in the very first of his lamentations (a sign of things to come) offered to die to cleanse our land.

He had eight years to save our land but chose to be selfish. We did not ask for his blood, even his sweat he lacked the sincerity to give freely; we only wanted good governance. We ask only for our God-given right for a better life, which he refused. He was supposed to have been reformed from prison; but he dumped his Bible after tasting power. He maimed us. He bulldozed his ways.

Today he is out of power; today we know better. If dying for our nation is all that it takes to atone for his sins, we welcome it. If that is what it takes to cleanse our land, let it be. If we are to be as crude as he is, we would have accepted this. But we will not, for we are true Christians and Muslims; we will not, because we are civilized. We hold human life, no matter how misguided, sacred. We will rather demand that he return the entire fund that he and his cronies looted. We demand that he account for the $16b that disappeared down the drain in search of light that never be, as a start.

We have always known – as they are just coming to realise – that their last day in power is at hand. We have always known PDP with all its evil will die a natural death sooner than later.

We will meet them on the Election Day. We will defeat them. Come rain come sunshine, we will troop out en-mass to sign the death warrant to the enemies of the fatherland with our votes. They will try to intimidate us; they will lock our leaders up; they will kill and maim us; but in few days time, we will take back the authority in our land.
Come May 29, we will swear in our true leader who will supervise the cleansing of our land. Come May 29, we will begin to pass judgment on all agents of backwardness that have held back our new dawn for so long; we will empty our prisons of all men of valour who fought on the side of truth and reason. Come May 29, our prisons will take it rightful position as a place to warehouse all those that killed and maimed my people. It will warehouse all those who looted our treasury.

I see our new dawn on the horizon as it breaks through the sky. Open your minds Oh men of goodwill; look ahead, Oh future leaders of my land – the saviours of the fatherland – and behold our new dawn

@PrinceK12

I agree with you 100%, that norms and customs of that country determine the Constitution. So the question is whose norms and  customs should we allow to determine our Constitution? An that every Constitution has a basic principle, and should not contradict itself. If you stand for freedom, then make a Constitution that supports freedom. It is a recipe for chaos to have a constitution that treats like citizens differently. If the norms and customs of Northerners is to have their hands cut off for stealing a cow or to restrict the freedom of women then maybe Nigeria should separate and they should make their own constitution. But it is irrational to have a Nigerian Constitution that contradicts itself; it promotes freedom and allows Sharia law that restricts the same freedom it promotes. How do you reconcile that?

so whose norms and customs is the Nigerian constitution designed to serve? And why have a constitution that contradicts itself? And why does the Constitution empower the State to establish an Islamic state within a country, which contradicts the customary law of the land? And does this Sharia Court's ruling supplant the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria? How are Christians supposed to be treated in a Sharia state like Kano, and how will my fundamental constitutional right be protected  in a Sharia state like Kano?

Why does the Nigerian Constitution provides for one thing, and why does that same Constitution provide for the establishment of Sharia laws that same Constitution? Why do you  have a system that supports two sets of laws that contradict each other.

You guys are forgetting that also recently many Nollywood actors could not even shoot their movie in a Sharia state in the North. The country is phucked up, mehn!

Firstly, you need to understand that all made-man laws just as with any Constitution are far from perfect and are in certain instances contradictory. NO CONSTITUTION IN the world so far its man-made is devoid of errors such as contradictions, omissions and ambiguities. The Constitution is supposed to at least accommodate the norms and customs of the most dominant cultures in the country. You could take that to mean Hausa, Ibo & Yoruba. In other words, the Constitution is supposed to harmonize the complexities of these dominant customs to produce a general guideline for compliance by all. The truth is that it is humanly  impossible to perfectly  harmonize all these customary complexities in such a manner that would be acceptable to all. Also, Shariah law is not binding on non-muslims because no one would cut-off the hands of a non-muslim even if he's found guilty of stealing within a sharia-enforced state.

@PrinceK12,
I'm just wondering what part of Sharia that you may have come across makes you feel it does not encourage freedom? Have you made any effort in whatever form to read through the norms of Shari law? From your posts so far, I'm certain you have little or no knowledge about the issue you have consistently tried to argue against. I'll implore you to make an effort to read about the law and then come back to discuss the areas you disagree with.

Yusufi:

Here is the text of Buhari's speech broadcast after the coup of 1983. It was made about 28 years ago but still remains relevant to our times.

It is baseless and meaningless. We need a Man of great intelligence and dignity to lead us. It is not by dropping military uniform and becoming civilian. What did hedo when he was opportuned. Power should not be abused in this democratic era. Who does this Cap fit? GEJ and only GEJ. LOL

Asobank:

It is baseless and meaningless. We need a Man of great intelligence and dignity to lead us. It is not by dropping military uniform and becoming civilian. What did hedo when he was opportuned. Power should not be abused in this democratic era. Who does this Cap fit? GEJ and only GEJ. LOL

Would you be sincerely ready to pray to God to direct your life the way GEJ directed the affairs of his state, Bayelsa? Perhaps I should add that: God in His infinite Mercy should run your life the way GEJ and PDP have ran Nigeria in the last 12 years. Can someone say amen?

pls can some send the mp3 version of the campaign jingle 2 my email, ballee4real@yahoo.com.

download and install the free version of real player (www.real.com). Use the player to download the jingle and convert to the MP3 format or any other available format.

Visit www.takeastand.com.ng to take a stand publicly for the candidate you will be voting for in the upcoming elections. Over 700 Nigerians have Taken a stand so far! Buhari is in the lead.

What is there to cry for wen politics is not politics in Nigeria, killing every where cus of politics, Buhari just want to test the sit once more thats all, we will suffer when wen he gets there, but sha make God give am chance make we see the kind of leader hin go be.

9ijaMan:

@PrinceK12,
I'm just wondering what part of Sharia that you may have come across makes you feel it does not encourage freedom? Have you made any effort in whatever form to read through the norms of Shari law? From your posts so far, I'm certain you have little or no knowledge about the issue you have consistently tried to argue against. I'll implore you to make an effort to read about the law and then come back to discuss the areas you disagree with.

1) Women do not have the freedom to open their faces and their bodies; they are forced to do it according to Sharia law.


2) You do not have the freedom to hold a discussion that some may "deem" offensive to Sharia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8584707.stm
3) Women do not have the freedom to marry nonmuslims; men, on the other hand, can marry non muslims

4) you do not have the freedom to drink alcohol -- Kano has a statewide ban on the consumption of alcohol. there have been numerous reports of Hisbah (Sharia police in Kano) attacking and killing drivers of trucks transporting alcohol in Kano.

5) you do not have the freedom to sing any secular music or hold an event offensive to Sharia. --remember when Sharia proponents chased the Miss World contest out of Nigeria because, according to them, women walking in bathing suits offends Sharia.


7) women do not have the freedom to have sex outside of wedlock; if they do so, they are punishable by death. Many many times are not even allowed to drive; they cannot do things without their husbands' approval; they are pretty much slaves to the men without rights.

there is really no freedom of the press under Sharia. In 2002, a reporter published an  article that the Sharia people of Zamfara state deemed offensive to prophet Muhammed and they issued a fatwa, urging all Muslims to kill the reporter.

http://articles.cnn.com/2002-11-27/world/nigeria.fatwa_1_kaduna-nigerian-court-miss-world-pageant?_s=PM:WORLD

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/aug/12/gender.islam

9) there is no freedom to give yourself a meaningful defense in a trial. a nonmuslim cannot be called to testify in a trial against a muslim.

10) in a trial, the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man. What barbaric reasoning.

Bottom line is that it is clear that principles of Sharia contradicts the principles of a free society the Nigerian Constitution is trying to embrace. If the above reasons are not enough to make you realize that, then I don't know what will. The principles of Sharia clearly contradict the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution,

Buhari does not propose to impose Sharia

That is all you need to know end of story.

We need to concentrate on what he intends to do:

He intends to impose discipline and to stamp out corruption.

He intends to give us light and rapidly industrialise Nigeria.

He intends to bring crime rates under control so that Nigerians are safe and secure.

He intends to encourage foriegn investment.

He intends to restore our international reputation.

@9ijaMan,

Don't mind Princek12 he is trying to de-rail, don't forget we need to let people know how Buhari can change their lives positvely

Princek12:

1) Women do not have the freedom to open their faces and their bodies; they are forced to do it according to Sharia law.


2) You do not have the freedom to hold a discussion that some may "deem" offensive to Sharia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8584707.stm
3) Women do not have the freedom to marry nonmuslims; men, on the other hand, can marry non muslims

4) you do not have the freedom to drink alcohol -- Kano has a statewide ban on the consumption of alcohol. there have been numerous reports of Hisbah (Sharia police in Kano) attacking and killing drivers of trucks transporting alcohol in Kano.

5) you do not have the freedom to sing any secular music or hold an event offensive to Sharia. --remember when Sharia proponents chased the Miss World contest out of Nigeria because, according to them, women walking in bathing suits offends Sharia.


7) women do not have the freedom to have sex outside of wedlock; if they do so, they are punishable by death. Many many times are not even allowed to drive; they cannot do things without their husbands' approval; they are pretty much slaves to the men without rights.

there is really no freedom of the press under Sharia. In 2002, a reporter published an  article that the Sharia people of Zamfara state deemed offensive to prophet Muhammed and they issued a fatwa, urging all Muslims to kill the reporter.

http://articles.cnn.com/2002-11-27/world/nigeria.fatwa_1_kaduna-nigerian-court-miss-world-pageant?_s=PM:WORLD

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/aug/12/gender.islam

9) there is no freedom to give yourself a meaningful defense in a trial. a nonmuslim cannot be called to testify in a trial against a muslim.

10) in a trial, the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man. What barbaric reasoning.

Bottom line is that it is clear that principles of Sharia contradicts the principles of a free society the Nigerian Constitution is trying to embrace. If the above reasons are not enough to make you realize that, then I don't know what will. The principles of Sharia clearly contradict the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution,

I would want to believe that you are more intelligent than what you've typed above. I asked you to read through Sharia law documents and come up with the aspects you think will impede freedom and the best you have been able to do so far is to quote BBC, CNN and just about everything western. You cannot castigate a faith without understanding what it actually stands for. Abeg bring direct quotations from a proper Sharia law document then you'll be able to better argue your point. Would you accept publications from the middle east as evidence of the evils in the western system of governance?
To argue against any issue, your best bet will be to use the information sourced from the same faith rather than quoting western media, which have predetermined mindset about Sharia.

9ijaMan:

I would want to believe that you are more intelligent than what you've typed above. I asked you to read through Sharia law documents and come up with the aspects you think will impede freedom and the best you have been able to do so far is to quote BBC, CNN and just about everything western. You cannot castigate a faith without understanding what it actually stands for. Abeg bring direct quotations from a proper Sharia law document then you'll be able to better argue your point. Would you accept publications from the middle east as evidence of the evils in the western system of governance?
To argue against any issue, your best bet will be to use the information sourced from the same faith rather than quoting western media, which have predetermined mindset about Sharia.

Do you deny the truthfulness of what I said or you just have a problem because I quoted a Western source? I witnessed everything that happened, so don't act like anyone here is a fool. If you want to hold a truthful, intelligent discussion then have one. The links were just the implications of how it affects our freedoms. If you said the stories are untruthful, then it is another issue.

All the things I quoted are part of Sharia law; even Muslims do not deny it. If you know nothing about Sharia law, maybe you are the one who needs to educate yourself and learn about Sharia law. If you tell me what I quoted is wrong, then we can have a discussion. You need to read and educate yourself. So if you know nothing about Sharia law then don't hold a discussion.

Princek12:

Do you deny the truthfulness of what I said or you just have a problem because I quoted a Western source? I witnessed everything that happened, so don't act like anyone here is a fool. If you want to hold a truthful, intelligent discussion then have one. The links were just the implications of how it affects our freedoms. If you said the stories are untruthful, then it is another issue.

All the things I quoted are part of Sharia law; even Muslims do not deny it. If you know nothing about Sharia law, maybe you are the one who needs to educate yourself and learn about Sharia law. If you tell me what I quoted is wrong, then we can have a discussion. You need to read and educate yourself. So if you know nothing about Sharia law then don't hold a discussion.

How can I deny statements that are fundamentally falsehood peddling? There is no point in denying what every sane mind knows to be falsehood. How many Muslim ladies have come to you to confess they were being forced to live behind veils? You have quoted nothing about Sharia law apart from beer parlor talks and rumors. Can you kindly quote for us all the specific sections of the Sharia laws (document) you have been carelessly talking about?
You can not use lies to defend your position and expect to get away with it. If it interests you to know, I am a Muslim and I've lived amongst different cultures (western, middle eastern etc) and I can authoritatively state that the Middle Eastern women are the most pampered amongst all.

An average Arab lady cannot even cook well to feed her husband as they virtually all depend on house helps for everything, besides child birth. A regular Arab man revers his wife as he is obliged to do her bidding at all times. If you are ignorant about a culture or faith, the best way to understand such a faith/culture is to learn about it from sources within the culture. Then and only then would you be able to effectively criticize the perceived shortcomings you may have encountered.

Quoting BBC and CNN will not avail you the prerequisite info to be able to better understand the Sharia law. Use you God given brain. Read first and then criticize any part you disagree with.

@ Asobank

It is baseless and meaningless. We need a Man of great intelligence and dignity to lead us. It is not by dropping military uniform and becoming civilian. What did hedo when he was opportuned. Power should not be abused in this democratic era. Who does this Cap fit? GEJ and only GEJ. LO

I am certain that you do not understand the meaning of the word "Dignity" Buhari might not be "intelligent" enough for you but his pedigree and achievements are clearly unmatched and undeniably outshine those of any other military or civilian Head of State in the history of Nigeria.

In cased you missed that part, the principal achievements of his government in 18 months among others include:

1. It instituted the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) to stem corruption which was a 100% success

2. The administration reduced the inflation rate in the economy from 23% to 4%

3. It supervised and oversaw the birth of ALL the existing refineries in the country


Tell me if the current ruling party has been able to achieve any of these since inception of democratic rule in 1999 till date. You are not communicating with kids you know. Tells us why you think he is not good enough if at all any exists.

@ Princek12

1) Women do not have the freedom to open their faces and their bodies; they are forced to do it according to Sharia law.


2) You do not have the freedom to hold a discussion that some may "deem" offensive to Sharia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8584707.stm
3) Women do not have the freedom to marry nonmuslims; men, on the other hand, can marry non muslims

4) you do not have the freedom to drink alcohol -- Kano has a statewide ban on the consumption of alcohol. there have been numerous reports of Hisbah (Sharia police in Kano) attacking and killing drivers of trucks transporting alcohol in Kano.

5) you do not have the freedom to sing any secular music or hold an event offensive to Sharia. --remember when Sharia proponents chased the Miss World contest out of Nigeria because, according to them, women walking in bathing suits offends Sharia.


7) women do not have the freedom to have sex outside of wedlock; if they do so, they are punishable by death. Many many times are not even allowed to drive; they cannot do things without their husbands' approval; they are pretty much slaves to the men without rights.

Cool there is really no freedom of the press under Sharia. In 2002, a reporter published an article that the Sharia people of Zamfara state deemed offensive to prophet Muhammed and they issued a fatwa, urging all Muslims to kill the reporter.

http://articles.cnn.com/2002-11-27/world/nigeria.fatwa_1_kaduna-nigerian-court-miss-world-pageant?_s=PM:WORLD

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/aug/12/gender.islam

9) there is no freedom to give yourself a meaningful defense in a trial. a nonmuslim cannot be called to testify in a trial against a muslim.

10) in a trial, the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man. What barbaric reasoning.

Bottom line is that it is clear that principles of Sharia contradicts the principles of a free society the Nigerian Constitution is trying to embrace. If the above reasons are not enough to make you realize that, then I don't know what will. The principles of Sharia clearly contradict the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution,

I do not understand why you seem to be complaining about a law that does not even apply to your person. You are highly unqualified and definitely not knowledgeable enough to comment on all that you are stating. Is it wrong for Muslims to demand to be governed by the dictates of their religion in a DEMOCRACY especially when they constitutionally have a right to demand for same? What on earth is your point? It seems you are trying so hard to champion the alienation and disenfranchisement of over 70 Million persons simply because you mysteriously presume that their preferred way of life does not conform to your idea and definition of a "free society" If that is your perception of democracy, then I am afraid you are on your own and in direct contradiction of its definition which is a government of the people, for the people and by the people & not a government of a selfish few in denial of the rights of others.