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Transmutation Of A Military Ruler To
Democratically Elected Civilian
Leader: General Muhamad Buhari
(GCFR)
Posted: April 15, 2012 - 23:24
By Femi Ogunsanwo
I have taken special interest in the
furore engendered by the statement
credited to the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC) National
Leader, General Muhamadu Buhari
(GMB) while receiving a delegation
of political admirers in Kaduna some
days ago. In that occasion, General
Muhammadu Buhari had stated,
inter-alia, that owing to the
leadership deficit and the truncation
of the hope of the common man
through the pervasive injustice in
the land, he would continue relevant
political activism in the run to the
2015 general elections.
The entire media space has been
inundated with several calls why
General Muhammadu Buhari should
not aspire for the highest office in
the land. Several reasons was
adduced by skeptics and his
traducers why he should not aspire
for the Presidency chiefly because he
participated in a military putsch that
truncated the highly corrupt
government of Second Republic.
But his supporters are of different
opinion and many reasons informed
their decision why he should re-
contest for the highest office in the
country. General Muhamadu Buhari
(GMB) is admired by many for his
uprightness and stand against
corruption. The government he led
between 31 December 1983 till 27
August 1985 is revered for their
ability to keep the country afloat by
making progress through sheer
economic ingenuity even when it
rejected IMF loan and refused to
adopt IMF conditionalities to devalue
the Naira.His government is praised
for its gain in reducing inflation by
refusing to devalue the nation's
currency, the Nigerian Naira, curbing
imports of needless goods, curtailing
oil theft and using counter trade
policy to barter seized illegally
bunkered crude oil for needful goods
like machineries,enabling it to
export above its OPEC quota during
that period.
General Muhammadu Buhari was
appointed Head of State and
Commander In Chief of the Armed
Forces, General Muhammadu Buhari
justified the military's seizure of
power by castigating the civilian
government as hopelessly corrupt,
and his administration subsequently
initiated a public campaign against
indiscipline known as "War Against
Indiscipline" (WAI). Aspects of this
campaign included public
humiliation of civil servants who
arrived late for work whilst guards
were armed with whips to ensure
orderly queues at bus stops the
whole measure even though
draconian brought a measure of
sanity into the country during that
period. General Buhari's admirers
believe that he was overthrown by
corrupt elements in his government
who were afraid of being brought to
justice as his policies were
beginning to yield tangible
dividends in terms of public
discipline, curbing corruption,
lowering inflation, enhancing
workforce and improving
productivity compared to the
excruciating decay and malfeasance
in our polity today.
i) What Is Good For The Goose Is Also
Good For Gander:
It’s really appalling when people
especially the educated, enlightened
and well-informed ones make so
much noise that General Muhamad
Buhari being a former Military Ruler
should not aspire to rule Nigeria
again. Many of the people with this
opinion are being economical with
the truth, reason the ruling
government Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) presented a former
Military Ruler General Olusegun
Obasanjo in 1999 for election ,he
won the election and ruled
democratically for 8 years. More
examples abound in PDP, there are 2
serving Governors today in PDP who
participated in Military Junta in the
past. Former Military Governor Niger
(Feb 1976-Dec 1977) and Former
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Murtala
Nyako(Rtd) is the current Governor
of Adamawa State, Former Military
Governor of Benue(August 1985-Aug
1986), Gongola(Aug 1986-Dec 1987)
David Jonah Jang is the current
Governor of Plateau State. In the
upcoming Edo State Gubernatorial
election PDP candidate in that
election will be a retired military
man, General Charles Ehigie
Airhiavbere. Serious explanation is
needed from the skeptics why PDP
the ruling party can have Ex Military
Officers participating in a democratic
setting but General Muhamad Buhari
does not enjoy same privilege.
ii) Examples From Far And Near:
There are many examples of Military
Dictators who transmuted into
civilian leadership and General
Muhamad Buhari will not be an
exception.On 22nd July 1994 a young
officer(28 years old) Col Yahya
Jammeh seized power from
President Dawda Jawara in
Gambia.Two years later in
September 1996 he was elected
democratically and still in power up
till date. Another example of a
former Military Officer is Hugo
Chávez of Venezuela, he became a
career military officer, and after
becoming dissatisfied with the
Venezuelan political system, he
founded the secretive Revolutionary
Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200)
in the early 1980s to work towards
overthrowing it. Chávez led the
MBR-200 in an unsuccessful coup
d'état against the Democratic Action
government of President Carlos
Andrés Pérez government in 1992,
for which he was imprisoned.
Getting out of prison after two years,
he founded a social democratic
political party, the Fifth Republic
Movement, and was elected
president of Venezuela in 1998. He
subsequently introduced a new
constitution which increased rights
for marginalised groups and altered
the structure of Venezuelan
government, and was re-elected in
2000 and still in power till date and
going for reelection soon. The
examples will offer the opportunity
for skeptics and traducers of General
Muhamad Buhari that his aspiration
to be transmuted to a democratically
elected civilian is not out of place.
Moreover the record of the two
gentlemen mentioned since they
transmuted to civilian leadership has
been excellent,the Gambian
economy has improved
tremendously under His Excellency
Yahya Jammeh watch.The tourism
industry in Gambia is second to none
in Africa.Likewise President Hugo
Chavez is giving all the
Multinationals in the Oil and Gas
Industry sleepless nights in
Venezuela especially in Orinoco
Basin where vast Hydrocarbon
deposits was discovered,the Local
Content Act in Venezuela is
addressed to the letter.The
Venezuelan economy improved
tremendously since he assumed
power also.They offer strong, virile,
credible and honest leadership
which is what is lacking in Nigeria
today and for Nigeria to exit the
present doldrums where
malfeasance pervades our polity we
need a STRONG, VIRILE,
CREDIBLE,HONEST and INCORRUPTIBLE
man like General Muhamad Buhari to
rule again.
iii) Boko Haram Militancy And
Religious Extremism:
As for its religious leaning as Islamic
adherent, General Muhamad Buhari
in anyway cannot be described as
extreme more than any other
person would be who practice his
religion devotedly. Moreover a man
that appoints a Christian South as his
cook and steward cannot be an
extremist because your life depends
so much on them. Another serious
allegation leveled against General
Muhamad Buhari is the issue of Boko
Haram militancy and the alleged
sponsors of the Sect. We all knew
from record that Boko Haram was
formed since 2002 but the militancy
and the spate of bombings escalated
when Muhamed Yusuff self-styled
leader of the Sect was killed extra
judicially in 2009, why anyone will
now blame General Muhamad Buhari
for the Sect activities beats
imagination. Some people went to
the extent that because he was quiet
and mute during the bombing after
the Presidential election means he is
complicit in the whole saga that will
be the lamest excuse to accuse
anyone of such grievous offence and
its intellectual laziness of the highest
order.
iv) Achievements And Records As
Public Official:
General Muhamad Buhari first came
to widespread public attention in
1976 when he became the Minister
(or "Federal Commissioner" for
Petroleum and Natural Resources
under then Head of State General
Olusegun Obasanjo. Before then he
served as Governor of the newly
created North-Eastern State (Borno)
during the regime of Gen Murtala
Mohammed. He later became head
of the newly created Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation in
1977. Before being asked to head the
Military Junta that overthrew the
corrupt regime of the Second
Republic in 31 Dec 1983. During his
time as a public official the man is
revered as being Incorruptible,
Credible, Honest, Discipline, which is
what is lacking in our present crop of
leadership.
It is on record that General Muhamad
Buhari mandated the former
Petroleum Minister Prof Tam David-
West to award the Petrochemical
Refinery Eleme Port-Harcourt in
1984. During his stint either as the
Federal Commissioner for Petroleum
and Head of Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation two other
Refineries were built; Warri Refinery
Petroleum Corporation (WRPC) and
Kaduna Refinery Petroleum
Corporation (KPRC) and he also
rehabilitated the old and first
Refinery in the country Port Harcourt
Refinery. In 1985 the first phase of
the biggest power station in the
country Lagos Thermal Station Egbin
via Ikorodu Lagos(1,320Megawatts)
was commissioned by General
Muhamad Buhari the total amount
spent then was around 2Billion
Naira. Since he was overthrown in
August 1985 the country has not
been able to build any new Refinery
and not one single Megawatt has
been added to the National Grid for
power consumption whereas since
PDP assumed power in 1999 we are
regaled with several National
Independent Power Projects
(NIPP);Geregu,Alaoji,Okpai,
Omotosho,Olorunshogo,Egbema. We
all got the report from Hon Ndudi
Elumelu leo Power Probe
Commission that PDP Government
spent a whooping sum of $16 Billion
on the power projects and till date
not one single megawatts has been
added to the National Grid
The list of General Muhamad Buhari
achievements and exemplary
records as public official are endless
compared to the ruling Government
but the man is being maligned all
over the country for reasons yet
unknown, the only reason for the
general widespread accusations
against him will be because of his
avowed stance against corruption.
But if we desire an egalitarian and
disciplined society again please let
us give General Muhamed Buhari a
chance to clean the “Augean Stable”.
Femi Ogunsanwo is a Social
Commentator and Political Analyst