₦airaland Forum

The least awful
A former dictator is a better choice than a failed president

SOMETIMES there are no good options. Nigeria goes to the polls on February 14th to elect the next president, who will face problems so large—from rampant corruption to a jihadist insurgency—that they could break the country apart, with dire consequences for Nigerians and the world.

And yet, as Africa’s biggest economy stages its most important election since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999, and perhaps since the civil war four decades ago, Nigerians must pick between the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, who has proved an utter failure, and the opposition leader, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator with blood on his hands (see article). The candidates stand as symbols of a broken political system that makes all Nigeria’s problems even more intractable.

Start with Mr Jonathan, whose People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has run the country since 1999 and who stumbled into the presidency on the death of his predecessor in 2010. The PDP’s reign has been a sorry one. Mr Jonathan has shown little willingness to tackle endemic corruption. When the governor of the central bank reported that $20 billion had been stolen, his reward was to be sacked.

Worse, on Mr Jonathan’s watch much of the north of the country has been in flames. About 18,000 people have died in political violence in recent years, thousands of them in January in several brutal attacks by Boko Haram, a jihadist group that claims to have established its “caliphate” in territory as large as Belgium. Another 1.5m people have fled their homes. The insurgency is far from Mr Jonathan’s southern political heartland and afflicts people more likely to vote for the opposition. He has shown little enthusiasm for tackling it, and even less competence. Quick to offer condolences to France after the attack on Charlie Hedbo, Mr Jonathan waited almost two weeks before speaking up about a Boko Haram attack that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his compatriots.

The single bright spot of his rule has been Nigeria’s economy, one of the world’s fastest-growing. Yet that is largely despite the government rather than because of it, and falling oil prices will temper the boom. The prosperity has not been broadly shared: under Mr Jonathan poverty has increased. Nigerians typically die eight years younger than their poorer neighbours in nearby Ghana.

Goodbye Jonathan
Voters have ample cause to send Mr Jonathan packing. In a country where power has often changed through the barrel of a gun, the opposition All Progressives Congress has a real chance of winning through the ballot box. Yet its candidate, Mr Buhari, is an ex-general who, three decades ago, came to power in a coup. His rule was nasty, brutish and mercifully short. Declaring a “war against indiscipline”, he ordered whip-wielding soldiers to ensure that Nigerians formed orderly queues. His economics, known as Buharism, was destructive. Instead of letting the currency depreciate in the face of a trade deficit, he tried to fix prices and ban “unnecessary” imports. He expelled 700,000 migrants in the delusion that this would create jobs for Nigerians. He banned political meetings and free speech. He detained thousands, used secret tribunals and executed people for crimes that were not capital offences.

Should a former dictator with such a record be offered another chance? Surprisingly, many Nigerians think he should. One reason is that, in a country where ministers routinely wear wristwatches worth many times their annual salary, Mr Buhari is a sandal-wearing ascetic with a record of fighting corruption. Few nowadays question his commitment to democracy or expect him to turn autocratic: he has repeatedly stood for election and accepted the outcome when he lost. He would probably do a better job of running the country, and in particular of tackling Boko Haram. As a northerner and Muslim, he will have greater legitimacy among villagers whose help he will need to isolate the insurgents. As a military man, he is more likely to win the respect of a demoralised army.

We are relieved not to have a vote in this election. But were we offered one we would—with a heavy heart—choose Mr Buhari. Mr Jonathan risks presiding over Nigeria’s bloody fragmentation. If Mr Buhari can save Nigeria, history might even be kind to him.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21642168-former-dictator-better-choice-failed-president-least-awful

From The Economist Magazine


The least awful
A former dictator is a better choice than a failed president

SOMETIMES there are no good options. Nigeria goes to the polls on February 14th to elect the next president, who will face problems so large—from rampant corruption to a jihadist insurgency—that they could break the country apart, with dire consequences for Nigerians and the world.

And yet, as Africa’s biggest economy stages its most important election since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999, and perhaps since the civil war four decades ago, Nigerians must pick between the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, who has proved an utter failure, and the opposition leader, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator with blood on his hands (see article). The candidates stand as symbols of a broken political system that makes all Nigeria’s problems even more intractable.

Start with Mr Jonathan, whose People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has run the country since 1999 and who stumbled into the presidency on the death of his predecessor in 2010. The PDP’s reign has been a sorry one. Mr Jonathan has shown little willingness to tackle endemic corruption. When the governor of the central bank reported that $20 billion had been stolen, his reward was to be sacked.

Worse, on Mr Jonathan’s watch much of the north of the country has been in flames. About 18,000 people have died in political violence in recent years, thousands of them in January in several brutal attacks by Boko Haram, a jihadist group that claims to have established its “caliphate” in territory as large as Belgium. Another 1.5m people have fled their homes. The insurgency is far from Mr Jonathan’s southern political heartland and afflicts people more likely to vote for the opposition. He has shown little enthusiasm for tackling it, and even less competence. Quick to offer condolences to France after the attack on Charlie Hedbo, Mr Jonathan waited almost two weeks before speaking up about a Boko Haram attack that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his compatriots.

The single bright spot of his rule has been Nigeria’s economy, one of the world’s fastest-growing. Yet that is largely despite the government rather than because of it, and falling oil prices will temper the boom. The prosperity has not been broadly shared: under Mr Jonathan poverty has increased. Nigerians typically die eight years younger than their poorer neighbours in nearby Ghana.

Goodbye Jonathan
Voters have ample cause to send Mr Jonathan packing. In a country where power has often changed through the barrel of a gun, the opposition All Progressives Congress has a real chance of winning through the ballot box. Yet its candidate, Mr Buhari, is an ex-general who, three decades ago, came to power in a coup. His rule was nasty, brutish and mercifully short. Declaring a “war against indiscipline”, he ordered whip-wielding soldiers to ensure that Nigerians formed orderly queues. His economics, known as Buharism, was destructive. Instead of letting the currency depreciate in the face of a trade deficit, he tried to fix prices and ban “unnecessary” imports. He expelled 700,000 migrants in the delusion that this would create jobs for Nigerians. He banned political meetings and free speech. He detained thousands, used secret tribunals and executed people for crimes that were not capital offences.

Should a former dictator with such a record be offered another chance? Surprisingly, many Nigerians think he should. One reason is that, in a country where ministers routinely wear wristwatches worth many times their annual salary, Mr Buhari is a sandal-wearing ascetic with a record of fighting corruption. Few nowadays question his commitment to democracy or expect him to turn autocratic: he has repeatedly stood for election and accepted the outcome when he lost. He would probably do a better job of running the country, and in particular of tackling Boko Haram. As a northerner and Muslim, he will have greater legitimacy among villagers whose help he will need to isolate the insurgents. As a military man, he is more likely to win the respect of a demoralised army.

We are relieved not to have a vote in this election. But were we offered one we would—with a heavy heart—choose Mr Buhari. Mr Jonathan risks presiding over Nigeria’s bloody fragmentation. If Mr Buhari can save Nigeria, history might even be kind to him.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21642168-former-dictator-better-choice-failed-president-least-awful

Buhari is certainly not a saint. personally, i never would have thought that one day I will be voting for a man with so much accusations of human rights atrocities hanging around his neck.

Just like you, I came up with about a dozen reasons why Nigeria shld run from Buhari like a plague. But then I took some time to read and research about Buhari for the sole aim of answering these questions:

1 - what was/were his motivation(s) for doing the things he did back then?
u will agree with me that a man is motivated by the thing or things most dear to him. Therefore, if we can very objectively answer this question, I think we will have a better understanding of who the man Buhari is, what he stands for and what is dear to him.

Here is my take:

Back in the days, the man was motivated by a vision of a disciplined Nigeria, one whr govt/workers is/are efficient n productive without relying on bribes/corrupt practices. A nigeria that could proudly stand to be counted in the committee of nations. From all indications, Buhari still has this vision and he has once again set out to see it come to light.

During his days as CIC, his overzealousness (or whatever we choose to call it) and his unrepentant desire to see his vision come true resulted in the very myopic approach to problem solving which was undeniably callous, barbaric and sometimes bordered on insanity. His administration will forever be notoriously known for those inexcusable misdeeds. those memories have created an aura of suspicion n rightly placed fear about his candidacy. of note, Buhari knew who to put where to get things done.
Truth is, most of us old enough to remember his deeds still harbor a lot of discomfort about the prospects of putting power back in the hands of a man known for so much brutality. This brings me to the next question.

2 - Can Buhari be trusted with power? Afterall, OBJ showed us just how power can be abused even in a democracy. I think the most objective answer will come from his days at PTF. I suspect that Buhari agreed to serve as head of PTF for 2 reasons, 1st, again to do whatever he can to revive Nigeria n 2nd, in so doing to show pple that he Gen Buhari, the so called blood thirsty ogre can actually work amicably with and for other humans to achieve results when nothing else in the country was wrking. PTF's acheivements is another days debate but we can all agree that to a large extent, he someone made it work. And in fairness to him, the man did not use the opportunity to enrich himself.

My synopsis of Buhari's candidacy is this:
Gen Buhari does not define the best of Nigeria in any way, but he is a man driven by a vision that is shared by every ordinary Nigerian. His popularity hinges on this vision.
Subconsciously, those that admire him do so because of the (very barbaric) extent he was willing to go to defend his vision of building a better Nigeria.
Given the alternative, Nigerians seem to be at a point whr it's no longer business as usual. We are simply tired of having visionless rulers who care more abt their fat accounts than abt the common man. we r tired of being the laughing stock on the world stage.....

This is why I say Sai Buhari along with millions of Nigerians

Buhari is certainly not a saint. personally, i never would have thought that one day I will be voting for a man with so much accusations of human rights atrocities hanging around his neck.

Just like you, I came up with about a dozen reasons why Nigeria shld run from Buhari like a plague. But then I took some time to read and research about Buhari for the sole aim of answering these questions:

1 - what was/were his motivation(s) for doing the things he did back then?
u will agree with me that a man is motivated by the thing or things most dear to him. Therefore, if we can very objectively answer this question, I think we will have a better understanding of who the man Buhari is, what he stands for and what is dear to him.

Here is my take:

Back in the days, the man was motivated by a vision of a disciplined Nigeria, one whr govt/workers is/are efficient n productive without relying on bribes/corrupt practices. A nigeria that could proudly stand to be counted in the committee of nations. From all indications, Buhari still has this vision and he has once again set out to see it come to light.

During his days as CIC, his overzealousness (or whatever we choose to call it) and his unrepentant desire to see his vision come true resulted in the very myopic approach to problem solving which was undeniably callous, barbaric and sometimes bordered on insanity. His administration will forever be notoriously known for those inexcusable misdeeds. those memories have created an aura of suspicion n rightly placed fear about his candidacy. Of note, Buhari knew who to put where to get things done.
Truth is, most of us old enough to remember his deeds still harbor a lot of discomfort about the prospects of putting power back in the hands of a man known for so much brutality. This brings me to the next question.

2 - Can Buhari be trusted with power? Afterall, OBJ showed us just how power can be abused even in a democracy. I think the most objective answer will come from his days at PTF. I suspect that Buhari agreed to serve as head of PTF for 2 reasons, 1st, again to do whatever he can to revive Nigeria n 2nd, in so doing to show pple that he Gen Buhari the so called blood thirsty ogre can actually work amicably with and for other humans to achieve results when nothing else in the country was wrking. PTF's acheivements is another days debate but we can all agree that to a large extent, he someone made it work. And in fairness to him, the man did not use the opportunity to enrich himself.

My synopsis of Buhari's candidacy is this:
Gen Buhari does not define the best of Nigeria in any way, but he is a man driven by a vision that is shared by every ordinary Nigerian. His popularity hinges on this vision.
Subconsciously, those that admire him do so because of the (very barbaric) extent he was willing to go to defend his vision of building a better Nigeria.
Given the alternative, Nigerians seem to be at a point whr it's no longer business as usual. We are simply tired of having visionless rulers who care more abt their fat accounts than abt the common man. we r tired of being the laughing stock on the world stage..

This is why myself and millions other Nigerians are saying Sai Buhari

Buhari is certainly not a saint. personally, i never would have thought that one day I will be voting for a man with so much accusations of human rights atrocities hanging around his neck.

Just like you, I came up with about a dozen reasons why Nigeria shld run from Buhari like a plague. But then I took some time to read and research about Buhari for the sole aim of answering these questions:

1 - what was/were his motivation(s) for doing the things he did back then?
u will agree with me that a man is motivated by the thing or things most dear to him. Therefore, if we can very objectively answer this question, I think we will have a better understanding of who the man Buhari is, what he stands for and what is dear to him.

Here is my take:

Back in the days, the man was motivated by a vision of a disciplined Nigeria, one whr govt/workers is/are efficient n productive without relying on bribes/corrupt practices. A nigeria that could proudly stand to be counted in the committee of nations. From all indications, Buhari still has this vision and he has once again set out to see it come to light.

During his days as CIC, his overzealousness (or whatever we choose to call it) and his unrepentant desire to see his vision come true resulted in the very myopic approach to problem solving which was undeniably callous, barbaric and sometimes bordered on insanity. His administration will forever be notoriously known for those inexcusable misdeeds. those memories have created an aura of suspicion n rightly placed fear about his candidacy. of note, Buhari knew who to put where to get things done.
Truth is, most of us old enough to remember his deeds still harbor a lot of discomfort about the prospects of putting power back in the hands of a man known for so much brutality. This brings me to the next question.

2 - Can Buhari be trusted with power? Afterall, OBJ showed us just how power can be abused even in a democracy. I think the most objective answer will come from his days at PTF. I suspect that Buhari agreed to serve as head of PTF for 2 reasons, 1st, again to do whatever he can to revive Nigeria n 2nd, in so doing to show pple that he Gen Buhari, the so called blood thirsty ogre can actually work amicably with and for other humans to achieve results when nothing else in the country was wrking. PTF's acheivements is another days debate but we can all agree that to a large extent, he someone made it work. And in fairness to him, the man did not use the opportunity to enrich himself.

My synopsis of Buhari's candidacy is this:
Gen Buhari does not define the best of Nigeria in any way, but he is a man driven by a vision that is shared by every ordinary Nigerian. His popularity hinges on this vision.
Subconsciously, those that admire him do so because of the (very barbaric) extent he was willing to go to defend his vision of building a better Nigeria.
Given the alternative, Nigerians seem to be at a point whr it's no longer business as usual. We are simply tired of having visionless rulers who care more abt their fat accounts than abt the common man. we r tired of being the laughing stock on the world stage.....

This is why I say Sai Buhari along with millions of Nigerians