₦airaland Forum

*

Home » Commentary » Articles
Commentary
Open letter to General Muhammadu Buhari
Posted: November 14, 2010 - 01:16
Posted by siteadmin
caption: Muhammadu Buhari

Dear General Buhari: I sincerely believe you should not contest next year’s presidential election. Of course, if we are asking you to stay off, NOBODY should even contemplate mentioning the name of Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. In a decent country, Babangida should be in jail or already hanged for multiple murders. So, this letter is just about you, who some of us still consider a very decent human being with some flaws.

You were an icon of moral rectitude and genuine patriotism until your sojourn with the late despot, Gen. Sani Abacha, as Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). While Abacha’s murderous regime lasted, not for once did we hear you insist that the right things must be done. You were there when Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was murdered. You propped Abacha up when Pa Alfred Rewane was murdered in the comfort of his home. And there were others like that including protesters who were killed for insisting that the results of a democratic election be respected and the winner announced.

As PTF Chairman, you were an ethnic champion with the way projects under your supervision were executed. The Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Shagamu/Benin Expressway and their Ibadan/Ilorin counterpart became death traps because you deliberately ignored these national arteries of commerce and social mobilisation due to a myopic vision of ‘punishing’ the Yoruba Nation for standing up to Abacha.

The restiveness in the Niger Delta region would have been contained a bit if the funds under your supervision as PTF Chairman were used effectively to put in place good infrastructure in the oil producing areas, where you got the money from. Instead, between 80 – 90% of PTF’s activities were concentrated in the North-West sub-region, which is your home area. And in the South-East, the deplorable state of the federal roads there is more than enough proof that the PTF under your watch was more interested in other places. You did nothing there.

For a man who often takes on former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an ethnic champion, your record in office as PTF Chairman and Obasanjo’s eight years as president shows the Ota Chicken Farmer to be more nationalistic than you in every ramification. Obasanjo left the Yoruba Nation in 2007 as he met it in 1999. The federal roads around us remain the same. Same with other infrastructure, which is why residents along the banks of Ogun River continue to suffer from the negative fallouts of overflow from the Federal Government owned Oyan Dam in Ogun State.

Kindly note that one is not accusing you of being corrupt. No. We want a leader who is acceptable to all segments of our society. Such a leader must also be courageous enough to face the entrenched Oligarchy/Godfathers who thrive on corruption and impunity to perpetually put Nigeria in bondage. You have some of these qualities. But being an ethnic champion, you cannot be the new face of Nigeria that this country desperately needs. Hope you remember your ethnic trip to former Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina, while the old man was still in office?

And don’t think I dislike you because of your leadership of the Fulani cause across Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. No. My best friend, Ahmadu Adamu, is a thoroughbred Fulani from Gembu Town in Taraba State. If I die today, he is the first person who knows what to do about my immediate family. And in Kaduna, which is my second home, some of the key people I rely on in life are Fulanis. We are like blood relations. But in matters like these, emotions should not be part of it. You should rest assured that your candidacy will not fly in about 80 – 90% of Southern Nigeria.

General, you are a deeply religious person. And despite your failings during the Abacha days, you are one of the few moral icons Nigeria has today. I know the average Northern Talakawa holds you in very high esteem. During my recent sojourn in Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi and Abuja, my usual destination for food was among these men who enjoy pap with beans cake (kose/akara) spiced with ground pepper early in the morning. You have a cult-like following among them. From my study, I know it has to do with your moral uprightness.

But in the same places, the very opposite is true among the upper class and majority of the middle class. A number of them believe it has to do with your original status in life, in which they claim (like the Indians) you should ‘know your place’. I do not agree with that at all. But as pointed out earlier, I am a realist who does not use emotions to take decisions. In your part of Nigeria, it is the upper class who directs things. The middle and lower classes always fall in line. These decision makers do not want a Buhari to be president for their own reasons.

However, the same people who are working against your candidacy, respects Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. Their major worry is that like you, he might want to stop their illicit running down of every segment of the Northern society and Nigeria as a whole. But till date, at least, from my findings, they have not been able to pin any negative ‘caste’ label on Ribadu. The only issue remains Ribadu’s uncompromising stance against corruption, which they fear could deny them their status if the man is elected president.

You have the same traits with Ribadu when it comes to work and orientation about what a decent society should be like. The only difference is that, Ribadu is very acceptable to Southerners and grudgingly so among the upper class in Northern Nigeria. Ribadu’s acceptability among the Northern middle class is also on the same level with the South. You control the Talakawas there almost 100%. But you and I know that on election day in your part of Nigeria, these downtrodden members of the society will vote and leave voting centres which could be hundreds of miles apart. It is the middle and upper classes who determine the results of elections in Northern Nigeria.

If you contest the presidential election, there is no doubt the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will retain its stranglehold on Northern Nigeria given the fact that your supporters cannot do the needful on election day apart from voting and leaving the place. Of course, you should not consider getting much support from the South because of the reasons mentioned earlier. The fact is that you’ll lose! Unfortunately, if I read you correctly, there is nothing dearer to your heart than a replacement of the current corrupt and visionless Federal Government.

Given the above, I’ll strongly suggest you throw your weight behind Ribadu as Nigeria’s next president. He is young, vibrant and has the same orientation like yourself. What is more, he has enormous goodwill in Southern Nigeria. Beyond the issue of personal ambition, I sincerely believe you should not allow this opportunity to pass us by in 2011. You definitely cannot win. But you can assist another, who is like you, to win. It is like another battlefield. Soldiers often sacrifice themselves strategically for their colleagues to achieve a difficult objective. Those are the real heroes of war!

Wale Adedayo,
Okeliwo, Oke Ife,
Ijebu Ife

*
* *

Home » Commentary » Articles
Commentary
Re: Open Letter To General Muhammadu Buhari
Posted: November 14, 2010 - 20:14
Posted by siteadmin
By Sunday Njokede

Buhari and Ribadu are two fine gentlemen. But if both are choices between winter and summer, I’d tell snow Ribadu to melt away fast like butter, and take comfortable in the sunniness that Buhari brings. Buhari is the way, the truth and the light for Nigeria’s 2011 presidency.

We must tackle Wale Adedayo head-on because it’s his likes that condemn Gani Fawehimi as a fanatic when he vied the presidency in 2007. Many politically incorrect Nigerians bought their argument that Gani was rascally irreparable and hence unfit for presidential office. That was not the case as they make-believe with Gani then. And today we’re worse for it. So whenever you see people with Mr. Adedayo’s mindset, tell them to ‘carry your problem dey go.’ Let’s say Gani was fanatical about uprooting corrupt leaders – so, what’s wrong with that? Buhari has his own share of hatred for corruption and people are turning it against him.

Meanwhile, let me dismantle Wale Adedayo’s core issues and make them fall like domino effect:

The writer missed a great opportunity of supporting his own arguments right, when he said that PDP would win Northern Nigeria due that Buhari is not popular yonder. The trend in all the polls so far says that Buahri is leading the North by storm. Even when Buhari was interviewed by SaharaReporters.com recently, the interviewer started by congratulating him opining that the taxi driver who took him from airport said he’ll vote for Buhari. Wale isn’t abreast of the recent political goings-on. He should be updated before roaming public with his half-truths and utter misrepresentations of Buhari the man as it concerns our political and leadership space.



Secondly, if Buhari could container Umaru Dikko, his townsman from Britain to face corruption charges in Nigeria, your mussing that Buhari has ethicised personality is null and void. It’s also scandalous stating that his ethnic bias for ‘Yoruba Nation’ made him not attend to roads and commercial activities in your area.



More so, I do not think that you scored any mark for onetime president Obasanjo when you rated him more of a nationalist than Buhari. If your sense of nationalism is proper with Obsanjo who went to Aso Rock with twenty thousand Naira and came out as the richest man in Nigeria. Then I don’t want to live with you in the same country. Mr. Wale aim seems geared toward praising Ribadu and Obsanjo in one swing.



And lastly, if it’s correct like Mr. Adedayo said that Northern cabal and co. love Ribadu. The reason is because the political class know that Ribadu would cut certain corners like compromise statecraft to steer the ship. This is the same reason he’s pitching his political tent with people like former Lagos State governor – Bola Tinubu. Buhari presidency would be nightmare scenario for corrupt politicians and their hangers-on. Anyone who’s admired by the political class as Adedayo opines of Ribadu; that candidate should consult the oracle or Modesty for deliverance. If cabal people in Nigerian find any presidential candidate fly, and are down with him, that particular person is anti-masses and pro-establishment. The downtrodden want a break from business as usual which has done us in. The masses should take the sway while officeholders are mere accountable servants. Any pundit or smart politicians will distance him or herself from the support of corrupt politicians during this election period.



I see in Buhari what onetime British Prime Minister Tony Blair describes of himself in his recent book “A Journey.” Blair wrote of himself as “, my head can sometimes think conservatively especially on economics and security; but my heart always beats progressive, and my soul is and always will be that of a rebel.”



Buhari is a rebel with a cause and twist of the Che Guevara strives. Buhari aims to take Nigeria from corrupt and power-drunk leaders and return statecraft to mass ownership. Che Guevara was pissed off when he advocated that one must use force of arms to take over leadership from corrupt rulers. I know MEND in Niger Delta would be hailing the Che Guevara argument. Mandela during his struggles used agent provocateur tactics, terrorism of bombing infrastructure in order to stifle Apartheid White supremacist government and crumble South Africa. “By all means necessary said Malcolm” has come to be one of Malcolm X’s watchwords when he opined that racist White America should be overthrown by all means possible

Buhari hasn’t done anything in the fashion of the aforesaid freedom fighters yet, and you people are badmouthing him as a fanatics and the whatnots. Buhari’s manias could be tolerated since he’s not corrupt and his modus operandi is at the heart of taking away power from cabal class and handing it over to every day people like you and I. All other concerns are secondary so long the candidate is not corrupt. And the presidential contender would not cut corners in fighting corruption like Ribadu did when he only targeted OBJ’s enemies.

Buhari is the most rock solid and sociocentric behaver in todays political and leadership circle in Nigeria. I put the late Gani Fawehemi and Ebitu Ukiwe who was IBB’s 2i/c in the same class as decent-behaving Nigerians as Buhari majoring. Ukiwe, as you all know, had to vacate Babagida’s regime for its lack of direction and misdoings. No one ever resigns in Nigeria out of personal goading, except they are forcefully axed away. Not even ‘yours sincerely’ Ribadu, did resign when the obviation was loudest during Obasanjo’s time. As that regime derailed big time to rock bottom until he was shown the way out the hard way exiled abroad during Yar’Adua’s era. Anyone who sees Ukiwe should give him a hug; buy him a big stout; he set the standard that none has been able to match.

Every country’s presidential or general election has its highpoint core agenda that public want tackled. The fight against corruption will make or break 2011 election in Nigeria. Of all presidential hopefuls Buhari is the most incorruptible man who the Aso Rock cap fits. I’ve no doubt that voters would let him wear the cap. I’d love to see him bragging a little bit in the sun to tell the world that a Daniel has come to judgement. His presidency would be a signal for bad corrupt people in Nigeria to scamper for their wayward lives in self-exile.

I’d not like we mudsling Ribadu and Buhari but not anymore now – when, Wale Adedayo has written an open letter to Buhari and intends to put Nigeria’s political and leadership matters on its head! Ribadu, I have advocated should be vice-president to Buhari. Whether both of them are from the same Northern countryside is unimportant. Both are the two most qualified presidential candidates for 2011 while Buhari holds the torch leading the way amid his coequals.

Finally and by and by, I don’t know Buhari from Adam.

What is wrong with this atiku? Any way let him continue to embarass himself because for sure many in nplf will abandon him.

What is wrong with this atiku? Any way let him continue to embarass himself because for sure many in nplf will abandon him.

The husband of the V.C of uniuyo, Dr. Mefin Ekpo was on sunday abducted in a church in uyo. ASUU, uniuyo chapter gave a 72 hrs ultimatum for his immediate release else service with-drawal by ASUU. He's yet to be released as family source say the abductors has put a ransome at N100mln. The ultimatum expires today

Can this lead to another universities strike

The husband of the Vice Chancellor uniuyo, Dr. Mefin Ekpo was on sunday in a church kidnapped. ASUU Unioyo chapter had issued a 72 hr ultimatum to security agents and abductors to search or release the victim or risk service with-drawal. The ultimatum expires today.

Bello is on acting capacity don't forget

Unseating Pdp is a mirrage, the party has been repositioned. In fact even if Ribadu, Buhari, shekarau or whoever will still walk side by side with past leaders because they are members of the national council of state (ncs). The lagos - ibadan xpress way, buhari shld be asked what happened to it being in that state as during Abacha's regime and buhari the chair of ptf, that road was included but due to his sectional way of doing things he cared not about it.

Inec rather dissapointed us. Computer literates wld have been recruited for the job not all corp members which many have not even handle a laptop before

It has come to mean that the so call men of God can't predict exactly except when the see the ball rolling. About two weeks b4 pdp's national convention, the witches and wizards association of nigeria predicted political doom for Mr. Atiku and it came to pass. The general election is fast approaching and we need another from them or Can the men of God proof the witches and wizards wrong this time by telling us the expected out-come of april polls?

Only this ribadu has for us? Big shame

Only this ribadu has for us? Big shame

We are waiting 4 atiku to cause his chaos purporting to be mend

@ ibime, u are ranting folk tales, ur literature is fictitious in that ur allege budget, independence day celebration and others were in yar'adua's admin, which he cut down the initial budget. Pls ask prof. Dora Akunyili to brief u b4 u continue ranting ignorance. Please fresh air continue blowing nationwide!

Tell ur Ribadu to aspire as a running mate to a gov'nor, or as senator, house of reps member, so that he will start fighting corruptn u say in the NASS. Ribadu can't rule us now being that his corruption fight at efcc was a witch hunt and one sided. Tell us, who in the north did he charge to court?

The fire will in turn consume u. Onoufia

Good to knw my good friend, Fstrange is alive and kicking today after months he was xpecting death. Fstrange don't worry neither u nor nigeria will die eeeh!

Did this moh'med's state give jonathan their vote during the primary?

Bhuahahahaha for ACN ooooo!

If that will bring the needed peace in the pdp let him go, for it is better for one man to die than a multitude perished

They are not even glad that jega accompanied gej to witness the hick-ups on the registratn. @ jarus u are right

No strike abeg, na ur fatherland u de serve. God bless u.

Atiku, no way to hang ur accusation, even if gej wld have been defeated by u he wld join hands with u, and that's why everything at the convention was telecast to the world

Atiku, no way to hang ur accusation, even if gej wld have been defeated by u he wld join hands with u, and that's why everything at the convention was telecast to the world

Wonders dey naija, so if they want to rule forever i beg dem make them go their way ooo.

Wonders dey naija, so if they want to rule forever i beg dem make them go their way ooo.

Kobojunkie, i once ask u, are u single? Back to topib, Gej is the national fresh air

Kobojunkie, i once ask u, are u single? Back to topib, Gej is the national fresh air