As the year, 2019 is almost coming to it’s logical end, there is need to carry out a thorough appraisal of this present regime superintendent by Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
Virtually in every academic circle, teachers after a specific period of tutoring the students takes time to appraise them with class room test and examination. This is done so as to determine if the students adequately comprehended the teachings of the teacher and their subsequent intellectual development. Though, appraisal is not only limited to academic institutions both private and government owned organizations from time to time carries out appraisal because it provides the opportunity to recognise and reward employees and to ensure they feel valued for the work that they do.
The appraisal of Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s regime in this 2019 will be done with outright clarity and verifiable data. In all fairness, the performance of Buhari will be dissected and laid bare for Nigerians and other conscious mind to weigh and judge whether or not the regime has succeeded or failed in delivering the dividends of democracy that was promised to Nigerians.
It is important to note that in sane democratic systems, the people dictates the pace of governance. Concomitantly, policy statements and actions of the government must be in consonance with the wishes and aspirations of the masses. The rights of the people must be guaranteed and protected. Leaders must act according to the extant laws and not according to their whims and caprices. Citizens must have the right to constructively question and reprimand any leader whose actions and behavior appears unconstitutional and vengeful. And no leader must rule with iron fist and total disregard for the rule of law. The era when leaders arrogantly see themselves as political and religious deity is far gone. Democracy, for being the government of the people, by the people and for the people, no leader, irrespective of the circumstance shall be above the law. This is what makes democracy what it is.
However, the following key areas; rule of law, security, job creation and power will be appraised and a score card will be presented at the end.
THE RULE OF LAW
I will not fail to pinpoint the gigantic impact Jonathan made before he was forced out of power through a regional gang up. The government of Jonathan fought comprehensively to improve on the little legacy late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua left behind. Jonathan while in power was a pace setter. He never harassed or arrested opposition members on parochial charges. There was never a time he interfered in any court proceedings. He respected court injunctions and acted according to the provisions of the constitution. There was press freedom and Nigerians had the free will to criticize his government without the fear of being arrested and jailed. Millions of ethnic knuckleheads called him a drunkard and weakling but Jonathan being a champion of rule of law never raised an eyebrow over their constant vituperations.
After the illegal removal of Jonathan from the office, Nigerians have witnessed what it means to have an intolerant and feudal over lord managing the business of governance in the country. The regime of General Muhammadu Buhari has dismembered both the political and legal precedence of Jonathan. There is rampant abuse of human right, illegal detention of dissent voices that are critical to the government. The independence of the judiciary has been eroded. Media houses are so scared to call his regime to order. According to Dr Kolawole Olaniyan, a legal adviser to Amnesty International, President Muhammadu Buhari has shown “stunning disregard for the rule of law and human rights, ignoring Nigerian judges on at least 40 occasions”. There are hundreds of political prisoners perishing in various prison facilities despite several court orders asking for their release. If not for the constant international pressure on this ruthless and lawless regime, Sambo Dasuki and Omoyele Sowore wouldn’t have been released. Sheik El Zakzaky is till in their dungeon. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu was very lucky to escape from the regime’s dictatorial fang.
SECURITY
The horrible state of security in the country can’t be over flogged. Since the coming of this regime, the security situation has deteriorated to a low ebb. The past government performed much better and did it’s best to protect Nigerians. The lukewarm and clueless disposition of Buhari’s led regime has exacerbated the wide spread insecurity witnessed in the nation. Boko Haram is still waxing strong. Some territories are still under their stiff control not minding the apparent premature proclamations of Boko Haram’s defeat by government forces. Marauding herdsmen are also killing and displacing innocent civilians from their homes. Kidnapping has gotten to it’s peak. Police and army brutality is on the rise.
Security agents have become so undisciplined and vicious. Civilians who refuse to part paltry sum on the high ways are being killed at will by happy trigger security officers who are meant to protect them. Bribery and extortion is seen as the way forward among security agents. The level of insecurity and lawlessness have made millions of Nigerians to live in the fear of the unknown. There is no security in Nigeria. No matter how Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina might try to fine tune the deteriorated security situation in the country, Nigeria is one of the most unsafe and terror infested place in the world.
JOB CREATION
On the aspect of job creation, Buhari’s regime has performed so abysmally. Joblessness is on the rise. Unemployment rate in Nigeria has increased to 23.1 percent in 2019. There are over 100 million Nigerian youths without decent jobs. The nepotistic, despotic and epileptic posture of the economic team of this regime have stifled small and medium scale industries which constitute one of the backbones of the economy.
Instead of creating a viable economic ground, Buhari’s regime has frustrated and rendered millions of Nigerians terribly poor. Nigeria of today has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty, with an estimated 87 million Nigerians, or around half of the country’s population, thought to be living on less than $1.90 a day. That was why the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his book, “My Watch” said Muhammadu Buhari would not be a good economic manager. The above statement is true considering how the burgeoning economy Jonathan left behind has been bastardized.
POWER/ELECTRICITY
Nigeria has witnessed a massive power/electricity failure in the country not only in this 2019 but since the coming of Buhari’s authoritarian regime. The government of Jonathan which some ungrateful power mongers criticised of not doing much to reposition the power sector has proven to be the best. Babatunde Fashola as the former minister of power could not replicate his flippant rants into something meaningful. He once said that it will take a serious government six months to fix the problem of electricity in the country but unfortunately this same man could not even manage over 5000 mega Watts of electricity he inherited from his predecessor.
The regime of Buhari has scored below average in the power sector. The rot in the system has continue to fester. Nigerians are being exploited and forced to pay electricity bills which they never consumed. The present corruption in the power sector is overwhelming. Sometimes, in one full month, electricity could be restored twice or once as the case maybe and it will only last for 1 hour or 30 minutes and goes off, but exorbitant bills will be given to customers by the distribution companies without considering if the customers in the actual sense consumed the power or not. Under this regime, the people in charge of the power sector are notoriously exploitative and mentally incapacitated. Even a road side technician will deliver far better than the empty heads managing the ministry of power.
SCORE CARD
This regime is a full definition of disappointment. Be it in the aspect of rule of law, security, job creation and power. There is nothing sensible to commend this regime for. It brought untold hardship and has succeeded in making Nigeria a pariah state in the global terrain.
Buhari’s regime has recorded the worst human rights violations, hunger and poverty, high level of unemployment, insecurity and power/electricity failure. The daura born dictator is an unintelligent and bad student of good governance. Nigerians by now must have learnt their bitter lessons for allowing a dying, bigoted, bloodthirsty and intolerant feudal over lord to manage the political affairs of a secular society like Nigeria. I do not have any regret calling out Buhari for what he is.
A time shall come when men of good conscience will be counted and remembered for the role they played in resisting tyranny and political stupidity. I want to ask my legions of readers, where will you be ranked? Do you want to remain mute or run away like a coward for the fear of being killed or jailed by a regime that is so repulsive to constructive criticism? Are you enjoying the rotten system in Nigeria? If everyone should be afraid, we are giving this despotic regime more impetus to operate. We must rise and define the place of this faceless and inhuman regime. Enough of this cowardly attitude. How can few power mongers beat and push millions of Nigerians and still show them where to fall. This is not done anywhere.
The time has come for Nigerians to queue behind Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB and Omoyele Sowore of #Revolutionnow to push for the radical change we have been craving for. We must not miss this opportunity staring at us now. Let men of goodwill rise and resist injustice and tyranny.
In this 2019, Major General Muhammadu Buhari just scored 5/100 in the art of good governance.
Kalu Nwokoro Idika is a political analyst, investigative and freelance journalist