The Buhari phenomenon

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN
His brief grasp of government between 1984 and 1985 was relatively
unimpressive. He did not salvage Nigeria as promised. His government's
trade policy hinged on counter trade was largely crude. Even the issue
of discipline where he is today largely celebrated was punctured with
the exposure of the contradictory action ofhis number two who breached
the regime's order barring under-aged from going for hajj.
But General Muhammadu Buhari still remains a political phenomenon,
albeit a largely underachieving one.
In his Supreme Military Council, SMC, he was circumscribed by largely
ambitious military politicians. It was assuch not surprising that his
hard stanceon issues turned into good currency for his rivals to make
mincemeat of him and achieve their own life long political ambitions.
Indeed, Buhari, as military head of state, ruled as if there was no
tomorrow. Now, at the twilight of his public life, The General, as he
is largelycelebrated by fans across the north, is obviously desperate
to salvage a nation he claims is in the throes of maladministration.
After three consecutive defeats in the hands of the Peoples Democratic
Party,PDP, Buhari had suggested that he would leave the scene after
the 2011 presidential elections. Before the suggestion could take
root, the general quickly reversed himself putting himself again in
reckoning in the nation's political chess game.
That reversal has been followed with such snide remarks as to whether
he must be president?
Indeed, not a few are worried by the seemingly naïve political
gesticulations of Buhari. That is despite the several accounts of
those who have dealt with him anddescribe him as a good man and a
religious moderate.
However, such unbiased comments have largely been overshadowed by the
political faux pas of the general and the machinations of the
Obasanjo-Atiku Campaign Organisation ahead of the 2003 election. The
Obasanjo campaign almost successfully recast Buhari as a religious
extremist unworthy of leading a multi-religious and multi-cultural
nation as Nigeria.
Different types of mud were indeed slung on him with the active
collaboration of some sections of the media before that election.
However, of all the mud on him, only the garb of religious extremism
really stuck.
Attempts to soil his image using his stewardship of the Petroleum
(Special) Task Fund, PTF were largely unsuccessful and almost bounced
back at the instigators in a way that some prayer warriors would say
'back to sender.'
Untimely death
When the Obasanjo administration reportedly threatened to probe the
activities of the PTF under Buhari, it, bysome accounts precipitated
the untimely death of Buhari's Man Friday, who he had reportedly
delegated most of the task of the PTF.
But beside that casualty, the probe report, which indicted the
successor administration at the PTF appointed byPresident Obasanjo
largely exonerated Buhari.
For a man like Buhari, who has held some of the most politically
exposed jobs in the country, including military governor of the
defunct Northeast State, minister of petroleum and chairman of PTF, it
is remarkable that Buhari has not been once indicted for any act of
corruption. Those who have known him say that he has indeed been
faithful almost to the kobo.
It is this rare attribute of integrity that has largely won Buhari
acclaim from Nigeria's long suffering masses and the disdain of the
political elite, who would panic at the thought of enrobing him with
political power.
Across the North and South, the disdainfor Buhari from the political
elite is almost unanimous. Some in that class pretended only for a
brief period to believe in Buhari but once they got political power in
his name, they immediately deserted the general.
Today, General Buhari at the twilight ofhis long period of political
exposure is faced with the crucial choice of abidingwith the dogma of
his ways which have not helped, or bending to achieve the revolution
the masses desire.
Recently, he has been flocking with those he once condemned, those
that betrayed him in his former party and even partnering with the
preacher who was famously quoted as saying that "That tall man" is not
the answer to our needs.
Buhari is indeed turning into a politician, but he fearfully could
make a mess of it!