The Concourse
By Soney Antai
Two months, two dictators
- A few days before last month ended, former President Mohammadu Buhari was quoted in the press as saying that Nigerians are difficult to lead: “Nigeria is a difficult country to govern, but most Nigerians are unaware. You will not understand the complexities of leadership and the country itself until you find yourself in the administrative position of the country”, he is quoted to have said.
For his critics that could well be interpreted as what a poor workman does: He quarrels with his work tools. But for his admirers, his statement reminds one of the words of Søren Kierkegaard that, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
It’s good the ex-president realised this even though he was up until when he was elected president, always grandstanding as a saint, and not the self-absorbed, sectarian, sectional and responsibility-shy person some would say he actually showed himself to be in office.
This is not to deny the reality of his confession. It is no brainer that leadership at any level is a tough business, more so in Nigeria where, it is far easier to be a ruler than a leader. Here, power is often kidnapped for personal use. We are encased in where politics is, “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage”, ala Ambrose Bierce (The Devil’s Dictionary).
However, not done, Buhari added further, according to the media reports, “I look much better and healthier now than when I was the president of the country. Anybody that sees me now acknowledges that I look better than before.” Really? Just maybe. But that sounded like vantage Buhari’s trademark; his habitudinal excuse line of, “I’m not aware.”
Buhari was a military head of state between December 31, 1982 and August 27, 1985. So, it’s doubtful if he did not realise how tough it was to rule Nigerians, and yet he kept seeking the office of an elected president in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2015. It was in 2015 that he finally realised his ambition; and when declared winner of the election,enthused, “I am fulfilled!”.
Getting desperate about his repeated failure at the polls, Buhari had in May, 2012 vowed, “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happened in 2011 [alleged rigging] should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’’ He refused to explain what he meant by such a rash statement, which kept haunting him even as an elected president.
On the second statement that he was looking better now than when he was president, we can only say that we are happy for him. Being unhappy in office only to be happy after, is a good deal, or don’t you think so?
Barely three weeks after the Ex-PMB matter, the man, who overthrew him and took over Nigeria, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) emerged from the recesses of fading political relevance back into public discourse big time. The so-called Evil Genius was this time presenting his autobiography, A Journey of Service, to the public.
IBB, also called Maradona, because of his tricky, slippery rulership style between 27 August 1985 and 26 August 1993, publicly admitted that the 12 June 1993 presidential election he annuled was actually won by Mr. Moshood Abiola. But that is the same election he promulgated more than a dozen decrees, ala Mr. Femi Falana, to ensure its
entombment. Under his orders, security agents mercilessly clamped down on protesters against the annulment of the polls reportedly killing no fewer than a100 Nigerians in the process. Several media houses were shut down, some Nigerians, especially rights activists, were thrown into jail. The winner of that election – the freest in our history – was arrested, detained, and died in custody, after having lost the wife, Kudirat, to the annulment of the election. All IBB did – and cravenly, some would say – was to blame the annulment on late Gen. Sani Abacha, who was serving under him as a self-named president. If the annulment was announced behind his back, what did he do to Abacha? Of course, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the election umpire, has said that IBB confessed to him while the complete election results were yet to be announced, that the annulment was urged on by Abacha and emirs opposed to Abiola. So what is he telling us in his belated story?
While his book will add to the existing data on both Nigerian military rulership and the June 12 imbroglio, IBB was given undeserved attention during presentation of his book. More than N17 billion was raised for his library! If he can build the library as he waits at the departure lounge of life, it would serve future generations, but his book has not answered all the questions surrounding his sojourn in power.
Now, PBT who escaped him into exile, was there at the book presentation. Obasanjo, whose nasty statement, made amid the turmoils of the annulment of June 12 polls, has surprisingly not criticised IBB’s book, maybe in acknowledgement that he arguably emerged the biggest beneficiary of the annulment of June 12. Also there were other power wielders of our benighted country. Sadly, nobody among them seemed to recall the hellish days of IBB’s stratocracy. They have moved on, but what about the victims of those dark? Addedly, now that Buhari is looking healthier and happier out of power, how about the victims of his deliberate sectional and sectarian policies? This country, I guess, is tired of having persons who find themselves in positions of power, abuse them, only to return to the public space after leaving office, to tell us they are happier or sorry for their crass failures while in power.