There has been so much said about the man,General Muhammadu Buhari.To some Buhari is either a devil or the most disciplined and righteous leaders Nigeria has ever known.Here i am gonna examine some facts about Buhari and some shortcomings,to show what kind of man General Buhari really is and help establish if he is the kind of leader Nigeria needs right now as leader.
General Muhammadu Buhari's regime which came into power in 1983 ejected Shehu Shagari
as President of Nigeria in a military coup.It has to be said though that Buhari was not one of those who executed the coup,he was only called like General YakubuGowon was to take over the leadership of the country.
A lot of people has since held this against him that,how can a man who toppled a democratically elected government in a coup now want to be voted into power under the same system he abused?Hmm,that's a tough one to answer,but in Buhari's defence he was not part of that coup.But those who were around at the time,how many of them were happy with Shagari's regime and the way the country was being ruled?Was there or not clamour withing the country then,that the military should come sort out the mess the politicians had led the country into?If this was the thoughts of nation,can we really blame the military for taking over then?
Buhari's government launched the war against indiscipline,in public and public officials.This extended unto schools,work places,queues in general everyday life of Nigerians,price control on goods etc.
The downside of this was that,the military became to heavy handed in their quest to enforce indispline.Citizens were being flogged in the streets by soldiers,old men were made to do the frog jump on the streets for breaking laws etc.Citizens should not be flogged like animals to be orderly,but it's a pity that all Nigerian's seem to understand is the heavy hand.So the dilema is do you ignore the laws you are trying to enforce because the citizens won't comply or do you force them with whips?I think they should have found a better way or another way.If citizens were arrested with special centres set up where they were taken and fined for these failures to comply to rules,i think this would have been much better.It will also generate revenue for the country,cos bet your life,Nigerians will break thsoe rules,but i think eventually they will reform.If you have been arrested 3 times and pay a heavy fine,you will think twice before repeating the same offence in future.
Buhari's regime also introduced the famous environmental sanitation still being carried out today in Nigeria.No complaints about this,great move.
His government paid off all Nigeria's debts and didn't take out any loans,fantastic achievement.The iflation rates of Nigeria was also reduced from 23% to 5%.Amazing achievement bearing in mid this was done in less than 2 years of leadership.The price of petrol remained at 20kobo per litre,Nigerians will kill for the equivalent of that today.Nigeria also stopped borrowing fundings for projects.
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| The military man,General Muhammadu Buhari. |
His government masterminded the construction of 20 Oil depots throughout Nigeria(Laying over 3.200Km of pipeline)
.AS the PTF BOSS,Buhari:
Constructed more roads in 4Yrs than the PDP led Federal Government has done in the last 15Yrs-although it has been said that most of those roads were in the NORTH.Was this so,because the North were badly in need of those roads more than anywhere else in the country of because Buhari came from those quarters?
Published reports annually with press conferences to address issues arising from the reports
Supplied text books and learning materials to students (Education was his FUNDAMENTAL interest)
Supplied drugs for hospitals and health centers (Health Care another FUNDAMENTAL interest)
Published reports annually with press conferences to address issues arising from the reports
Supplied text books and learning materials to students (Education was his FUNDAMENTAL interest)
Supplied drugs for hospitals and health centers (Health Care another FUNDAMENTAL interest)
Muhammadu Buhari's other achievements are also notable.For example ,did you know Buhari discovered the late professor Dora Akunyili and nominated her for her position in NAFDAC?That alone in itself is hge,but i'm not surprised,Akuntili herself was an immensely principled woman.We all know what she went through in trying to turn NAFDAC into a force.So many threats on her life and pressures from all angles,but Prof Dra Ankuyili stood strong.Buhari must have seen something in her.
Buhari was the first head of state or president to put women in cabinet.This greatly surprised me,because Buhari is often portrayed as a control freak,which i guess he is to an extent and a religious tyrant.The last thing i would have expected was for a man like this to give women a chance of leadership.This was a remarkable Buhari achievement.
Buhari is also said to be the ONLY Nigerian former head of State or former president with No foreign Bank account and the ONLY one with NO assets abroad.This is a man who turned down 300million Naira which every ex Nigerian President receives yearly for pension.Saying it was unjustifiable,he instead chose to collect just 10% of the money and has stuck to it.Is this man for real?He (General Buhari) objected to collecting most of the allowances, insisting they were bogus and therefore amount to corruption. He personally wrote a letter to the ministry to that effect. As a result he collects only N2.3 Million a month; equivalence of 10% of what he is entitled to, which he believes is his legitimate earnings!
He is said to have only two houses, that in itself is incredible.No houses in USA ,UK,Dubai?He only lives on pension
Was NOT getting paid in PTF, he refused to collect salary, saying he already had his pension,hard to believe.
NEVER been convicted of any crime despite tribunals set up by Babangida and Obasanjo to try him.
Buhari went abroad for military training and when he returned he refunded the remnants of the stipends
Buhari so hated (still hates) corruption that he divorced his wife for collecting money from a corrupt
IBB regime.Another incredible fact,still find that hard to believe.
As head of State, his Cabinet was made up of 9 Muslims and 8 Christians-Now this is an interesting fact.Buhari is often made out to be a religious fanatic,and even i believed this,but to have equal religious sects in his cabinet does not strike me as a man who has that ideology.His first daughter was said to have married an ibo man,if she had been brought up in a home where you can only love a fellow muslin,she would not have married a christian.Not only a christian but also a non Hausa man shows me Buhari is indeed a tolerant man.
So many Nigerians drum it into their kids not to marry outside their tribe,some kids rebel,but the powerful families usually follow this rule if it was the wish of the father.It has also been used that he had a christian running mate for the 2011 election,but i don't take that seriously,because that was just politics.But what i believe is not politics is your daughter marrying an Ibo man and a christian,also having a christian as your personal driver for 10 years and a personal cook who is a christian shows Buhari is not a man who has a dislike or disdain towards christians.Your cook and your driver hold your life in their hands,Buhari entrusted these man with his,need i say more on that subject?
Buhari stood up against the west, the IMF and the world Bank pressured Buhari to devalue the Naira, it was 1Naira to 2USD, in fact Nigerians were able to spend Naira when they go outside Nigeria, the West didn’t feel comfortable, they wanted him to borrow money from the IMF but Buhari refused and focused on paying off our debts, within a few days in office Buhari paid off the first $50Million USD(Imagine the value in 1983) As a result, the World Bank cut Nigeria off from world trade organization, Buhari then resulted to trade by barter, exchanging Nigerians oil for goods and services. Western interests sponsored Babangida to overthrow Buhari, Babangida co-operated because Buhari was about to retire him for drug related crime.
Buhari stood up against the west, the IMF and the world Bank pressured Buhari to devalue the Naira, it was 1Naira to 2USD, in fact Nigerians were able to spend Naira when they go outside Nigeria, the West didn’t feel comfortable, they wanted him to borrow money from the IMF but Buhari refused and focused on paying off our debts, within a few days in office Buhari paid off the first $50Million USD(Imagine the value in 1983) As a result, the World Bank cut Nigeria off from world trade organization, Buhari then resulted to trade by barter, exchanging Nigerians oil for goods and services. Western interests sponsored Babangida to overthrow Buhari, Babangida co-operated because Buhari was about to retire him for drug related crime.