KNOW YOUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. How a man will fare in public office can be gauged by his antecedents as a public office holder since the Leopard cannot change its spot. I will give some very important espouse on Buhari from various independent sources so that it cannot be said that i was influenced by malice or bias in my analysis. First, is an abstract from a classified document in the Public Library of United States Diplomacy as leaked by Wikileaks: Like President Obasanjo before the 1999 election, General Buhari’s political experience is limited to that of military Head of State. Buhari came to power as a result of a 1983 New Year’s Eve coup against the democratically elected Shehu Shagari. The eviction of Shagari came as a welcome relief as did Buhari’s promise to root out corruption. That relief, however, was short-lived as Nigerians watched despairingly as the Buhari regime’s promises to revive the economy and wipe out rampant corruption withered during 20 months of heavy-handed, largely ineffective rule. In May 1984, Buhari ordered the brutal expulsion of 700,000 illegal immigrants from neighboring African states, jailed hundreds of political opponents and muzzled a once aggressive press. His loyalty to the military also came into question as he dismissed 30,000 soldiers as a cost-cutting measure. Buhari also soured Nigeria’s relations with Britain, when he was accused of masterminding a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt in July 1984 to kidnap President Shagari’s brother-in-law, former Transport Minister Umaru Dikko. Moreover, Buhari undermined traditional rulers throughout Nigeria, slashing their benefits and questioning their authority. The Encyclopaedia Britannica summed up Buhari thus: ...Insurmountable economic problems plagued the Buhari regime as petroleum prices collapsed in the face of expanding foreign debt. Buhari instituted austerity measures that caused severe hardship to the average Nigerian. In addition, political corruption continued unabated, with politicians escaping to Western countries with millions of dollars in government money. In an effort to stop dissension, Buhari instituted restrictions on the press, political freedoms, and trade unionists. By August 1985 even the military had had enough, and Ibrahim Babangida took control of the government. Buhari was detained in Benin City but was released at the end of 1988. In 2003 Buhari ran for president; he was defeated by the incumbent, Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari ran again in 2007 but was defeated by the PDP’s candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua, in an election that was strongly criticized by international observers as being marred by voting irregularities. Buhari also stood in the 2011 presidential election, which was praised for largely being transparent, free, and fair, but he again lost to the PDP’s candidate, incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. According to the BBC, Buharis attempts to re-balance public finances by curbing imports led to many job losses and the closure of businesses. These losses were accompanied by a rise in prices and a decline in living standards with many Nigerians queuing for essential commodities. Premised on the foregoing, you can see why it is so bemusing hearing our countrymen herald Buhari as the long sought after savious that will come and take away all our sufferings and restore Nigeria to its former glory. BUhari has been there before and we have seen how he operates. The choice is Nigerians to make whether we are going 30 years back to our vomit or marching on to a brighter tomorrow.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:05:22 +0000
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