After the last Presidential elections in
2011, impaled by his electoral loss and immobilised by circumstances the odds
were stacked against him. He had lost three
elections in a row, his political progress, and his chance of a break-through
in his presidential ambitions became greatly diminished. General Buhari faced a
Harmattan period, with heavy fog filling the sky above and the Saharan dust
choking out any hint of hope. But in his darkest hours, something kept the
flame of hope burning and he refused to give up.
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s own
history challenges us that walls can be torn down but the task is never easy.
True progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. Today I project his
story on to Nigeria’s, its problems, its frustrations and its tragedy with an
unstinting belief that it can overcome.
As we celebrate the historic election of
the General and the gracious concession from President Jonathan to Nigeria, I
sound a clarion call, to those who are dissatisfied with the current status quo
that we must never give up, but dig deep into the labours of our leaders past
and allow their sacrifices to speak to us from the past. My country Nigeria
which has faced so many traumas, so many false dawns and is in a slow decent
into anarchy can draw a leaf from the word called hope.
The ownership of today’s victory does not
rest with party chieftains but its ownership really belongs to the long
suffering Nigerian people, those who are subjected to the daily scandal of
mis-governance, to those who deserve better healthcare, to the child who has a
right to decent education and also the family who simply want to live in
security.
As a people we must reject the myth of generational
apathy; and challenge the orthodoxy of current thinking and ask the hard
questions. We must challenge ourselves and understand the gravity of our task, which
lies ahead and understand the futility of doing nothing.
The pathway ahead remains hard, our
ascent steep, and we may not get there in one term, but I am filled with more
hope now than ever before that we will get there and we will reclaim our voice.
I do not in a thousand years suggest that an electoral victory conceived in the
depths of our anguish should end in the hype of the hour. Today may not be all
the change others and I seek; but it creates a space for us to make that
change. This is our chance to reclaim our voice to answer the call for this is
our moment and this is our time. It is by default that we have had bad
governments in Nigeria because we have allowed the past and present rulers to
operate on the unending margins of despair and apathy. They acquired power not
because they had a genius about them but because we were asleep in deep slumber
and the coalition of progressives was fractured.
In the past, I have made reference to the
template of President Obama, the improbability of a black man becoming the
President of the United States. I have written about the near impossibility
that was overcome when the first man was sent to the moon. The obstacle that
Apartheid presented and the dismantling of it without a bloodbath, the
impregnability of the Berlin Wall which came tumbling down! I therefore lay
down a challenge to the cynics who claim that Nigeria is an impossible case and
that without our abject surrender to corruption and its accompanying violence
we simply do not have a chance at mounting a challenge to the status quo.
I ask what do we have to lose by trying?
I suggest we lose more in not trying at all. I go further to state today that by
helping the people find their voice across the diaspora in Nigeria from Sokoto
to Lagos, Kwara to Taraba, Borno to Imo, Cross River to Kano, we will be able
to proclaim with all certainty and voices soaring above the skies of Nigeria
that our time has come!
I pray that the General and the APC buys
into my dream of a Nigeria governed by policies based upon welfarism, premised
on programmes, decisions and/or rules evaluated on the basis of their
consequences on the governed. Welfarism based on the view that the actions of
the rulers have significant consequences that impact on the human beings they
serve. Welfarism, which, produces ideas that stem from having a human face. Our
Welfarism must personify every structure of government. These structures must
be treated with dignity and care because failure on any part will have dire
consequences on others and have fatal effect on the governed.
For the General I visualise a quality of
leadership whose style is outstanding. Leadership that influences others
through inspiration, generated by a passion and ignited by a genuine and
sincere purpose. Not a leader who lords
it over the governed and is only after personal aggrandizement and avarice. The
vision is of a new crop of leadership, which demonstrates the passion and
willingness to serve and serve responsibly.
I suggest that the principle of good
governance is acknowledged as essential for the success of any Nation. Leaders
at the helm of our affairs should play a vital role in serving their causes and
communities through committed passion as well as skills and experience
to the instruments of governance and the governed. The principle of good
governance enhances the provision of long-term vision and protects the
reputation and values of a Nation. To make a difference our politicians need to
have proper procedures and policies in place. The principle of good governance
will ensure the delivery of welfarist promises made through a team that is
accountable, sincere and astute.
Today the General’s search for power has
come to an end and my fervent hope is that he uses power to truly transform our
destiny and ends the stigma of corruption.
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