ENTERS THE BUHARI PRESIDENCY

· A new era takes off

A new chapter opens in Nigeria’s polity today as a former military ruler, General Muhammadu Buhari, is sworn in as the country’s 15th Head of State and sixth democratically-elected President. Today’s inauguration of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency crowns weeklong activities to herald the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government after the opposition party defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has been in power since 1999, when the country returned to civil rule.

Buhari made history with his defeat of an incumbent president (Goodluck Jonathan – 15.4 million to 12.8 million votes) for the first time in Nigeria’s political history, and becomes Nigeria’s second former military ruler after Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (1999 – 2007) to return to the presidency through the ballot.

Obasanjo was elected president in 1999 after relinquishing power in 1979. He had emerged in 1976 after the botched coup that claimed the life of the then Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed.

For Buhari, he returns to the seat he vacated three decades ago following the overthrow of the then military regime he headed between 1983 and 1985 by General Ibrahim Babangida. While Buhari’s victory in the March 28 presidential election and Jonathan’s consequent conceding of defeat have been described as turning points in Nigeria’s electoral process, the Buhari presidency is however coming at a time high level dissatisfaction and discontent in the polity have compelled most Nigerians to seek for a new beginning. The quest is not out of place given the high hopes Africa’s most populous nation held at independence from colonial rule in 1960.

Nigeria was then expected to be in the vanguard of black renaissance as the citizenry were fired by the zeal to make a mark in the world space within the shortest possible time.

This optimism was further boosted by the commitment of nationalists like Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa to nation building as well as the country’s abundant human and natural resources. But, five decades after self-rule, Nigeria remains a land of poverty and insecurity despite her huge potential. This, many believe, was made possible by several factors, particularly inefficient leadership, which has in turn forced many to lose hope in the country’s leadership.

It is against this backdrop that the Buhari presidency comes on board amidst great expectation from the populace and no doubt, the former military leader is not unaware of the heavy burden he must shoulder between now and 2019 to turn the tide. Road to presidency For Buhari, it is a long road to the presidency. The journey began in 2003, when he took the first shot on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP), but was defeated by Obasanjo of the PDP. He was back in 2007, also on the platform of the ANPP, but was this time defeated by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who hailed from the same state, Katsina, with him. In March 2010, he left the ANPP to form the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

It was on this platform that he contested the 2011 presidential election against Jonathan but lost for the third time. He polled 12 million votes against the out-going president’s 22.3 million.

The intrigues and power play that characterised the election, especially the collapse of an alliance between the CPC and defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led by a former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, forced him to declare at the eve of the presidential poll that he will not run for any elective office again. His words: “This campaign is the third and last one for me. I will not offer myself again for election into the office of  president”.

He however made a detour in 2013, when he said: “I am still in active politics until the polity is sanitised and people enjoy the fruits of democracy at all levels of government.” The volte-face unsettled many Northern political elements, who had been on the standby to step into his shoes, but the stern Buhari, like the soldier that he is, stuck to his gun and resolved not to quit politics, even when some of his contemporaries have taken the back stage. He hinged his resolution on two compelling objectives – need to sanitise the polity, and to ensure that Nigerians enjoy the dividends of democracy at all levels of government.

Dateline 2015

Despite three unsuccessful attempts, Buhari never gave up on his presidential ambition. It is on record that he was among the first to declare for the 2015 presidency as early as in 2013, although many saw his quest then as another “political gamble.”

The bid, however, gained momentum shortly after the formalisation of the merger of leading opposition parties –ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which led to the formation and registration of APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on July 31, 2013. Expectedly, Buhari’s aspiration received the endorsement of APC’s delegates at the party’s National Convention in Lagos between November 10 and 11, 2014.

He defeated four other aspirants – former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar; Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso; Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and the publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah to clinch the presidential ticket.

He polled 4,430 votes to beat Kwankwaso to the second position. The Kano State governor had 974 votes. Shockingly, Atiku, who many had thought would give the former military ruler a good run, came a distant third with 954 votes, while Okorocha came fourth with 624 votes.

Nda-Isaiah, a new comer to the race had 10 votes. The outcome of the primaries drew the battle line for the 2015 presidency between Buhari and Jonathan, though it was not the first time both men would square each other for the country’s plum job. They first met in the 2011 presidential election, which Buhari contested on the CPC platform but lost.

Popularity as strength

There is no doubt that the APC national leadership was able to build formidable structures across the country between 2013 when the party was registered and the 2015 elections, but it is incontrovertible that Buhari rode on his popularity to power, particularly in the North, where he enjoys a kind of cult-followership. Buhari’s popularity, perhaps, explained the support his ambition got from APC governors even when two of them –Kwankwaso and Okorocha contested the party’s presidential primaries.

His electoral strength as demonstrated in previous elections, especially in 2011 that he garnered about 12 million votes, convinced the governors of his ability to defeat Jonathan in the 2015 poll.

The CPC platform, on which he contested the 2011 presidential election, it would be recalled, was formed less than six months to the election and his campaign never extended beyond the North. He also lacked the financial strength, which plays a great role in determining electoral victories in the country.

Despite these limitations, he was able to win 12 out of the 19 Northern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, while Jonathan’s PDP won in the rest seven states of Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Adamawa.

It was therefore understandable when APC chieftains, including those who lost out in the presidential primaries threw all they had in support of the Buhari candidature in the March 28 election.

The backing was informed by the belief that a Buhari candidature will guarantee substantial votes for the party in the North-West and North-East zones as well as the South-West, where Tinubu holds sway, politically. The calculation paid off with the party’s victory in 21 out of the country’s 36 states. The states are Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Bauchi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Katsina, Kwara, Kaduna, Benue, Borno, Kebbi, Lagos, Yobe, Gombe and Zamfara.

Catalogue of promises

The dynamism Buhari and the APC leadership introduced in the 2015 presidential campaign saw the former military ruler extending his campaign beyond the northern part of the country, perhaps for the first time since 2003. In the previous polls, he rarely campaigned outside his North- West home zone, apparently due to paucity of funds unlike his PDP counterparts, whose party has been in power since 1999 with structures across the country and enormous financial resources at their disposal.

The reason for the boost in Buhari’s campaign is not far-fetched. The coming together of the various opposition parties and defection of some members of the ruling party, the PDP, particularly five of its governors to the APC offered Buhari, not only a broader platform but resources to campaign across the country.

Little wonder his campaign train which took off from Port Harcourt, Rivers State on January 6, criss-crossed 35 out of the 36 states in the country and the Federal Capital Territory except Yobe due to the security situation in the North-East. Adding colour to the rallies, Buhari appeared in the traditional attires of the respective states he visited, apparently to prove that he is at home with the locals.

He made several promises, which he said will bring positive changes in the lives of Nigerians within two years as his desire for change has not diminished. The promises revolve around three issues – fight against corruption, insecurity and job creation. According to his blueprint, part of his strategies and plans, especially in the area of corruption, is to draw a line to ensure that the cankerworm, which has remained bane of Nigeria’s development, is dealt with.

His words: “Corruption has assumed such a high proportion. It stands for our culture in Nigeria. I have gone through so much to know this. If we say we are going to look back, we will never move forward. We will try and draw a line. What is in the courts, we will allow to go on.”

He added: “Whoever has misappropriated public resources knows. He should also know how to cough them up because a line will be drawn from May 30. Henceforth, whoever is trusted with public office and betrays the trust would be dealt with.”

On the economy, he said: “We have lined up programmes on how to tackle unemployment. We are going to assemble a team of professionals for wealth creation and employment for our teeming youths. We will also put a mechanism in place to improve on the economy. Our main objective is to make sure that agriculture and other non-oil sectors get priority to create opportunities for Nigerians, so that whether educated or not, they have gainful employment.”

He also assured on security, saying: “Whatever we are going to do, we have to secure Nigeria first. What we are witnessing in the North-East where people are being killed is not acceptable. We know that the Nigerian military is capable of bringing peace and stability to this country. They need to be given the leadership and that is what I promise, if elected.” He also promised to bring about positive changes in the lives of Nigerians within two years as his desire for change has not diminished.

Unrepentant disciplinarian

Undeniably, Buhari is admired by many for his uprightness and anti-corruption stand, but the fame did not come that easy. The moral revolution anchored on the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), which he introduced as a military leader had remained a national phenomenon and reference point for decades. Though military governments were aberration at the time he and the late Brig. General Tunde Idiagbon sacked the then government of President Shehu Shagari; history had been fair to him for the high level of discipline and patriotism, which he exhibited in leading the nation.

Till date, Buhari is yet to allow that anti-corruption posture to wane. His government was revered for its ability to keep the country afloat by making progress through sheer economic ingenuity even when it rejected the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan; refused to devalue the Naira; curbed imports of needless goods; curtailed oil theft and used a counter trade policy to barter seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful goods like machineries. His administrative style and transparency was also lauded by many Nigerians when he headed the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). The agency (though scrapped) is still credited for impacting on the lives of the people through implementation of several developmental projects.

The man Buhari

Born in Daura, Katsina State, on December 17, 1942 to Adamu and Zulaihat Buhari, Buhari is the 23rd child of his father. He was raised by his mother after his father died when he was about four years old. He attended primary school in Daura and Mai’adua before proceeding to Katsina Model School in 1953, and Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College Katsina) from 1956 to 1961.

He later joined the Nigerian Military Training School Kaduna in 1963 and also attended Officer’s Cadet School in Aldershot (United Kingdom), October 1963. In 1964, he was at the Nigerian Military College, Kaduna for Platoon Commanders’ course and later attended Mechanical Transport Officer’s course at the Army Mechanical Transport School in Borden (United Kingdom), 1965.

He also studied at the Defence Services’ Staff College, Wellington (India), 1973 and the United States Army War College, 1979-1980. He first came to limelight following his appointment as governor of the then newly created North-East State during General Muhammed’s regime and later to national focus in 1975, when he was appointed by the regime of General Obasanjo as Minister (then Federal Commissioner) for Petroleum and Natural Resources. He became the first chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at its creation in 1977.

Among the several positions he held during his military career include Platoon Commander, 2nd Infantry battalion, 1963-1964; Mechanical Transport Officer, Lagos Garrison, 1964-1965; Transport Company Commander, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1965-1966; Battalion Adjutant/ Commander, 2nd Infantry Division, 1967-1968 and Brigade Major, 2nd sector, 1st Infantry Division, 1967; Others are Brigade Major, 3rd Infantry Division, 1967-1968; Acting Commander, 4th Sector, 1st Division, 1968-1970; Commander, 31st Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, 1970-1971; Assistant Adjutant- General, 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, 1971-1972; Colonel, General Staff, 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters, 1974. He was also Acting Director Supply and Transport, Nigerian Army Corps, Headquarters, 1974-1975; Military Secretary, Army Headquarters, 1978 – 1979; Member, Supreme Military Council, 1978-1979; General Officer Commanding, 4th Infantry Division, 1980-1981; General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armoured Division, 1981-1983; Executive Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), 1995-1999. Buhari has received several awards and medals including, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR); Defence Service Medal (DSM); National Service Medal (NSM); General Service Medal (GSM) Loyal Service and Good Conduct Medal (LSGCM); Forces Service Star (FSS) and the Congo Medal (CM) among others.

Buhari’s memorable quotes

“This generation of Nigerians and indeed the future generation have no country other than Nigeria; we shall stay and salvage it together!”

“This campaign is the third and last one for me. I will not offer myself again for election into the office of president.”

“Because they can’t attack our record, they accuse me falsely of ethnic jingoism; they accuse me falsely of religious fundamentalism. Because they cannot attack our record, they accuse us falsely of calling for election violence – when we have only insisted on peace. Even as Head of State, we never imposed Sharia.”

“I have a house each in Kaduna, Kano, Daura, and one in Abuja, which I borrowed money to build. I never had a foreign account since I finished my courses in the USA, India and the UK. I never owned any property outside Nigeria. Never!”

“Religion must never be used as an excuse to divide us, oppress others or gain unfair advantage. All my life I have expressed the belief that all Nigerians must worship God according to their wish.” “No government can hope to enjoy the trust and respect of its citizens as long as it continues to fail in protecting the people.”

“Because of greed, profligacy and corruption, Nigeria’s wealth has not translated to human development.”

“Any war waged on corruption should not be misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt.”

“On corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration.”

“There shall no more be a ruling party; All Progressives Congress (APC), will now be your governing party.”

“You are all my people; I will treat you all as mine. I will work for those who voted for me, voted against me and those who didn’t vote at all.”

“President Jonathan has nothing to fear of me; we might not agree on the same methodology of governance… he is a great Nigerian leader, who made it possible for democracy to thrive. I will extend my hands of fellowship to Jonathan and his team.”

“Along the way there will be success and setbacks; mistakes will be made but we will not take you for granted.”

-New Telegraph