Opinion: Of Commonsense and Pedestrian Professorial Polemics

By Alaba Yusuf

Let’s begin by being civil, to admire Prof. SIyvanus Ikhide’s attempt to add to the body of world’s knowledge, by nourishing and polishing the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari whom he obviously tried to elevate to the pedestal of sainthood: “Mr. Integrity”.

But the “professorial thesis” drew its conclusion from a wrong premise. It is really embarrassing that a Professor who should know, by virtue of research and didactic analysis, that the National Bureau of Statistics regularly publish the number of job losses, etc.feigned ignorance of it.

Although the NBS has complained of lack of funding to do so this year, yet at the just concluded World Statistics Summit, the NBS Director General promised that the result will be out before the year runs out.

Meanwhile, using the last post from NBS, almost 10 million persons have been out of jobs since PMB came to power in 2015, contrary to his APC party’s pledge to create 3 million jobs annually. The opposite has been the case.

Therefore it is commonsensical to guide the eminent egghead Ikhide to push some digital buttons and check Google for NBS.

Since his “erudite” piece was hinged on PMB’s saint-ful Integrity, let’s do some litmus test.

From the block, PMB raced into the warm embrace of Nigerians, and the world at large, as the “Messiah” that will right all the wrongs in the most populous black nation in the world.

Recall PMB on his May 29 2015 inaugural speech at the Eagle Square Abuja:

“I belong to nobody, but everybody”. How true? The country has never witnessed a more nepotic and clannish head of state since the Majors struck in 1966 coup.

The security apparatus of the country has been corrupted and compromised.

Fresh on the pan is the sensational dismissal of “spy master” and PMB’s blood relation Director of Department of State Security, Daura, who in a Gestapo style sent hooded maskmen to unsuccessfully  torpedo the Senator Bukola Saraki-led National Assembly -all in full glare of media blitz.

That show of shame was an anathema in democracy, tyrannical impunity and a CORRUPTION of the nation’s hard-earned civil rule.

Again, from the Customs where a defiant  non-uniform-wearing emperor was imposed on regular officers as Comptroller General, thus killing workers’ morale, to how 14 out of 16 heads national security agencies come from one region. Who does that in a heterogeneous society where unity in diversity is demonstrated by equity and unity? Now we don’t have to drive far to fetch the reason for the unabated insurgency and crimes all over the country.

That aside,  our dear Professor who claims not to parade short memory, needs be jolted to the fact that PMB as President elect in early 2015 had boasted that:

“I would not have a corrupt person in my government.” Nice spice, eh?

Factcheck: a certain billionaire pension thief called Maina served under him and still walks free after causing death and depression to senior citizens whose toil and sweat he mismanaged.

How about PMB’s first Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Engineer Babachir Lawal. The arrogant Lord of the Manor renowned for his infamous “Who is the Presidency” comment, was indicted for “cutting grass” with two million US dollars ($2m). He was the powerhouse of PMB’s  first leg.

History also treats us to the unpalatable claim and counter claims between a certain Attorney General of Federation (AGF) and a Finance  Minister who forged NYSC Exemption Certificate. The British trained finance lady had alleged that the AGF plotted through a crony company to defraud the country to the tune of $17m for job not done on the recovery of “Abacha Loot Refund.”

Her victory didnt last a month before the cabal called for a pound of her flesh. They revealed she was a certificate fraudster, out of shame she resigned. Nigerians cried for public trial. Nay. PMB ensured a safe landing for her in UK. She was practically escorted to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Still on certificate forgery or dodging of national service. The Minister of Communication bearded Barrister Adebayo Shittu, has just been denied the chance of governing his home state of Oyo. Why?.  He too NEVER served the compulsory one-year post graduate scheme (NYSC). But he is still assaulting our common sensibilities by staying put in PMB cabinet despite obvious indictment by his APC party on self-admission of guilt by the “legal luminary.” Lest we forget he is seeking court interpretation of his defiance of a national scheme.

Moreover, the undying phenomenon of PMB’s WASCE (Cambridge?) are well documented in cyber cloud for posterity to judge. Prof. Ikhide should  seek hindsight insight. If the Commander in Chief says the Nigerian Army has his certificate and the Brave Beret Boys  said no: “Our records show a letter of recommendation from your school principal.” Who do we believe? Saunter in 2 “certificates” with humongous discrepancies!

It is now on record that out ONLY Mr. Integrity Buhari presented Court Affidavit to INEC as academic qualification. The rest 88 have authentic certificates. What a reputation?

Let’s take the horse on home run. A young man who chose to do NYSC, 2 years after graduation and with no known record of employment, reportedly bought one hundred and fifty seven thousands BMW power bike, which he joy rode with his friends in the days when Nigerians groaned under the pain and pang of fuel scarcity. The two lads were lucky to be alive today after crashing their big boy’s toys. One of the exuberant lads is lanky Yusuf Buhari, who suffered head injury and had to be flown abroad for treatment -taking a cue from his doting dad who neglects public health facilities at home,  to lap up medical tourism overseas. All on tax payers bill. What is that if not CORRUPTION.

And in these modern days of global gender equality and United Nations Affirmative Order of 35 of women inclusion in governance, PMB on a world media canvass said right before the eyes and ears of German Chancellor Angela Merkel  (whom he ignorantly called Michelle of West Germany) that the place of his vivacious, educated author and affable wife, Aisha Buhari, “belongs to the kitchen and the other room”. That is the height of insensitivity and corrupt masculine hegemony.

Lest I forget, PMB once in the US told reporters when asked about how inclusive his government would be: “those that gave me 5% of votes should not expect same share as those thst gave me 97%”. Haba@PMB new dimension of numerical reasoning.  His corruption of simple arithmetic is tummy churning even to a kindergarten pupil: 5 ×97 = 102. Per cent is based on hundred Mr. Integrity.

A point must also be made that the President ran the affairs of the country as a lone ranger for six months without a single minister, contrary to constitutional provisions. That created uncertainty in the mind of the business class and paved way for capital flight. The President’ s party and allies were equally abandoned which led to the open protestations of “used and dump.”  The alarm rang at PMB’s home where his amiable wife, Aisha, sounded a note of warning that: “A cabal has hijacked my husband’s government and they are preventing him from utilising those that campaigned to put him in power.

If truly what Sociologists postulate about human behavioural disposition over time as the aggregate of the person’s reputation, then it is obvious from the litany of errors in PMB’s government that has landed a once prosperous country in the abysmal pit of world’s headquarters of extreme poverty, hunger, anger, disunity, mass unemployment, job losses, crime and insurgency plus global opprobrium; that a teacher whose entire class failed an exam is himself a failure.

Succinctly put by ex President Olusegun Obasanjo that: “In the military, we don’t re-inforce failure. Buhari’s government has failed in all fronts and cannot be returned for another term.”

Going forward, Prof. Ikhide and his likes should do more roadwork, market and socio-economic sectoral studies before publishing pedestrian polemics that are lacking in substance and logic.

The Professor will do well to Google or YouTube the story of how Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Director General of Buhari/Osinbajo 2029 Campaign was booed @Osasushowsymodium, a few days ago in the nation’s Capital of Abuja.

And who hasn’t heard that the Chief of Staff to PMB, Mr. Khari, has been enmeshed in staggering allegations bordering on corruption and contract kickbacks.

Talking corruption temerity, the pips and epaulletes must go to Kano State, where PMB’s Man Friday, Governor “Abd$dollar Gan$dollar” (Abdullahi Ganduje) was caught on camera severally received millions of US dollar bribe in contract award back-handing. Despite, Prof. Ikhide’s Mr. Integrity, recently in France  eulogised the double-jag Kano helmsman as: “a good man who is working hard to empower Kano people and he deserves praise.” The world knows why. St the just concluded APC political charade of affirmation of Buhari, the party’s only candidate, through “direct primary”, maverick Ganduje presented his boss a “2. 9 million votes” that embarrassed both the Villa and the APC.

These gargantuan frauds are still being scented with deodorant a la Senator Shehu Sanni.

And what has ex Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose of PDP has done that  his counterpart governor-turned-Senator Godswill Akpabio, now an APC stalwart, hasnt done ten folds?

In conclusion, a sage once said that “the cumulative attitude of a man over time will extract him/her from the multitude and place him on a high altitude.”  PMB hasnt worked the talk.

So, like a non performing actor, he shall soon find a seat among the spectators.

As in the wise counsel of former Vice President  Atiku Abubakar, who is marking his 72nd birthday with an endowment fund for bereaved families of slain  soldiers in Nigeria, “modern governance is like a business, and those without business acumen have no business in government.”

So apt and poignant. PMB has never done a single business profitably and he cannot comprehend the art of job provision and wealth creation through private public partnership.

In 2019, Nigeria deserves its First Eleven just as we do in sports. PMB cant make the substitutes bench anywhere in a realistic world. Prof. Ikhide is free to feed in, or feed out.

Yusuf, an international journalist and publicist, wrote from Abuja