Why is it so difficult for President Muhammadu Buhari to wield the big stick? Many of the people in his administration are guilty of dereliction of duty, poor performance and even non-performance, yet the President is acting as if his hands were tied. The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris is the biggest culprit, under his watch, the security situation in the country has deteriorated to an unprecedented level.
It is a needless and time wasting exercise telling the IG to answer a query for flagrantly flouting an order of the President. The President ordered him to relocate to Benue to nip in the bud the senseless killings going on that state, he went there, spent few hours and returned to base. This also shows that the President sources of information were compromised. Or the President was simply being lied to. No wonder he seems out of tune with the situation of things in the country.
President Buhari was under the impression that the IG had complied with his order only to be jolted to reality during his visit to the state on Monday that the IG never obeyed his order concerning the relocation to Benue.
Of what need is the query? The IG did not obey the President is clear for everyone to see. Its high time the President started to exercise his powers by sacking the IG and other errant, disobeying and lying officials including ministers. President Buhari can take a cue from President Trump who takes no nonsense from anyone. President Trump fired Rex Tillerson as the secretary of state while he was in Nigeria on an official assignment and replaced him immediately. Heaven did not fall. The Saudi monarch in one clean sweep changed the leadership of its armed forces, nothing happened and the nation is still standing. Why is President Buhari so docile and condoning of underperforming officials? The need for cabinet reshuttle is long overdue. Perhaps, his tolerance of underperforming officials is part of the calculus for 2019. There are so many jetsam on board the ship of his administration, the President must be courageous enough to get rid of them before they sank this ship on a treacherous water of Nigeria’s multitude of problems.
Leadership, as they say, is not a popularity contest, it’s about taking hard, constructive and at times not generally accepted decision as along as you have the conviction that it will be beneficial to the implementation of your policies and the general wellbeing of the people.
In wake of the kidnapping of the 110 schoolgirls in Dapchi and other security lapses in the country, President Buhari was expected to pull his weight by sacking all the service chiefs, the IG, Ministers of Defence and Interior, rather, we are inundated with lame excuses. Muhammadu Buhari, get presidential or get out.
