Is Muhammadu Buhari Nigeria’s Answer to Abraham Lincoln?

Most Nigerians that were around in the country during the Buhari-Idiagbon military regime will never forget the heavy-handedness of the administration, the high rate at which human rights were violated, the much hated Decree 2 and 4, jailing of journalist, political critics, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and his manager – but the one that Nigerians will not forget was the killings of drug traffickers by firing squad. People will remember all these negative aspect of the Buhari-Idiagbon administration with fear and tension, but they will also remember an administration that was bent on maintaining law and order and total war against corruption with its ‘War Against Indiscipline’ (WAI) programme. Despite General Buhari’s shortcomings as a military dictator many Nigerians still romanticize about how Nigeria would have progress had it been that General Babangida did not interrupt the Buhari-Idiagbon mission, but I will leave this unto readers to make their inferences.

General Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942), was Head of State of of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military coup d’état. He ran unsuccessfully for the office of President in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. In December 2014, he emerged as the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, for the 2015 elections and the rest is now in the history books.

Indeed, it might be too early to compare Buhari to the great American president, Abraham Lincoln (considered among the greatest in American history), but there are some few similarities that preceded their ascent to national leadership in their respective countries.

Abraham Lincoln: 1832-Defeated for state legislature; 1835-Sweetheart died; 1838-Defeated for Speaker; 1843-Defeated for nomination for Congress; 1854-Defeated for U.S. Senate; 1856-Defeated for nomination for Vice President; 1858-Again defeated for U.S. Senate; 1860–Elected President.

It should be noted that the first wife of General Buhari, Safinatu Buhari, (former first lady) died from complications of diabetes in 2006.

Buhari built his election platform around an image of a staunch anti-corruption fighter, incorruptible and an honest reputation. He was reported in an interview to have said that he will not probe past corrupt leaders but would give officials who stole in the past amnesty, as long as they repent.

Let us not forget that in January 2015, the insurgent group “The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta” (MEND) endorsed Buhari in the Presidential race, claiming he is the best candidate to lead the country.

Buhari had before gave support to enforcement of Sharia law in Nigeria’s northern states, which had previously caused him political difficulties among Christian voters in the country’s south and middle belt. A blog post on his campaign website titled “Buhari will never Islamise Nigeria” describes a campaign ceremony in January in Imo state. Imo state’s Gov. Rochas Okorocha, also dismissed suggestions of plans by Muhammadu Buhari to ‘Islamize’ Nigeria,” telling an audience that Buhari’s long-time cook and driver were Christians and his youngest daughter was reported to be married to a Christian.

Buhari and Corruption

The name Buhari evokes two kinds of memories among Nigerians: i) the heavy-handedness and disdain for human rights and ii) his emphasis on law and order and a disdain for corruption at any level. Buhari’s supporters believed that he was overthrown by corrupt elements in the society that were afraid of being brought to justice. Although, the curious case of the fate of 53 suitcases, allegedly containing millions of US Dollars that were cleared through customs without inspection during his regime will still be a stain on his anti-corruption reputation.

Corruption has eaten deep into every aspect of Nigerian society (Ranked 144th in Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, 2013). Equally, the rate at which corruption is being tolerated in everyday transactions in Nigerian societies in indeed troublesome.

Let us be real with ourselves, Buhari isn’t going to eradicate corruption in Nigeria immediately, but people will expect him to halt the bleeding that has been driving the country down for decades. Nigeria has been bleeding in terms of misallocation/mismanagement of resources, brain drain, bleak career prospect for our future generation, and yes we can go on and on because the ills were just too many.

When the body is injured the first step is to identify the location of the injury on the body and stop the bleeding, treatment of the wound will then follow. It is long overdue for someone to put an end to this bleeding that has destroyed homes, families, social fabrics, and the socio-economic status of Nigerians among our fellow Africans – General Muhammadu Buhari couldn’t have come at a better time.

At this rate of corruption and level of decadence that the country finds itself, a serious bitter pill is really warranted. Nigerians will have to do away with their normal business-as-usual behaviours. Every other new presidents since Obasanjo did promised and failed to tackle corruption in their administration when assuming office, but will it be Buhari that will eventually pull this off – only time will tell.

Finally the crucial question, is Buhari the real deal or is he going to be like his predecessors that all made empty promises and failed to tackle Nigeria’s endemic corruption? The next four years will shine light on how this story unfolds.

Read: Examining The Man – Major General Muhammadu Buhari

Read: What You Should Know About Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari’s Running Mate