It is on record that before the foray of President Muhammadu Buhari into politics, no politician in the history of Northern Nigeria, including the late Sardauna, the then premier of the northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, enjoyed the cult-like love and following the outgoing president enjoyed.
Regrettably, he is leaving the Aso Villa, in few days’ time, as one of the most hated commanders that lost his loyal troops in a battle to save his nation and humanity.
He is leaving as someone who has lost the tremendous goodwill he had enjoyed, and which gave him the mandate to preside over the destiny of the country and its citizens.
This is so because it is on record that people that never voted in their lives came out for the first time, in 2015, to vote for the General turned politician.
People that never ever made any financial donation to any politician, including an old woman in Kebbi state who was widely reported to have donated her life savings from the sale of akara to Buhari to support him to become their president; all, in the hope that the General was going to make Nigeria better in all ramifications.
Such people are not only disappointed today, but, are full of regrets because a man who was presented to them as an angel or messiah has dashed their hopes.
Majority of Nigerians today believe that the country is worse off, in every sense of the word, and its citizens have been made to taste bitter or unprecedented difficulty and hardship, as their reward for helping to make the General their president for eight consecutive years.
However, at the same time, there are some people who became stupendously rich, because of their loyalty or affiliation, in one way or the other, with President Buhari or with the cabal that were truly in charge of his government. For such people and their beneficiaries, PMB is, and will remain the best thing that ever happened to Nigeria.
However, whether PMB is the best or worst thing that ever happened to Nigeria, to me, and I believe to several others, he has committed a number of palpable sns for which many Nigerians will never forget or forgive him. May be it was in recognition of some of these sins that he was recently prompted or advised to appeal to Nigerians he has he offended, to forgive him.
These sins, in my opinion as a victim of the most grievous of them, and in recognition of their eternal effects on governance, are what have prompted me to draw the attention of President in-waiting Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, not because he is unaware of them himself, but because of my earnest desire to see him succeed where PMB has failed.
For P-BAT to therefore succeed, he must avoid these sins, if he is truly committed to saving the Nigeria project. P-BAT must do things differently and independent of PMB’s style of governance.
PMB is widely seen today as a leader who lacks humanity and the basic know-how required to lead a country; and this, coupled with his inherent bizarre and aberrational attitudes, may have contributed in his failure to deliver on his campaign promises and constitutional mandate.
Therefore, if P-BAT wants to succeed, be remembered and celebrated by peace loving and discerning Nigerians, before, and at the end of his tenure, he must be Godly, and must respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the discharge of his functions as the country’s president.
These 20 palpable sins which PMB was notorious for, include, but not limited to:
1. Abuse of rule of law. 2. Tolerance/Accommodation of terrorists, their sympathisers, direct and indirect financiers and Ideologues in his government. 3. Flouting of court irders. 4. Nepotism. 5. Use/Support for religious politics. 6. Division and balkanisation of principled unions such as ASUU. 7. Application of selective justice. 8. Disdain for adherents of other faiths. 9. Tolerance/Accommodation of murderers and culprits of genocides in his government.
10. Accommodation of betrayers and non-respecters of leaders, elders and benefactors in his government. 11. Accommodation and financial support to excommunicators and pro-blood splitting clerics. 12. Acting the script of foreign countries that are detrimental to Nigeria’s cohesion, unity and peaceful co-existence. 13. Rekindling of intra and inter religious hatred and animosity which often leads to needles and avoidable bloodshed. 14. Nationalisation of poverty and hunger as a result of bad or ill-conceived policies.
15. Destruction of confidence and trust among age long political allies. 16. Inability or deliberate refusal to address problems that trigger agitations for secession. 17. Identification with, and empowerment of pro-violence religious sects or groups. 18. Interference in intra and inter religious disputes that are doctrinal, but resolvable through peaceful and scholarly engagements.
19. Frequent, wasteful and self-serving trips, while neglecting important domestic exigencies requiring his presence and attention. 20. Refusal to sincerely and commitedly engage agitators or leaders of secessionist movements in the country to dialogue with them with the view of finding enduring peace, stability and unity in the country.
I am sure, as night follows day, that If P-BAT follows this advice, history will document his name as a better and patriotic leader and achiever than PMB
Adam is publisher of Education Monitor Group of Newspapers