“I am not the President of black America; I am the President of the United States of America”
—President Barack Obama in response to criticism that he hasn’t done enough for the black community
Dear
President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, I will begin this piece by
congratulating you on your historic victory. I must confess, at the risk
of being termed partisan, that like other Nigerians, I celebrated your
victory because it was a lesson in perseverance and how one must never
give up on a dream in spite of the challenges and obstacles in one’s
way. Even now, I still marvel at the doggedness that drove your ambition
since 2003 when you began the journey to govern Nigeria yet again after
more than three decades of leaving power.
In spite of the
challenges, hate campaigns and propaganda targeted at your person, you
were undeterred. You stuck stubbornly to your dream. Your victory is a
conviction rooted in self-belief. I was also elated not only because of
your victory but the significance of unseating an incumbent who also was
magnanimous enough in defeat to concede defeat and congratulate the
winner. Both your victory and President Goodluck Jonathan concession
have further deepened our democracy.
Readers of
this column will know that I have been an unrelenting critic of
President Jonathan’s administration. But in the twilight of his
presidency, the outgoing President’s heroic act has taken our democracy
several steps forward. Now, we can look ahead with hope that our
democratic culture has further been deepened by an outgoing president
who is magnanimous in defeat and an incoming president-elect who is
humble in victory. As you assume the mantle of leadership, you owe our
country a duty to further strengthen our democracy by being the symbol
of a united Nigeria as demonstrated in your victory. While you wait to
be sworn in, I have decided to humbly offer a piece of advice that will
guide your presidency and cement your place in Nigeria’s history.
The
single advice I will offer you on this page is to remind you that your
victory belongs to the Nigerian people. Dear Buhari, you are not an
ethnic or a sectional president. Your victory belongs neither to the
Fulani nor the north. Just like the outgoing government, there will be
temptation to do the bidding of your people. You must resist it like a
statesman. This is one fact that must guide your conduct as President.
To act or do otherwise will be a betrayal of the mandate and the
confidence reposed in you by Nigerians from different creed, ethnic and
religious backgrounds.
As President, you must always remember
those Nigerians from the East, North, South and West who thronged your
campaign rallies. They are looking forward to the promise of “change”
your party made to them. You cannot afford to alienate any Nigerian. The
entire country should be your constituency. Mr. President-elect, I am
glad that you already mentioned in your acceptance speech that there
will be no room for vindictiveness but that does not mean officials who
commit crime against the Nigerian people must not be held accountable.
As
a people, Nigerians hope that your victory will unify the country more
than ever before. But it remains to be seen if your presidency will
avoid the mistakes of the past. Your success in the next four years will
be determined by how you manage our divisive fault lines as a nation.
Needless to say that our fault lines have been exploited by myopic
leaders who sought to exploit them for political gains; but as
President, you can change the narrative by being a unifying figure.
No
doubt, that there will be ethnic, religious and primordial challenges
you must overcome. How well you navigate these fault lines will
determine your success. I am strongly hoping that having been a Head of
State and statesman, you are nationalistic enough to avoid ethnic and
religious sentiments in decision-making as President. You must be guided
in your decisions and must not be seen as the President of the north.
In
spite of the propaganda and hate campaigns targeted at your person,
Nigerians still voted for you. By electing you as their new president,
Nigerians expect a president who will not act based on sectional
interests. With their votes, they do not see you as a northern leader.
Nigerians believe you will be the president of all Nigerians. They hope
equity, fair play and justice will guide your policy decisions as
president. You must not disappoint them. The temptation to do the
bidding of your “people” will be there. Already, people are expressing
fear of a northern agenda. While I see this as a conspiracy theory, you
must dispel the fears by being a national rather than a sectional
leader.
As you assume the mantle of leadership, be reminded that
your oath of allegiance must be to Nigerians and not ethnic
irredentists and groups laying claim to your presidency. In this wise,
groups like Arewa Consultative Forum, Oodua Peoples Congress, Afenifere,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo must be kept at arm’s length. Really, how many of these
groups helped your cause when you were a candidate? Was it not ordinary
Nigerians that voted for you?
You must also stay away from
those northern groups who are fond of drumming up the “power must return
to the north” slogan. They may pretend to speak for their ethnic groups
but in reality their divisive rhetoric has worsened our fault lines
over the years. Fraternising with them will alienate your government
from ordinary Nigerians and deepen our fault lines. Let your focus be on
the masses that elected you as their president. After all, you are
known to be the champion of the downtrodden. It will be a big letdown if
you turn your back on them like the outgoing government.
I must
remind you that one of the reasons that led to the defeat of President
Jonathan is the way in which Nigerians perceived his government as
pandering to ethnic and religious sentiments. Just like you, the
President had the mandate and goodwill of Nigerians at the inception of
his administration in 2011, but he soon began to see himself as an Ijaw
president while he surrounded himself with ethnic warlords who
threatened the country with divisive rhetoric. His government was
defined by “It’s our turn syndrome.” They alienated other Nigerians
across the country who voted for him in 2011.
In the run-up to
the elections, they threatened violence if Jonathan was not re-elected.
In the same vein, there are ethnic elements in the north who have been
telling Nigerians that power must return to the north. Now that you have
been elected president, you will have to strongly remind them that your
victory is not a fulfilment of the “power must return to the north”
mantra. Neither is your victory a confirmation of the alleged “born to
rule mentality” of the north. As president, you must demonstrate to the
ethnic hegemonists from the north that you intend to be different as a
Nigerian president and not a president of the north. So, when they begin
to show their faces around the Presidential Villa, remind them that
your victory belongs to Nigeria. Only then can you carve a place for
yourself in history as a selfless leader. I pray for your success.
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