One of the presidential aspirants under APC is the General of the Masses, Muhammadu Buhari also known as GMB. But my worry is this; can the near-saint man (as being projected) change Nigeria? Unlike some of his followers who are wont to say yes he can, I will beg to differ and say that he can best put in place the mechanism that will change Nigeria. We as a nation didn’t get here overnight and hence should not expect to get out of the mess overnight, but we can get out of it provided we have someone who is leading us. GMB need not perform any miracle but he can show us the way to follow.
Some critics will say, we are tired of soldiers; we don’t want to be ruled by ex-Generals again…but come to think of it, Generals with the help of some civilians brought us here, so I guess it is right for a General to save us from them, to lead us out.
Some would want to know why after past failed attempts, he has not given up. To that I will say one does not give up on something one believes in without a fight. Times without number, we are faced with challenges but that does not deter us from keeping at it. Like the Yoruba folklore, if you see an elderly man running helter-skelter in the forest, if he is not after something, something is definitely after him.
I have also heard that he should have anointed a young blood and rally support behind him. Maybe; but the GMB I read about wouldn’t want to be among many other things, a godfather.
And again, how many of our young men are ready to live his kind of life? Instead of anointing anyone, the best thing is for him to help rid the system of the pythons and cobras, to equip the youth with antidote of the pythons’ venom, after which he can sit back and watch, smile and relax and rest in peace.
So, if we believe that in a four-year term or eight years of two terms, GMB can really not do any magic, why are we expecting magic from President Jonathan; why are we not giving him benefit of the doubt?
Truth is, if the head is bad, the tail cannot be good. The corrupt nature of a leader will surely affect his followers. President Jonathan has been given series of benefit of the doubts and he betrayed them all. His true nature is evident by those who surround him.
Buhari is however different; here is a man who even Generals and ex-Generals are scared of. Here is a man who has zero tolerance for corruption. He is not a magician hence magic is not expected of him to transform Nigeria. He will do total overhauling of the system and put our destiny in our hands because a man cannot change a nation without the consent of the people.
Who can ever think that Lagosians with their aggressive nature can queue for public transport? Today, we have a governor who says and believes it can be done hence the emergence of Bus Rapid Transport (BRT). Fashola is not a magician; he only knew what to be done and when to do it.
Put the necessary mechanism in place, set the system aright and the system will not only set the people right, it will guide and change the people. That is the mission of General Muhammed Buhari and that is what Nigerians should expect of him.
Olusola Farouq,
Warri, Delta State
