When I was the CPS, there was a time that electricity improved and my family gave President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) the entire credit. Change has come, they said. Baba this, Baba that, they chorused.
Few days later, electricity supply dropped and they started blaming the governor. “Talk to your boss,” my cousin said, “he should fix this light problem!”
“If the governor wasn’t responsible for the improvement,” I replied, “why should he be blamed for the lack of it?”
Even though we all know that everyone is suffering, nobody wants to blame Buhari. But we (Buhari’s supporters) blame everyone else. We find fault with the ministers, governors, our brothers and even our wives.
But dare to even clear your throat against Buhari and you would be shouted down. Every week, we find someone to blame for our economic troubles. Last week, it appeared to be the turn of the president’s wife. We trained our guns on her, supposedly because she wore a suit to America. I wonder who’s going to be our next victim.
But if you look closely, it’s probably because we’ve not eaten dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast.
It’s like not knowing you’re shouting at your children because your boss shouted at you in the office.
It’s called displacement in psychology: satisfying an impulse (in this case, anger) with a substitute , less powerful object. Example, an employee frustrated by his boss at work, could go home and kick the cat.
I recall the humorous story of a Bida based Muslim preacher who decided to criticize the APC government during the first Eid prayers of the new government. The government was just a couple of months old. People were still basking in the afterglow of their victory at the polls. First, the preacher attacked the state government. This got the worshippers’ attention. “Where is he going with this,” they thought. Then he attacked the APC. However, when he began to attack President Muhammadu Buhari, the people resolved that they had heard enough. “Beat up the bastard,” they said. At which point the worshippers abandoned the worship and set upon the preacher. “He’s a PDP malam,” I was later told.
This preacher was obviously mischievous. Yet, there are some people who supported PMB, spent their money to elect him (and are still supporting him) who would like to ask some questions of the government or suggest something. How would they do this without being called yam eaters? Well, there are some steps to follow. You may call it Benign Buhari Criticism Technique.
The first step is to handle the religious corner. Mention that you pray for our leaders to succeed, then acknowledge what Prophet Muhammad (SAW): “Whoever wants to advise a sultan (leader or ruler) with a matter, do not do it outwardly but let him take him by the hand and go into seclusion with him. If he accepts it from him then that (is good) and if not then he (the adviser) has fulfilled that which was upon him (to do).”
Step two is to frame your concern not as a criticism or even advice, but as a question. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself was asked many times by his companions about questions which they didn’t understand. Even the angels asked God when He wanted to create “generations after generations” of mankind:
“Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood?” Sheikh ibn Kathir explained that the angels did this to learn; they meant: “What is the wisdom of creating such creatures since they will cause trouble [on] the earth and spill blood?”
Then Allah told them: “I know that which you do not know.” [Qur’an 2:30]
Based on this conversation between God and the angels, Jeffrey Lang, a former atheist and a professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas and an author of several memoirs on converting to Islam, wrote an instructive book in 1997 entitled Even Angels Ask to stress the importance of questions in Islam and the search for the truth.
The third step is to acknowledge the fact that PMB is probably the best president for us now. Personally, I feel that were it another person as president, Nigerians would have revolted, considering the hardship we face now.
If you do this, that is, arguing from the logical, moral and religious perspectives, PMB supporters would accept that your concerns are harmless and they would listen to you. However, there are two other options.
Say whatever you want to say and tell whoever is not happy to go and jump from Kufena Mountain. You may think you think it is their problem, not yours. But that is not a wise attitude to carry. Because they can make their problems yours. They may come to you (not to the president) when they need money for food or want to take a new wife.
Finally, the option that works best, the tried and true method, is to just blame others. Yes, anyone but Buhari.
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