Buhari critics and politics of double standards

The concept of genuine democracy is synonymous with constructive criticism because it is only through it that government could be compelled to sit up and perform better. There’s also a saying in politics that minority must have their say and the majority must have their way. This implies that in a democratic setting, minority views must be respected, they should be allowed to express their grievances and make criticisms where necessary. But their criticisms must always be predicated within the context of rule of law and must be constructive. By definition, you cannot just make a statement that cannot be justified. But people like Governor Ayodele Fayose, Femi Fani Kayode, Ben Murray Bruce and Mathew Hassan Kukah have always been relentless in their criticisms of President Buhari and his administration.

They have never seen or said anything positive about Buhari’s leadership style. President Buhari has returned to Nigeria having spent a couple of weeks in the UK for a routine medical checkup and it is very comforting to learn that the President is recuperating very well. He did not die as ruthlessly and widely circulated in the early days of his vacation. Even before President Buhari proceeded for his medical vacation, he has transferred all the instruments of state powers to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo without any reservation to serve as acting President in compliance with section 145 (1) of 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended. But it’s very surprising that those fiercest critics of President Buhari are curiously silent on Professor Yemi Osinbajo, they did not utter a single word of criticisms to the acting President, and they have totally gone on sabbatical. The essence of this piece is to point out their double standard because my understanding is that the whole issue about their criticisms is not based on merits or facts, but rather, it is all about President Buhari’s total and unwavering fight against corruption otherwise the above mentioned critics of President Buhari should have criticised the acting President in equal measure so that any ethnic or religious coloration in their criticisms could have been significantly defused. 

They have resorted to unnecessary and baseless criticisms because EFCC has recorded profound success in the fight against corruption. We have witnessed how billions of US dollars have been recovered from many government officials of the previous administration. It just unfortunate that some people are hell bent on sabotaging the administration of President Buhari at all costs by making comparison between the performance of President Buhari and the acting president. 

What they failed to understand is that the circumstances are entirely different. On the one hand President Buhari did not enjoy the kind of support and cooperation that was accorded to the acting President. President Buhari was more or less deserted by critical stakeholders. On the other hand, the acting President enjoys high level of cooperation and encouragement throughout his reign. In the absence of Buhari the Naira is relatively strong after a significant appreciation, electricity is a little bit stable because the so-called Niger delta militants are no longer bombing the oil and gas installations. It all points to a sabotage against President Buhari to undermine his performance. 

Advisably, those who are in the habit of criticising the President just for the sake of criticisms should know not hide under the guise of ethnicity and religion to assume that they will mislead us. Nigerians are wise enough to know what their mission is all about. Our country is moving in the right direction. The era of using religion or ethnicity to divide us is over. In Buhari and Osinbaji, we have two distinguished personalities that could be trusted to spearhead the course of our national rebirth. They have the interest of Nigeria at heart and they are deeply concerned about our present economic difficulties. Nigeria has suffered from massive loot of her resources right from independence.

President Buhari insisted on governing the country once again because he wanted to build a country for us that is free from corruption, a country that is economically buoyant and a country that can feed itself without resorting to importation of food. Hopefully, President Buhari will be strong and healthy enough to complete his patriotic national assignment so that by the time he left office at the appropriate time, a new Nigeria where various ethnic and religious groups in the country live in harmony with one another would have been established. 

Bashir Shehu Yusuf, Gezawa, Kano State.