Happy birthday, Mr President

A video clip that is trending on the social media shows President Muhamadu Buhari appreciating the collection of birthday gifts from friends and associates during the celebration of his 77th birthday anniversary last week Tuesday, with his ADC identifying which of the gifts came from who.  Quite striking is the fact that it was the one from the ADC – who described it as ‘that one is from my humble self” that drew applause from the President and his guests. Their applause carried with it an unmasked surprise element – which ostensibly was the inclusion of the ADC, among the ordinarily Olympian guests that ‘qualify’ to present birthday gifts to Mr President. Did the ADC’s gift come as a welcome surprise – say a ‘gate crasher’ in the birthday protocol for the President?

Whatever the answer to the earlier poser is, this author is following the lead of the ADC to ‘gate crash’ or otherwise, into the President’s birthday protocol, with a birthday gift as coming from the ranks of the plebians, many of whom would have gladly presented valued gifts to the celebrant, if allowed to do so. However, unlike the ADC who is with Mr President all day and all night, and can present a gift personally and in tangible form, this author can only afford to send a heartfelt message –  courtesy of the forbidding strictures of protocol, around the President. Hence where the physical gifts may not reach, let the heartfelt emotional one go. On that note therefore, this author is wishing Mr President more dose of humanity, on the occasion of his birthday anniversary.

This wish of more humanity for the President is coming with a deep sense of appreciation of his circumstances as a leader of this great country, with its attendant ambience that is often common with most instances of public service – diminished humanity. Humanity in this context entails its wider connotations of ability to humaneness, benevolence, love, kindness, respect for fellow human beings, just to mention a few.

After all, the President is human and what better offer can be extended to him at any time if not that he should be refilled with more of the original stuff as outlined earlier, and which he like any other human alive is made of. Besides, a prayer for more humanity for him is not out of place in the light of the cascade of imponderable twists and turns which haunt his administration, with the net effect of continually depressing conditions of living, for the wider cross section of the Nigerian society. Hence an increase in the endowment of humanity for the President will hopefully filter down to his lieutenants and lead to increased human face in terms of alleviation the pains of the citizenry, for the administration.

As you read this piece, several areas of the country’s public sector are running in reverse gear, with the government officials in charge of them demonstrating crass ineffectiveness in resolving them. Take for instance the issue of electric power supply, where the country just escaped a debilitating prolonged strike by the workers in the sector, when the National Union of Electricity (NUEE), charitably called off their incipient action in that regard. Meanwhile, the Minister in charge of power sector, Raji Fashola was reported to have stated that the country’s power crisis needs a magician to resolve. If that is his final take on the matter, it implies that his continued stay in office remains non-productive and constitutes an embarrassment to the country.

Just as well, the Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige just informed the country that over 100 million out of a total of 200 million Nigerians are jobless, with many of them unemployable in the country. Hence the high rate of escape by the active youth from the country through any available means including death defying escapades, through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, among other routes. The country should be grateful that a significant portion of this huge army of the jobless find recourse in escaping from the country, in search of greener pastures. Otherwise it would have been the rich, powerful and mighty, that would have been on the run for their own safety.

From accounts by persons who knew MuhamaduBuhari personally before his entry into politics and governance in his first missionary journey in 1983 as a military Head of State, the consensus has been that he is by nature a humane person with a high sense of personal discipline.  However, whoever has been at the receiving end of a Buhari sanction at any point of his tenures either as a military leader or elected President would not believe any nice story of his humanity. As some would ask, was it not the same ‘humane’ Buhari that superintended the deluge of human rights abuses during his regime between December 31st 1983 and August 27th 1985 when he was removed from office? Was it not under his regime that two journalists working in the Guardian newspapers stable – Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were jailed under the provisions of a draconian Decree Four, for writing truths which irritated the government? What of the execution by firing squad of the trio of Barthlomew Owoh, Benard Ogedengbe and Lawal Ojuolape, for drug related offences which did not carry a death penalty when they committed the crimes. A special purpose decree was promulgated just to rope them in, for a rendezvous with the executioner.

Yet the same Buhari returned to contest elections as President of the country – losing on three occasions and winning on the fourth one after almost 30 years out of office. Not only that, he has just been re-elected for a second term in office as President to run until 2023, while what happens between himself and the office after that date, remains a poser for now. Since he did not crown himself as a military ruler and was even elected a two term President, the political fortunes of Buhari fit into the cliche of different strokes for different folks.

If this narrative actually accentuates his mystique as a special breed of humanity which some Nigerians may hate to love while others earnestly desire his leadership, it shall have served a good purpose. Hence for this column, President Muhamadu Buhari remains a special human being who deserves compliments and prayers on the anniversary of his birthday.

So, happy birthday Mr President, and congratulations.