Saving PMB from agents of toxic support

Against the backdrop of the groundswell of popular appeal which propelled the election of President Muhamadu Buhari to office, it is not surprising that many of his supporters easily see him as infallible.Even as the man with a cult hero image before the 2015 election, his tenure as President so far has witnessed twists, turns and knocks; some of which were not anticipated by his team, ab initio. This dispensation drives home the point that after all, he is also human and vulnerable to the same gamut of circumstances as any other leader of an emerging African democracy; including in particular, his preceding Nigerian leaders.
In the context of the foregoing, his handlers and indeed all Nigerians for that matter, should be interested in an emerging trend around him whereby not a few Nigerians may be allowing their imaginations of trying to ‘over patronise’ Buhari, constitute albatrosses on his tenure, following their inclination to offer him advice and support that may be toxic in effect. Hence, strenuous as their enterprise may be, all it achieves is to attract for him, unintended and unhelpful consequences.
For instance, one of the reactions to the piece “Paradigm Paralysis and the PMB Change Agenda” which appeared on this column on Sunday September 11 2016, was significant more for its palpable belligerence, than whatever value it may have added to the cause of PMB, whom the author tried to venerate as infallible. A section of the rejoinder advised this columnist to “…be aware that even if we will all be killed by hunger we are solidly behind PMB and we will never be deterred by the likes of your propaganda”. It is significant that the author may not have considered that this columnist may even be more loyal to Buhari than him or her.
Seen in context the rejoinder raises some questions, like whether Buhari actually needs such a supporter who will follow him, even to a macabre end assuicide? Another question is whether leaders should be followed only because of their status as cult figures without bordering about where they are headed to? From the pronouncements of Buhari, it is clear that he is not and does not intend to be such a leader whose credentials are only that he is a cult figure
As a confirmation of the foregoing,from his public pronouncements since becoming President Buhari had always tried to distance himself from unhelpful, distractive, parochial sentiments, apparently aware of their destructive nature. He had set the stage for this when he received a standing ovation at his inauguration on May 29th 2015 as he delivered the words on marble that he belongs to no one but to all.
Considering the thrust of the rejoinder in the context of the leadership and followership typologies, at least two of four scenarios can be conceived. These are the progressive leadership vs retrogressive followership, retrogressive leadership vs progressive followership as well retrogressive leadership vs retrogressive followership and finally the progressive leadership and progressive followership. Where then will Buhari’s leadership style reconcile with the proposition of our rejoinder whose author contemplates suicide from hunger if necessary.
Hopefully Buhari’s leadership enjoys the unmistakeable toga of ‘progressive’ not just because he is of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Even with the biting pangs of the economic downturn his administration has earned high marks as a focused dispensation. While Nigerians are lamenting the pains of economic privations, hardly is there a strong advocacy for his exit. Rather the plea from various sections is that he adopts a little softening of his iron grip on the economy. Afterall, such will not derail him, but endear him more to the people.
Interestingly the ‘offensive’ advocacy by this column and other commentators for the Buhari administration to wean itself of the paradigm paralysis which led the country into the present recession and which many acknowledge was avoidable, has started yielding dividends with the government launching a broadside salvo last Thursday. On that day the president convened a retreat for his cabinet and senior government officials specifically for the purpose of placing a handle on the economy with the 2017 budget. With its theme as “Building Inter Ministerial Synergy for Effective Planning and Budgeting in Nigeria” the retreat was a testing ground for the 2017 budget aimed at previewing its priorities and deliverables. Addressing the forum the President stressed among other things the need for the participants to consider the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) of the administration’s change agenda.
The retreat itself constitutes a progression by the administration from the state of paralysis that had held the country down all through this year, culminating in a recession. Yet as a retreat, it remains a mere talk shop, and may achieve little except it initiates follow-up action that will actually determine its utility. In that context the questions on the lips of Nigerians include the following. Where do we go from this retreat? Shall the retreat facilitate immediate release of funds by government to service its domestic debts owed its contractors and other creditors, in order that businesses may restart and drive the country’s escape from recession? Shall Nigerians wait until April or May 2017 when next year’s budget may come on stream before relief comes to the land?  Questions and more questions. This is the sign of the times.
Inspite of whatever weaknesses that rejoinder parades, it still offers valid lessons for the President and all Nigerians, which draw from the question “does Buhari need such a supporter whose value lies more in a blind support that contemplates the macabre scenario of possible mass suicide?”.
Welcome and timeous as the retreat initiative was, it nevertheless does not vitiate the need for the President to guard against the sundry distractions that seemingly stampeded the administration into panic mindset, which the hurriedly arranged retreat betrays. The need for vigilance is with respect to the toxic value of some fawning acolytes who may have missed the essence of the legitimate expectations of a leader of his calibre from them. And by their incontinence they have unwittingly constituted themselves into a major source of threat to him and his tenure.
It is easy to recall that this retreat was preceded by an earlier one at the inception of the cabinet and which was expected to address the very theme of this last one. Hopefully the What then would have happened to justify another retreat if not a situation of ipolicyncontinence present the picture that not much was achieved by the previous retreat thereby justifying the last one.  Nothing seemed to have been achieved. Given his personal antecedents as a retired three star, battle tested general, and whose training passage through the world class US  War College, Buhari is all too familiar with any form of threat from the Boko Haram insurgents and Niger Delta militants whose excesses have been largely reined in by the gallantry of the Nigerian military.  With a circle of advisers and supporters, some of whom have as their stock in trade the ignoble task of inundating him with advice and sundry support that may seem innocuous but nevertheless toxic in every sense of the word, the picture becomes different.
Support for a leader should be valid if it adds value to the interest of the potentate. However, if and when the support becomes a reducing agent to the public image of the leader the support becomes toxic. At that point the agent or supplier of the toxic degrades from an asset to a liability, even without knowing about his or her fall from grace to dross, with respect to helping the cause of the hero.
Granted that the President has established a strong impression with respect to the direction of his administration, the normal expectation is that Nigerians who voted massively for him should tag along with his pace. However while this may be taking place in the theatres of war with respect to the fight against corruption and insurgency, simply buckled as it suffered a momentary loss of attention, and eventually slipped into recession. Hopefully with the rapid response of the government, especially the hurriedly summoned executive retreat on the economy by the entire cabinet, which held in the Presidential Villa at the twilight of last week, the government will hopefully establish a handle on the economy, towards dragging it back to winning ways.