BUHARI AND THE BURDEN OF HISTORY by Olaniyi Abdulwaheed

2015 marks a significant milestone in the political history of Nigeria. The development is a change in government from one civilian rule to another. It has not happened like this before since the birth of the nation. The remarkable event that changed the historical record is the defeat of the ruling party by the opposition one. Before achieving this, it was an arduous journey, involving parties and persons. The parties involved started cooking the soup early; one ended up with sweetness, the other with sour taste. Both prepared for the journey. But the one that augurs well puts the crown on Buhari’s head, the man of history.

Buhari, the rare man in the chain of history, stands tall, dreams high, with long vision, relentless mission and with deep thought to witness sun-shine after rain. He was born on 17 December, 1942 in Daura, Kastina state in favour of his father, Adamu and his mother, Zulaihat. His father gave birth to make fruits, so he was the 23^rd child. Like his father—in order to have seeds to succeed him—Buhari married his first wife, Safinatu and produced many fruits; five children, four girls and one boy. He grew another bough in 1989 by engaging Aisha in marriage to be his second wife. Just as her predecessor, Aisha produced five fruits; four girls, one boy. Buhari hailed from Fulani tribe and claimed to be proud of it.

In 1961, the man of history joined the Nigeria Army, attended Nigerian Military Training College in February 1962 and 1963; he was part of the attendance in officer cadets training at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, England. While in January 1963, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and appointed platoon commander of the second infantry Battalion, Abeokuta. In 1973, he attended the Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, India. He was made the military secretary, army headquarters from 1978 to 1979 and also a member of supreme military council (SMC), 1978 to 1979, he was among Nigeria soldiers who fought in the civil war in the country. He came, he saw and he conquered. He survived the war; he who fights and runs lives to fight another day.

At the aftermath of the civil war, he was appointed as the military governor of the North eastern state in 1975. In March 1976, Gen. Obasanjo, the head of state appointed him as the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and National Resources. By the time Nigerian national petroleum corporation was created, he was made its head, that is, Chairman. Buhari became the head of state in December 31, 1983 after toppling President Shehu Shagari. At his time in power, he inaugurated War against Indiscipline to clean dirt in Nigeria. But he was overthrown by Babangida in August 1985. All these and many other things were part of his trend till the dusk of last century, 20^th to be precise.

While at the dawn of 21^st century in 2003, Buhari started the race to be a democratically elected president in Nigeria. He fell in the battle while contesting with the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. But he stood up and checked where he slipped in order to make firm. Instead of fighting, he went to the court for justice to know the hidden object behind the mask. But he was not favoured in the judgment. So, he maintained his fatherhood. Because he dreamed high, Buhari also came out in 2007 under the umbrella of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to make his dream becomes a reality. But history knocked his head. He maintained his resilience though. In 2011, he believed that a man that will lick honey—that is hidden behind the chest of the rock—should not pity axe, so he forgot the previous challenge and contested as the standard bearer of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Unfortunately he was resisted by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his albatross since 2003. While in 2015 this year, the world stamped his relentlessness when contested and worn in the general election on March 28^th, under the umbrella of the All Progressive Congress (APC). He defeated his albatross. He made the history.

Indeed, history has been made. But that is the past. The present moment shall be the history of tomorrow, to be read by the generation unborn. What history will the president make now? The history in a country of insecurity, the country where the health sector wobbles on the street of loneliness, the country where crippled education sector walks and falls, and the country where the fastest way to death is to speed on trapped made, where does the history hang?

Definitely, there is no how there will be sea without waves, no matter how long the sun may shine, the dusk will open gate for the night. So a regime cannot come and past without history. History shall be told on good and bad performance. The president must note this. If Nigerians experienced worse, everyone owned a page in the book of history to narrate the ordeal. But Nigerians hope for change in the atmosphere of things. This is as a result of the promise the president made in his campaign and speech on the inauguration day. Whether this change will happen or not, history shall speak. The past is prologue, but who knows the epilogue?

To all Nigerians, the promise is change. But everyone in the country is on the fence to know if, certainly, the change will be the messiah that will cleanse corruption eroding the country, giving it “shame” as the new emblem. History shall not forgive fellows with kleptomaniac minds that paddle the ship of the country towards destruction, if there would be change or not time will tell!

Change is a challenge. Challenge is great. Where is the starting point? It is not possible to make kwashiorkor child fat by feeding him once, in a country of a great challenge like, change is the burden of history. It is this country of ours where everyone travels with fear, roads are traps. But the president gave his words.

“At home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problem.”

Of course, president’s statement cannot be discarded. But it is neither true nor false. This has been said many times to Nigerians. To make policies, that is not the problem of our country. The greatest challenge is implementation. There is nothing new. The primary concern of Nigerians is action. So the expectation is high!

In a nutshell, President Muhammadu Buhari has changed the cloud of the political history in Nigeria. His resilience made his success historic. He is the first opposition to take over the power from the ruling party through legitimacy. This is as a result of change everyone clamours for. Once more, the change is a challenge. Challenges are great. Expectation is high. Positive change will make his name written in good. While the other will make it appear on rock, for it not going to be forgotten, Mr. President, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.