“When all is said and done, let it be written that Muhammadu Buhari gave his all for this nation.” – Muhammadu Buhari, excerpt of his acceptance speech as APC presidential candidate in the 2015 general election.
On the occasion of the first anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, I must confess that I have spent the last couple of days reading and re-reading the newspaper cuttings that I made of major speeches and addresses delivered by President Buhari from the period preceding his emergence as the presidential flag-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, right up to May 29, 2015 when he took over the mantle of leadership as Nigeria’s fourth democratically elected leader since 1999. Those speeches and addresses contain promises, pledges, and commitments that President Buhari made during his campaign and after his election. It is safe to assume that millions of Nigerians voted for him on account of those bold promises. One year after “tasting” power again, the president will do himself some good if he takes out quality time to go back and read what he said in those speeches.
Six of those disquisitions deserve attention here. The first is his acceptance speech, “It’s Time to Rebuild Nigeria,” delivered after his emergence as the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2015 general election. This was published in Thisday of December 14, 2014. In that speech, Buhari made five pledges: “I make these five pledges regarding the government if we are elected next February: We will govern Nigeria honestly, in accordance with the constitution; We will strive to secure the country and efficiently manage the economy; We will strive to attack poverty through broadly-shared economic growth and attacking corruption through impartial application of the law; We will tolerate no religious, regional, ethnic or gender bias in our government; We will return Nigeria to a position of international respect through patriotic foreign policy; and We will choose the best Nigerians for the right jobs. Our government will be committed to the cause of the common man. Whether you are a Christian from Bayelsa State or a Muslim from Katsina State, you are first and foremost a Nigerian in my eyes. I shall treat you equally as my people, my national family, my brothers and sisters.”
The second disquisition is a lecture titled, “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition.” It was delivered by Buhari at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, and published in Thisday, Leadership, and The Guardian of February 27, 2015. In the lecture, Buhari acknowledged that the lively interest generated by the 2015 general election within and outside the shore of Nigeria was in the best interest of the country. “This is understandable. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, is at a defining moment, a moment that has great implications beyond the democratic project and beyond the borders of my dear country.”
Within the framework of a brief analysis of the tide of democratic transitions in Africa, he delved into his prospects for Nigeria’s forthcoming elections and his plans to turn things around if elected. He spoke of his plans on three major national issues: tackling Boko Haram insurgency, reforming and repositioning the economy, and fighting corruption. Be set the tone for this discourse in a scholarly fashion: “A development economist once said three questions should be asked about a country’s development: one, what is happening to poverty? Two, what is happening to unemployment? And three, what is happening to inequality.” He proceeded immediately to address the questions: “The answers to these questions in Nigeria show that the current administration [i.e. Jonathan’s administration] has created two economies in one country, a sorry tale of two nations: one economy for a few who have so much in their tiny island of prosperity; and the other economy for the many who have so little in their vast ocean of misery.”
On tackling Boko Haram, Buhari said: “Let me assure you that if I am elected president, the world will have no cause to worry about Nigeria as it has had to recently; that Nigeria will return to its stabilising role in West Africa; and that no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost to the enemy because we will pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service, we will give them adequate and modern arms and ammunitions to work with, we will improve intelligence gathering and border controls to choke Boko Haram’s financial and equipment channels, we will be tough on terrorism and tough on its root causes by initiating a comprehensive economic development plan, promoting infrastructural development, job creation, agriculture and industry in the affected areas. We will act on time and not allow problems to irresponsibly fester, and I, Muhammadu Buhari, will always lead from the front and return Nigeria to its leadership role in regional and international efforts to combat terrorism.”
On corruption, Buhari said: “there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited. The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without interference. But I must emphasise that any war waged on corruption should not be misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt. I’m running for President to lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity.”
On reforming and repositioning the economy, Buhari said: “In reforming the economy, we will use savings that arise from blocking these leakages and the proceeds recovered from corruption to fund our party’s social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency public works for unemployed youth and pensions for the elderly.”
“As a progressive party, we must reform our political economy to unleash the pent-up ingenuity and productivity of the Nigerian people thus freeing them from the curse of poverty. We will run a private sector-led economy but maintain an active role for government through strong regulatory oversight and deliberate interventions and incentives to diversify the base of our economy, strengthen productive sectors, improve the productive capacities of our people and create jobs for our teeming youths. In short, we will run a functional economy driven by a worldview that sees growth not as an end in itself, but as a tool to create a society that works for all, rich and poor alike.”
At the end of his lecture, Buhari attempted to disabuse the minds of his listeners regarding strong allegations of his dictatorial leadership style. “I have heard and read references to me as a former dictator in many respected British newspapers including the well regarded Economist. Let me say without sounding defensive that dictatorship goes with military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others. I take responsibility for whatever happened under my watch. I cannot change the past. But I can change the present and the future. So before you is a former military ruler and a converted democrat who is ready to operate under democratic norms and is subjecting himself to the rigours of democratic elections for the fourth time.”
The third disquisition is Buhari’s acceptance speech of April 1, 2015, after he was declared winner of the presidential election by INEC. This speech was published in Leadership of April 2, 2015. In the speech, President-elect Buhari thanked Nigerians for voting him into power and promised to give his best in tackling Nigeria’s problems. “My team and I shall faithfully serve you. There shall no longer be a ruling party again: APC will be your governing party. We shall faithfully serve you. We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to government. Our long night has passed and the daylight of new democratic governance has broken across the land. This therefore is not a victory for one man or even one party. It is a victory for Nigeria and for all Nigerians.”
He pledged to govern Nigeria under the principles of justice, equity, and fairness. “There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender or social status. I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection. You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and that your constitutional rights remain in safe hands. You shall be able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation…. You are all my people and I shall treat everyone of you as my own. I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.”
He also opened a pathway for peace and reconciliation following the bitterness, hatred and animosity generated by the presidential election. “Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behind us. We must forget our old battles and past grievances – and learn to forge ahead.” “Let me state clearly that President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Although we may not agree on the methods of governing the nation, he is a great Nigerian and still our president. He deserves our support and permanent respect by virtue of the office he has held. This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and conducts its affairs; and this is how Nigeria should be.”
Buhari also talked tough on tackling insecurity and corruption. “Let me assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.” “Furthermore, we shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism – the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character. By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly enriched people. Such an illegal yet powerful force soon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believe they can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic development and democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monument in this nation.”
The fourth disquisition is a lengthy interview conducted in Buhari’s hometown of Daura, Katsina State, during the weekend of the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections. In the interview, published in The Guardian of April 13, 2015 under the heading, “Nigeria will be made to work for us all,” the president-elect gave a glimpse of his plans for Nigeria. He spoke about how indiscipline and corruption have almost crippled the country, how new converts into APC will be handled, how election offenders will be prosecuted and the shape of things to come. His criticism of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was unabashedly stern: “It is very disappointing that the PDP government virtually failed to use those resources [i.e. excess money realised from the sale of crude oil] to make sure that the economy continue to grow in a sustainable way. I think the worst thing is the lack of accountability and the terrible budgetary system. Imagine that over 90 per cent of Nigerian budget is on recurrent. How can you sustain development in a developing country like Nigeria with only about 10 per cent of your income? Things just have to change. There must be more money available for infrastructure, for investment, in getting the factories back, employment and getting goods and services for the population. I think the sins of PDP will be coming out for several years to come.”
The fifth disquisition is an article titled, “We Will Stop Boko Haram”, originally published in the New York Times of April 14, 2015. It was re-published on the back page of Thisday newspaper of April 15, 2015. Since it was written to coincide with the first anniversary of the tragic abduction of the Chibok girls, much of the piece dealt with Buhari’s plans to rescue the girls upon assumption of office. “My administration, which will take office on May 29, will act differently – indeed it is the very reason we have been elected. This must begin with honesty as to whether the Chibok girls can be rescued. Currently, their whereabouts remain unknown. We do not know the state of their health or welfare, or whether they are even still together or alive. As much as I wish to, I cannot promise that we can find them: to do so would be to offer unfounded hope, only to compound the grief if, later, we find we cannot match such expectation. But I say to every parent, family member and friend of the children that my government will do everything in its power to bring them home.”
He went further to raise the hopes of Nigerians: “What I pledge, with absolute certainty, is that from the first day of my administration, Boko Haram will know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas…the outgoing government’s lack of determination was an accidental enabler of the group, allowing them to operate with impunity in Nigerian territory.”
Buhari also offered a clinical diagnosis of what makes Boko Haram attractive to impressionable young people: “There are many reasons why vulnerable young people join militant groups, but among them are poverty and ignorance. Indeed Boko Haram…preys on the perverted belief that the opportunities that education brings are sinful. If you are starving and young, and in search of answers as to why your life is so difficult, fundamentalism can be alluring. We know this for a fact because former members of Boko Haram have admitted it: They offer impressionable young people money and the promise of food, while the group’s mentors twist their minds with fanaticism.” He continued: “Boko Haram feeds off despair. It feeds off a lack of hope that things can improve. By attacking a site of learning, and kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls, it sought to strike at the very place where hope for the future is nurtured, and the promise of a better Nigeria. It is our intention to show Boko Haram that it will not succeed.”
The sixth and last disquisition is Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech of May 29, 2015, immediately after he was sworn in as President of Nigeria. Published in Leadership of May 30, 2015, it was in this speech he famously declared: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.” In it, he also detailed his plans to address Nigeria’s security challenges. In fact, much of the speech focused on his strategies to defeat insurgency. He thus announced the relocation of the command centre of the Nigerian Army to Maiduguri until Boko Haram is completely subdued. He also spoke about his plans for addressing corruption in government, youth unemployment and Nigeria’s energy crisis. Before these, he reiterated his commitment not to use his government for witch-hunt: “A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue.” It was in this inaugural speech that President Buhari pledged his definitive commitment to rescue the Chibok girls. In his words, “we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents. This government will do all it can to rescue them alive.”
No doubt, President Buhari’s inaugural speech fired the imagination of many Nigerians. The euphoria that greeted his accession was remarkable. He himself acknowledged the massive goodwill he was enjoying at the moment: “My fellow Nigerians I cannot recall when Nigeria enjoyed so much goodwill abroad as now. The messages I received from East and West, from powerful and small countries are indicative of international expectations on us. At home the newly elected government is basking in a reservoir of goodwill and high expectations. Nigeria therefore has a window of opportunity to fulfil our long-standing potential of pulling ourselves together and realizing our mission as a great nation.”
After one year in office, has President Buhari frittered away the massive goodwill he enjoyed both at home and abroad before, during and after his election? Has he kept his promises or are there concrete plans on ground for the actualisation of his promises? Is Nigeria better off today on significant indices of development than it was a year ago? Is this the change we voted for or not? Is there any real commitment on the part of President Buhari’s government to put the security and welfare of the Nigerian people are the centre of governance?
My aim is not to answer these questions, but simply to put before Muhammadu Buhari the promises and pledges contained in his major speeches and addresses before and immediately after his election as Nigeria’s President on March 28, 2015. Let him be the one to ask himself: “To what extent have I fulfilled the promises, pledges and commitments I made to the Nigerian people, before, during and after my election?”
Happy Democracy Day!
