Like in the days of Yar’dua presidency and his ill-health drama when all groups of conspirators including the clergy came under the same banner to execute lies, we are now replaying a strategic yaradualisation of PMB’s health. The present crop of public office holders were in the opposition at that time. They were vociferous about the strategy being employed to cover up on the late president’s ill-health not because they loved the country but they needed to do that to make political gains of the situation.
They did. The opposition re-aligned and formed the new government with a promise to do things differently. They have lied severally since they came on board. They have adopted the ‘touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm strategy’ in their fight against corruption. They have lied about our economy, our roads, health and now the mismanagement of the true-state-of-health of President Mohamadu Buhari (PMB). What should now be obvious for discerning minds is that all political parties parade same or similar actors: when confronted with the same situation, they jealously guide their interests against national interest.
This explains why all political parties, including the APC freely welcomes individuals who had enriched themselves at the expense of the masses. The decision of the ruling class and the relations of President Mohammadu Buhari to keep under the veil of secrecy the true health condition of the president is a disservice to the nation. It shows our leaders as insensitive and irresponsible in the eyes of the world. Suddenly, many people have become spokespersons of PMB in the UK. Those who ought to know do not know because they relayed information provided to them by those ‘around the president in the UK’. How come the likes of Lai Mohammed, Femi Adesina, Garba Sheu among others found it difficult to defend falsehood been bandied by their government? It is difficult to call black, white and there is limit to propaganda. PMB had always spoken for himself when he travelled out. We remember “in the other room” episode. But new sets of presidential spokespersons have emerged. They include PMB’s sister, Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Bukola Saraki, APC Chieftains (Bola Tinubu, Akande etcetera) and others.
They construct PMB with tainted narratives that PMB was in high spirits and that there was no cause for alarm. Unfortunately, the president cannot use such high spirits to communicate with Nigerians. You can fool all the people for some time but you cannot fool all the people all the time. At a particular point, lies come to hunt the tellers. Lies make government credibility to drop, it nurtures distrust and widen the gap between the rulers and the ruled. While pictures of visits to the president in the UK have become fashionable to package falsehood, it is an insult to Nigerians that our scarce resources are now going to UK on sympathy visits.
I was shocked at the media report that PMB allegedly spoke with United States president, Donald Trump. How does that change the narrative of lies and that all is not well the PMB and by extension the country? It only portrays the president as irresponsive to Nigerians. If he can speak on phone with Trump why is it difficult to speak with Nigerians? Spokespersons at home who were not there added their lies to it: they reported that the conversation praised PMB for the success in fighting corruption, Chibok girls and terrorism.
These are familiar lines which cannot fly. The late South Africa icon, Nelson Mandela was admitted in a South African hospital while South Africans followed up on what was happening to their leader. Here, billions of naira are voted for ASO rock clinic yet its occupant runs to the UK. Even those paying visit to him in the UK failed to provide for the masses quality health facility which they can trust in. Why was it difficult for the APC even in the southwest when they controlled all the states to build world class health facility and stop health tourism? Theirs is not service to the people. Let those travelling to see PMB use their money and not our money.
For the new spokespersons, pictures cannot do it again. Let one of them record the conversation and transmit it to Nigerians. Senate president Saraki was quoted at his last visit to PMB as saying ‘the president I saw today is healthy, witty and himself…cheerful and in good spirits’. To confirm that all was is not well, religious groups and state governors have started organising special prayers for PMB’s health. So who is fooling who? The health of the president of a nation-in-distress cannot be neutralised by pictures and Donald Trump telephone conversation.
The active PMB means a lot to Nigerians. The economy is down and naira has totally given way to the dollar. In an advertorial by the All Progressive Congress in the Nation Newspaper of Thursday, March 26, 2015 signed by Lai Mohammed, the then National Publicity Secretary and now Minister of Information, PMB as candidate then was quoted as saying “people accuse me of many things. But one thing they never accuse me of is corruption. They never accuse me of mediocrity, or of lying”. Mr President should know that a government that encourages her special advisers, relations and party men to lie has positive relationship with corruption. We were taught from childhood in Yoruba that ‘eni to ba paro a jale’ (he who lies will steal). PMB and those in APC should decolonise their mentality and stop characterising Nigerians as pursuing the American dream.
A president that jubilates with his men for speaking with an American president while ignoring her people and concern has misplaced priorities. If the health sector is positioned rightly, the president need not engage in capital flight to the UK. A government that wants to fix electricity will not budget so much for diesel and petrol. A government that is interested in the future of her youth will budget and allocate to fix education.
A government that wants to stop terrorism, kidnapping and corruption will revive the economy. A whole is equal to the sum of its parts. The president is needed be seen, heard and functioning. If he is fine and no cause for alarm as stated by Bukola Saraki, PMB should return home. He cannot abandon his electoral promises while boosting the economy of the UK.
Dr Oludayo Tade, a sociologist wrote via dotad2003@yahoo.com