By Lloyd Ukwu-<\/p>\n
Prelude: The problem with dictatorship is that it usually lacks the
\ncapacity and patience to understand the meaning of the rule of law and due
\nprocess. Both doctrines are often slow and therefore require patience.
\nDictators don’t have patience, they want it here, now and by any means
\nnecessary.<\/p>\n
In 1984, Mohammadu Buhari overthrew the democratically elected government
\nof President Shehu Shagari. It is true that every coup plotter is guilty
\nof breaching the Nigerian constitution and shooting his way into power.
\nBut arguably, unlike Ibrahim Babangida that overthrew a military junta,
\nBuhari\u2019s offense was more egregious because he overthrew a democratically
\nelected government – an expression of the collective will of Nigerians. In
\nhis false feeling of importance, Buhari has always believed in his
\nmessianic mission. He thinks that he knows it all, and that, unlike any
\nother Nigerian, he knows what is best for Nigeria. His twisted sense of
\nsuperiority and inordinate craving for power found expression in his 1984
\ncoup and his subsequent, repeated run for the presidency. Before he
\nfinally won in 2015, he had been defeated in three earlier presidential
\nelections.<\/p>\n
On his third defeat, he broke down and wept in public, an action that
\nwould have ended his political career if he were an American politician.
\nPoliticians hardly weep in America. To me, that unrestrained public
\neffusion of tears signified his utter desperation for power. His frequent
\nthreats to Nigerians were also indicative of his excessive hunger for
\npower. After he lost the 2011 presidential election, he made his threats;
\nvowing to make Nigeria ungovernable. And true to his word, he attempted to
\nmake Nigeria ungovernable. Through his Boko Haram connection, he unleashed
\nterror on Nigeria. Some say that if Buhari had no relationship with Boko
\nHaram, why did the terrorist group nominate him as one of its negotiators?
\nAnd before the 2015 election, he threatened to spill blood and cause
\nmayhem if he loses the election. Unfortunately, in 2015, Nigerians buckled
\nunder Buhari’s threats and shenanigans, and elected a dictator-president.<\/p>\n
It is obvious that successive military regimes contributed immensely to
\nour societal woes: the erosion of our moral standards and the perversion
\nof our values. By overthrowing the Shagari government, Buhari truncated a
\nnascent democracy, retarded our democratic evolution and contributed to
\nthe problems military rule visited on Nigeria. Ironically, the same
\nproblems the military dictators created for Nigerians are the very ones
\nBuhari is promising to fix. Leadership is not, and can never be by force.<\/p>\n
Buhari, Nigerians say, remains uninformed. Before the elections Nigerians
\nraised a lot of doubts\u00a0 that he even has a West African School Certificate
\n(WASC). But even without this basic academic qualification, he didn’t seem
\nto have the urge to improve himself over the years. So, that when elected
\npresident, he would be better prepared to serve the country. Sadly,
\ndictatorship means force and that’s all you need to get things done. His
\nfixation was on grabbing the presidency at all cost. He sounds as though
\nhe does not have the finesse to relate smoothly with the other branches of
\ngovernment. He has never displayed any intellectual capacity in governance
\nin the past thoughtless of delivering a lecture, as presidents sometimes
\ndo, to the academia, professional associations, etc. In his ignorance and
\nobscurantism, he is blind to the heterogeneity of this country. No wonder,
\nhe once advocated making Sharia the supreme law of Nigeria. During his
\nfirst coming to power in 1984, he pretty much ruled by proxy via Idiagbon.
\nThis time around there is ample evidence that he is going to govern
\nthrough El Rufai and co. Is it then not\u00a0 a bit surprising that Nigerians
\nvoted for a dictator in 2015? In my viewpoint this implicates a major
\ndrawback for Nigeria. Politically and otherwise.<\/p>\n
Were Nigerians browbeaten by his threat to unleash violence and wreck
\nhavoc if he is not elected? Having, with our votes, dignified a man that
\nshoved aside a democratically elected government and seized power, what
\nmessage are we sending to young, coup-thirsty military officers? Are we
\nnot telling them that it is alright to plot and execute coups? Evidently,
\nwe are a country of cowards. Have we, out of fear that Nigeria might break
\nup if Buhari does not win, rewarded him for his coup and extra judicial
\nkillings?<\/p>\n
Oh, the Americans supported him? Yes, Obama did. Secretly, he sent his
\nformer Chief of Staff, and renowned political strategist, David Axelrod,
\nto Nigeria to work for the All Progressive Congress (APC).\u00a0 Obama\u2019s
\nsupport for Buhari was motivated simply by American economic interests.
\nAfrica is the new frontier and Nigeria is a major player in this emerging
\nfrontier. The former president, Goodluck Jonathan, was in bed with the
\nChinese. The Chinese economy is expanding and will soon overtake the
\nAmerican economy as the world’s largest economy. The government of
\nGoodluck Jonathan was awarding billion dollar contracts to Chinese
\ncompanies. This piqued the Americans. So, they embarked on what they do
\nbest: regime change.<\/p>\n
They approached their cousins, our former colonial masters, the British,
\nto find out how to deal with Nigeria. Piece of cake! The Brits told them:
\nthe road to Nigeria must pass through the North; we did so when we
\ncolonized them. So, Obama went through the North. Buhari, thrice trounced
\nin his quest to be president, was available, ready and willing. So,
\nObama\u2019s secret agent in Nigeria, David Axelrod, from his vast repertoire
\nof political intrigues, came up with the CHANGE slogan for APC and
\nprojected Buhari the dictator as a reformer.\u00a0 For their strategic
\ninterests, the Obama administration tried something similar in Israel but
\nfailed. It supported an opposition candidate against the incumbent Prime
\nMinister, Benjamin Netanyahu. But with Israel being a more sophisticated
\ndemocracy, and the Israelis, gutsy, they were not swayed by the Obama
\nadministration\u2019s political stratagem.<\/p>\n
The Americans are always prone to installing dictators that will later
\nturn against them, and instead of serving American self-seeking interests,
\nsubvert them. There is evidence of these American installed Frankenstein
\nmonsters in Libya, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, etc. With time, Buhari may prove
\nanother Frankenstein monster.<\/p>\n
Lloyd Ukwu, Esquire, writes from Washington, D.C., USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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