By Perry Isa Brimah<\/p>\n
Buhari! Absent. That\u2019s the class teacher calling the attendance and
\nNigeria\u2019s president\u2019s classmates responding. The Hausa will say, Ba
\nanan. My Yoruba brethren will say, Kosinle. And the Biafrans refer to
\nhim as \u201cJibrin-al Sudani,\u201d a clone.<\/p>\n
There are a few that still believe Muhammadu Buhari is aware and running
\nthe affairs of Nigeria. Africa\u2019s largest nation is visibly on cruise
\ncontrol. The latest evidence of disconnect was when president Buhari
\ndenied knowing how the nation is be riddled with terror.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other
\nparts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko
\nHaram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion
\nrather it is one evil plan against the country,\u201d Buhari said when
\nconfronted by citizens from Nigeria state, the past Monday.<\/p>\n
But while there has been some uproar, no one is really shocked by his
\ndistance from the happenings in the country. \u201cBuhari does not read,\u201d
\nhis Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi once said.<\/p>\n
A Senator from Adamawa state, whose home was invaded by terrorists
\ndescribed the state of insecurity as \u201cworse than ever in recent
\nhistory.\u201d Another called for Buhari\u2019s sack. The entire House of
\nrepresentatives asked for the dismissal of Nigeria\u2019s heads of service.
\nThat\u2019s how bad the security situation in Nigeria is, yet Buhari
\n\u201cdoes not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is something amiss, apart from the president. There is a secret
\nbeing held in high corridors. After the gravely ill president got
\nmiraculously \u201cfixed\u201d in the United Kingdom, something got broken.
\nAnd those at the head know. It is not in contention that Nigeria\u2019s
\nheads of service have failed in their obligation to secure the nation.
\nThere are more daily gruesome deaths and kidnappings in Nigeria than any
\nother nation on earth right now, including those at war. But while most
\nof the failed security chiefs are past retirement, there is no one to
\nfire them, because they know the secret. Every one at the top knows the
\nsecret and so they are all immune, co-rulers of Nigeria, doing as they
\nmay with no fear of consequence. \u201cFire us and we\u2019ll tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s \u201cFirst lady\u201d is seen publicly dismissing the
\npresident\u2019s\u2014 her husband\u2019s \u2014 spokesman and his nephew. The
\nspokesman fires back at her. Everyone sits and waits for the president
\nto moderate the embarrassing disputes, but there is silence. The man of
\nthe house is absent.<\/p>\n
When his chief of staff sacked aides of Vice president Yemi Osinbajo,
\nthe president responded to interviewers with an expression of surprise.
\n\u201cWere they fired? I only thought they were moved around.\u201d They were
\nfired and still are. But wait not for the president to acknowledge,
\nagree or overturn. There will be no response.<\/p>\n
Everyone at the top is enjoying the freedom of a nation on auto-pilot.
\nNo one is talking. No one will talk\u2026well, except for one man. One very
\nloud man who is not known for silence.<\/p>\n
When president Buhari visited the United States, it was rumored that
\npresident Donald Trump told his aides he never wanted to meet someone as
\n\u201clifeless\u201d as Nigeria\u2019s president again.<\/p>\n
The teacher is putting the grades in. \u201cBuhari!\u201d she calls again.
\n\u201cAbsent.\u201d \u201cFailed,\u201d she records. But it is not a single exam for
\na single student. It is a terminal exam for an entire nation. The
\n\u201cfail\u201d is written in red ink. Blood from the wounded, dying and the
\ndead.<\/p>\n
By Perry Isa Brimah Buhari! Absent. That\u2019s the class teacher calling the attendance and Nigeria\u2019s president\u2019s classmates responding. The Hausa will say, Ba anan. My Yoruba brethren will say, Kosinle.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n