By Donu Kogbara
LAST week, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, the former military Head of State, formally declared his interest in replacing President Goodluck Jonathan.

This declaration surprised nobody, given that Buhari has been doggedly trying to re-possess the Number One slot for many years. And, until recently, I had reservations about his refusal to abandon this burning ambition because he is not getting any younger and has image problems and has made mistakes.

However, Buhari is far from senile and all human beings make mistakes and longstanding readers of this column will know that I’ve always had some respect for him because his soldierly strictness appeals to my Puritanical streak.
Puritanical streak

Furthermore, because I know several Christians (including three outspoken and liberal female activists) who’ve had excellent relationships with him for many years, I don’t agree with people who keep insisting that Buhari is a nasty, dangerous Islamic bigot who secretly approves of Boko Haram’s evil activities.

Buhari

However, perception is often as important as reality; and a lot of Southerners can never be persuaded to believe that Buhari is a basically decent man.

It is also worth noting that some of Buhari’s supporters are uncontrollable and stupidly convinced that the North has been shortchanged and was born to rule.

Given that Nigeria was ruled by Northerners for 38 of the 50 years that elapsed between our Independence from British colonialists in l960 and Jonathan’s assumption of power in 2010, I become extremely annoyed when Northerners bitterly assure anyone who will listen to their interminable whingeing that they’ve had a raw deal and that it is their “turn” to take over.

As far as I’m concerned, it is NOT their turn by a long shot…or ANYONE else’s turn, for that matter. As far as I’m concerned, Jonathan is not “entitled” to a second term; and the North is not “entitled” to replace him. As far as I’m concerned, we as a nation should outgrow our irrational tribalistic biases.

I used to be an enthusiastic Jonathan advocate because he is my Niger Deltan brother and I felt that it was our region’s turn. My mother is Igbo and I used to say that Igbos also deserved a turn in the presidential villa. My late father was Ogoni and Ogonis have never occupied the top slot in my home state, Rivers; and I used to loudly insist that it was our turn to produce the next Governor.

But I’m no longer willing to support anyone on this turn-by-turn basis. Nowadays, I’m only interested in character and performance. I don’t care where anyone comes from. If I think that a candidate from another zone is likely to deliver more progress and integrity than someone from my backyard – at either the local or Federal level – I will vote for the seemingly superior candidate.

Rivers State is currently embroiled in a toxic controversy that revolves around Chief Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial aspiration. Wike, the ex-Minister of State for Education, is facing stiff opposition mostly because he is from the same Ikwerre ethnic group as the incumbent, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

I have agonised over this issue at great length and have concluded that Wike’s ethnic origins should not matter in the slightest to anyone who is thinking straight!…and that Wike should be opposed ONLY because nothing in his uninspiring track record suggests that he will be the kind of Governor we need.

In other words, if I thought that Wike would excel and that Ogoni, Ijaw or other alternatives were inadequate, I would put my small weight behind Wike.

History has shown us that a Governor or President from one’s area will not necessarily fulfil one’s dreams or give a damn
about one’s welfare; and I urge Northern irredentists to pipe down and graciously share my view that a good guy from anywhere will be as fair as is possible to every ethnic group.

The bottom line is that Jonathan should NOT be opposed just because he is not Fulani!…and should only be replaced by someone who is likely to do better.

There is of course no guarantee that Buhari will do better than Jonathan overall if he is eventually endorsed as the APC’s flag-bearer and winds up winning the election. But I’m increasingly convinced that Buhari has a lot going for him.

He is the single most popular leader in Northern Nigeria and is worshipped because he is a passionate champion of the
poor and has a very modest lifestyle.

Modest lifestyle

Buhari is not a typical materialistic, philandering Naija VIP. He isn’t into flashy baubles like the latest jeep or designer watch. He displays no desire to own countless properties here or abroad.
He doesn’t have expensive girlfriends.
Buhari is widely regarded (even by his worst enemies) as a highly disciplined and essentially honest man who has a zero tolerance – or at least a very low appetite by African standards – for corruption and rubbish.

He strikes fear into the hearts of senior thieves in the North and beyond.

A friend who hangs out with Big Boys from all six geopolitical zones tells me that most of his cronies are fervently praying that Buhari never gets back into the saddle because they are terrified of his rigid moral code and sure that he will probe and jail them or compel them to refund their ill-gotten gains!

I very much doubt that agencies like the EFCC will be as supine or lethargic as they are at the moment if Buhari gets another chance to run the show. I also like the fact that Buhari is not a woman-wrapa. His wife conducts herself so discreetly and decorously that I don’t even know what her first name is!

We don’t hear depressing stories about Madame Buhari attempting to exploit the considerable influence that her husband wields in various states. All indications are that even if she was greedy and overbearing by nature, her Oga would not allow her to get away with crudely throwing her weight around.

Let me also say that one of the aspects of this Administration that has angered and saddened me most is Jonathan’s decision to retain – and bestow a national honour upon – Abba Moro, the Minister who presided over a botched-up recruitment exercise in which job-seekers lost their lives.
Rewarding future

Talk about rewarding failure and manslaughter!

Moro did not personally kill anyone and I assume that both he and Mr President are genuinely sorry that those people died. But the tragedy occurred because Moro’s office messed up; and the buck should stop on the desk of whoever happens to be in charge when such massive errors occur; and I reckon that Moro would have been quickly relieved of his post if Buhari had been his boss.

On Monday, Nigeria was declared ebola-free by the World Health Organisation and Jonathan should be heartily congratulated for this stunning success.
I wish he had done as well within many other contexts.