A  SCHOOL of thought wants to see the old Muhammed Buhari – with swagger and a hardliner against indiscipline and corruption. Another school wants a more pliable and democratic Buhari, the politician-cunning, witty and evasive. We are happy that, from what we have seen so far, he has remained the middle course. There is no path that Buhari embarks upon that will not attract  criticism from the people. The best for him therefore, is to work according to his  conscience first, followed by the interest and benefits to the nation.

Feelers from the United States, where Buhari is currently as I write this piece indicate that he is not ready to spare any ‘sacred cow’. Asked by the reporter during a CNN programme if he would sanction the guilty ones, if they were members of his party or associates, he said: “I just have to, there is not going to be any party member or personality that can escape justice”.

Also along similiar  lines is the Vanguard headline of Wednesday 22nd July, 2015; “we’ll arrest former ministers for looting, oil theft- Buhari”. According to the report “Federal government was examining pieces of evidence that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of some former ministers and other government officials for looting and stealing of Nigeria’s crude oil.”

So the die is cast. It is the practice of Nigerian leaders to declare policy statements when they are in foreign lands and President Mohammadu Buhari has not disappointed in this instance. The only problem is, after they are done with the speeches and return home, everything returns to normal- business as usual. Will Buhari be different? I hope so.

We are still waiting for the ministerial list and many people have attributed the delay to his desire to ensure that only clean men make up his cabinet, we hope that by the time the list is released, it will reflect the cause for delay. Previous governments have promised to tackle corruption in the past, why have they not succeeded?

They did not succeed because they were unable to confront the monster of big politicians and businessmen who helped to put them in power. Will it be right for one to spend billions of naira to bring you into office and after you get in there, you jettison the one who has helped to put you there? That is the question.

James Onanefe Ibori despite his perceived dye in the wool hands in corruption was accepted into the kitchen cabinet of late President Umaru Yar’adua. Another question that arises from this is, must elected officials pay back political debts, whether they are of corrupt or legitimate sources? Is it right for a political aspirant to encourage slush funds in his campaign, knowing that the source of the fund is corrupt?

If President Buhari says that he will go after corrupt people from both the APC and other parties, irrespective of their contributions to his election success, will he be doing the right thing?

It has come to a stage where this nation must confront this monster once and for all times, it is not an easy fight. The current Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi once said that: “if you want to fight corruption in this country, corruption will fight back at you.” Can President Buhari fight back against corruption?  Will he fight his own with the selective justice of  a President Obasanjo or the passivity of a Goodluck Jonathan? When Obasanjo was in power, Senator Buruji Kashamu had access to the presidential villa but when things got sour between them, Kashamu became another person to Obasanjo, will Buhari’s treatment of his friends be like that?

It is a very difficult choice and one that can be carried only by an honest leader, with no ambition for primitive wealth accumulation for himself, family and cronies. It requires a focused and very disciplined leader, a leader that loves Nigeria as a country first, ready to put the country above all considerations, that is the type of leader that can make this corruption monster to  disappear.

Looking at the APC party and some perceived corrupt people in its leadership; will President Buhari call their bluff? It is a huge choice that comes with heavy responsibilities. Will Buhari be able to fight back if push gets to a shove situation? Buhari is perceived to be Mr. Clean, untainted by any form of corrupt scandal and on that basis he was elected and sworn into office on May 29, 2015 but Buhari cannot do it alone. There is a saying that ‘one bad apple corrupts the whole bunch’. How will he be able to achieve his goals with corrupt people around him?

That is why we must empower and refurbish our established institutions; all of them should be able to run at full auto pilot without the influence of personalities. People should not wait for Buhari before doing their job and when they do, it must not be for media publicity blitz alone but to dispense real justice. All of them;- the Police, EFCC, ICPC, judiciary, army and various military and paramilitary commands, indeed, all government ministries and agencies.

Recently, we have noticed so much noise regarding the arraignment of high profile citizens, in court for corrupt practices, how long will this last? Are these actions aimed at impressing President Buhari or just playing to the gallery? Will these high profile cases be diligently pursued to its conclusion? We wait and see.

It is a wave of arrests, detention and prosecution, let justice flow like the spring of flowing waters, let every hand that has corruptly soiled itself in the country’s affairs be brought to justice. Let every Nigerian be involved in this cleansing of the nation by supporting Buhari to weed out the undesirables.

For President Buhari, he has started the race, one’s only hope is that he finishes strong.

Mr. Sunny Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.