By Donu Kogbara
Error and apology

Last week, an article titled “A Successor Or Alternative To President Buhari In 2019” was published on this page. The article was sent to me by its author, Olulana Alofe, a public affairs commentator who is based in Boston (USA) and a Board Member of Skytrend News. And because I felt that Mr Alofe had made many interesting and valid points, I offered to share his views with my readers.

However, due to an internal glitch that arose during the Vanguard production process, I wound up being mistakenly described as the writer of Mr Alofe’s article. And I want to apologise – humbly and profusely! – to Mr Alofe for this embarrassing misunderstanding…and repeat/summarise the key points HE made:

Many people are convinced that Buhari needs 2 terms to solidify his reforms. But I supported his candidacy with the idea of him being a buffer between the decadence of the past up to 2015 and the future in 2019. And having sincerely appraised the performance of his administration from every possible angle and concluded that it could have been much better, I believe that he needs a successor who will continue from where he left off and take Nigeria to the stratosphere.

 Yes, Buhari inherited a mountain of problems. But he asked for the job and once he realized how much of a mess was waiting for him, he didn’t give up or run away. To his credit, he decided to give it a shot. However, his best right now is not good enough; and my evaluation of the man I campaigned for is that he will do exactly what I expected of him and reset the nation. But no more.

 Nelson Mandela was not the kind of President who leads a nation hands-on. But he was a bridge between the evil Apartheid past and South Africa’s all-inclusive future. And, after one term, he stepped down, his duty done.

Buhari

 Buhari is also a bridge and is, despite difficulties, successfully strengthening Nigeria’s institutions – the Military and Judiciary, for example. And I am not saying that he should not re-contest in 2019 because I regret supporting him.

 As far as I’m concerned, he was the better of the two choices that were presented to Nigerian voters in 2015. And if that election were to be held again, I would still campaign for Buhari because though there are things I do not like about his presidency, there is much more that I disliked about his predecessor’s.

My intention is not to be harshly critical. I just feel that Buhari is limited in how effective he can be beyond a single term, from what we have seen so far.

His abilities are more in line with setting basic standards of ethical expectations for governance — fixing the system as it were. But strategic designs that will take Nigeria forward — running the system – demands a different kind of personality.

Who are the people that might fit this bill?

 Nigeria is not bereft of men and women who can sit in the President’s seat and drive Nigeria on the road to prosperity. We are blessed with manpower that many nations envy. And yet, we are limiting ourselves in terms of quality of leadership.

Celebrating mediocrity has made many blind to what could have been. Sacrifices made on the altar of ethnic, religious and political bigotry are being heralded. And voters usually go with official party candidates or big name politicians.

We are better than this! But how do good candidates who are not currently famous get name recognition without becoming disciples of rotten platforms such as APC, PDP, etc, which have thrown up the kinds of inadequate politicians we see today?

 If we want to develop the Nigeria of our dreams, we need to start now to galvanize the electorate to seriously consider completely new choices for tomorrow.

 Vanguard readers who want to react to Mr Alofe’s thought-provoking opinions should please contact him direct on his email address ([email protected]).

Murder most foul

LAST Saturday, legislative/parliamentary (National Assembly and State House of Assembly) re-run elections took place in parts of my home state, Rivers.

A week before polling day, I expressed concerns, on this page, on behalf of the many law-abiding Rivers State inhabitants who had contacted me to tell me that they feared that violence would (as it has in the past) rear its ugly head.

It turns out that such fears were justified. Other election-related murders may have occurred, but the only two I can confirm at the moment are as follows:
A police officer, Mohammed Alkali, was beheaded in one of the local government areas. And a young man, Mebari Kormaga, was shot in my Ogoni village, Bodo.

The first murder is being blamed on PDP supporters in ONELGA. The second murder is being blamed on a Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, operative I’m told has been the bodyguard/orderly of an APC politician from my area since last year.

I am absolutely horrified by this appalling savagery. AND tearful. Rivers people were once famed for being laid-back and civilised. And Port Harcourt, our state capital, was once known as ‘The Garden City”. Now we are famed for rampant brutality and do-or-die politics. Now, Port Harcourt is widely regarded as unsafe.

A European journalist friend called me last night because he had received “extremely disturbing” reports about the Rivers election and wanted me to help him verify or deny them. I promised to get back to him when I have more details.

I will also provide Vanguard readers with more information when I have more details. In the meantime, I am taking Mebari’s murder very personally and interviewing witnesses. And I won’t be surprised if the SARS guy everyone has blamed so far suddenly disappears and is transferred out of Rivers State!
But I will not let this matter go.

My late father, Ignatius Suage Kogbara, will always be my Numero Uno Hero and was a highly principled Rivers Gentleman who passionately loved his people.
I’m a mere pygmy compared to him. But I can at least do what Daddy would have expected of me in a disgraceful circumstance like this; and I will investigate Mebari’s death and harrass the authorities to quiz his alleged assassin.

Watch this space.