By Bashir Adefaka

Alhaji Munir Jaafaru, a  former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Security and Administration Agency (NIMASA) and Commissioner in Kaduna State, is the Crown Prince of Zaria, addressed  in the Zaria Emirate as Yariman Zazzau. He bares his mind  on the second anniversary of the Muhammadu Buhari administration scoring him high on  his campaign promises but  says  he could do better.

On May 24, 2015, I know  you visited the Kaduna home of then president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to congratulate him on his election victory, full of confidence that he would perform.  Two years down the line, would you say that confidence is not misplaced?

Honestly, I think, to the best of his ability to shoulder responsibility that God through Nigerians have bestowed on him, in spite of his age and everything, he has performed well and, therefore, the need for my confidence in him  does not arise.

That is on general grounds but talking particularly about securing Nigeria, which is one of his three items of his campaign contract with Nigerians, how do you assess the President?

I think he has succeeded to a large extent in securing the country especially from the heinous activities of Boko Haram in north-eastern part of the country. If you remember, before he came on board, some local governments, 14 of them, in the North-east were under the control of Boko Haram.  Over 270 Chibok girls were kidnapped and taken away one year before Buhari came and many other Nigerians in that part of the country were kidnapped, killed and many sent packing from their homes.

Alhaji Munir-Jaafaru

But, today, under the Buhari government, those local governments are back in Nigeria. Over 100 of the schoolgirls that his government not know how they were kidnapped and taken away have been rescued and reunited with their families having undergone and some of them are still undergoing rehabilitation. There are many other Nigerians in that part of the country who have been rescued and they are now being restored to their various communities.

This alone in it itself is a great deal to show that the government of  Buhari has done well in the last two years.  We should  thank him for empowering our military with adequate equipment to do their job well and we must also thank those military officers and men of our great country for their loyalty to the government and their patriotism to the country. They should keep on with the good job because I do know quite well that the Almighty Allah will continue to strengthen them and reward them  for their sincerity and good work for humanity and the Nigerian-nation.

Now talking about fighting corruption, what is your assessment and do you  see any substance in the claim that the Buhari’s anti-corruption war is selective and that it is set out to witch-hunt or fight a particular set of people more allegedly the opposition?

I would tell you that it is not easy to fight corruption in a country like Nigeria, which has been so much enmeshed in corruption.

What I want you to know is that corruption, much hardened as it was in the country before Buhari came in, not even the most critical of the government will today say that there has not been change in the system. This is because, even the most cynic, sincere to himself, would tell you that, this time, it is truly not business as usual because nobody will any longer touch state fund except that there is somebody or something up there which is watching over you and will definitely catch up you.

So, therefore, there is discipline all over in the system but I want to advise that more needs to be done  about fighting corruption.

Having talked on the side of the President and his government, would you say that Nigerians have given him enough cooperation to enable him comfortably do for them what they both sealed a contract  should be done during electioneering  campaigns?

I think to a large extent, yes, they are. Nigerians have cooperated with the government.   If there are few who, because of being vocal, are making things look like other way, what is  important to us is that President Muhammadu Buhari has received enough encouragement from the people of Nigeria and that is quite clear in the number of people across  all the strata of the society who have given support.

Just look at the confidence that the people have built in him particularly at the peak of his health challenges; Muslims praying for him Christians praying for him, northerners and southerners even southerners of Igbo and South-South extraction praying and speaking in support, if you take it from that angle, you would know quite clearly that President Muhammadu Buhari has received adequate support from Nigerians.

I hope the Nigerian people will continue to support him the best way they can to ensure Nigeria gets back to shape.

Lastly on the economy.

I am not an economics expert but, from what we have observed so far, we do know that what Buhari has done is trying hard to lay a new foundation for an enduring economy.