THE death of former Nigerian president, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, at the age of 82 came to many Nigerians as a shock. His sudden death has, however, divided Nigerians along ethnic and political lines.
Some Nigerians, rightly or wrongly, believe that former President Buhari was a failure for not building a good hospital in Nigeria but choosing to visit the best hospital in London before his death. Others felt that he did his best for the nation and deserves to be honoured.
Currently, the matter has taken an ethnic and political leaning, with some accusing Igbo followers of Mr Peter Obi of mocking the former president’s death. An X user, @Waspapping, wrote: “Dear Arewa, we may have our differences with the Southwest in interests, culture or bias, but they’ve proven to be better allies than those on the other side. They’re far more better allies and trustworthy than the ones you’re trying to hand the country over to.”
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Several Nigerians from other parts of Nigeria have made similar comments that tend to accuse the Igbo tribe of mocking the former Nigerian president. However, this is a political spin that holds no water. We have seen people from other parts of Nigeria do what the Igbo community is accused of.
A human rights activist, Mr Omoyele Sowore, who hails from the South-West Nigeria, had earlier written: “As President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari@MBuhari was a total waste of space! 8 years of terrible policies, deepened poverty, weaponized insecurity, and hollow leadership. He promised change, but delivered catastrophe.”
An intellectual from the northern part of Nigeria, Dr Hafsatu Danladi, posted on X: “A constantly ill president who couldn’t build a world-class hospital even if it’s was for himself and his family. A failure of a man Buhari remains the worst president in our history. May Allah judge him justly.”
A Nigerian journalist from the south-weastern Nigeria, with the handle @BelloYinka72, wrote: “Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years as president were marked by dysfunction, not achievement. There’s no singular legacy to praise, only a trail of damage. Gaslighting Nigerians into silence about his failures is peak hypocrisy. Buhari was a bad President.”
Another X user who is based in New York, Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, wrote on X : “In case anyone is trying to rewrite history! BUHARI WAS A DISASTER!!! A REFORMED COUP PLOTTER! THE CHANGE TO GOOD WE NEVER HAD.” The post was made by someone from the South-West region.
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These individuals are not from the South-East Nigeria and they are not Peter Obi’s campaigners. Similar posts have also been made by Nigerians from various parts of the nation. Yet spin doctors chose to focus only on posts from Mr Obi’s supporters from the South-East to advance their ill logic.
For clarity, mocking the dead is not only ridiculous but also ludricrous. It is Buhari today, it may be anyone else the next day. In fact, some of the people mocking the former Nigerian president today may not be celebrated in death the way Mr Buhari is being honoured.
However, the mockery is not championed by people from the South-East region or the ethnic Igbos as being erroneously put out. Yes, the majority of Mr Peter Obi’s supporters are from the South-East. But this is just as the majority of President Bola Tinubu’s supporters are from the South-West. On the other hand, Buhari’s much-touted ’12 million votes’ came mostly from the North.
Besides, let’s face it, former President Buhari failed in many aspects of the Nigerian life. He failed to build a good hospital at home and spent 230 days away in London on medical treatment. He failed to raise the Nigeria’s fiscal profile, but chose to borrow N30 trillion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Under his watch, former CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, abruptly changed the currency and even campaigned for presidency, while mismanaging the monetary space. Under Mr Buhari’s watch, insecurity killed more people from the North, with Fulani herders displacing farmers in the South-West, South-South, South-East and many parts of Nigeria.
Mr Buhari borrowed N75.26 trillion loans in 8 years. Under his tenure, several Nigerians of Shiite religious extraction, Igbo ethnic extraction and human rights activists were killed by security agencies, never mind the infamous 2020 #EndSARS killings on October 20, 2020, at Lekki Toll Gate.
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In spite of all these, he does not deserve to be disrespected at death. Mr Buhari deserves to rest in peace. Mocking him betrays lack of home training and disrespect for the dead. Ridiculing him at death is befuddling, especially when no one knows when they would die.
However, as a public figure, there is nothing wrong with putting his 8 years of service under public scrutiny, especially when his administration has not been fully investigated.
And this should not about Mr Peter Obi or the 2027 election. After all, nobody knows who will be alive to witness the general election. The Economist wrote an article in Mr Buhari’s honour entitled, ‘Muhammadu Buhari failed to build a better Nigeria, twice.’ Bloomberg announced Buhari’s death thus, ‘Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Aloof Former President, Dies at 82.’
Were these international news organisations mocking Buhari? Or were they stating the obvious? This is a question everyone needs to ponder upon.
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