That Buhari’s Comment

I belong to everybody, and I belong to nobody”. This declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari during his inaugural speech last Friday could be regarded as the most plausible statement by a Nigerian politician in recent years.

Pundits have viewed this ponderous remark with varied interpretations, especially as it relates to the prevailing ethos of Nigerian politics which borders on partisan exclusivity.

Ours is a clime where members of the ruling party at local government, state and federal levels see the person who emerges winner after an election as their exclusive “property”. They expect these leaders to always do their bidding whether they are in the interest of the generality of the people or not. Ours is a country where the winner literarily takes all.

Politics in Nigeria is generally seen as an investment from which the key political actors are bound to reap bountifully after an electioneering season.

Thus, Nigerian politicians naturally expect to recoup from their investments through favour seeking, vested appeasement and other measures that give them unfettered access to the state coffers.

However, by the declaration, “I belong to everybody, and I belong to nobody’, appears the President is ready to put an end to this style of manipulative politics, an indication that politicians expecting certain personal favours may be disappointed. Some people have described the President’s profound remark as a sign of his confidence in his independence as well as his infinite capacity for identifying with others. Others believe that by making that statement, Buhari has sent a clear message to those who presume to be his godfathers that he cannot be used by any of them.

Apparently, such display of strong character was what endeared many Nigerians and even non Nigerians to Buhari.

We recall during the electioneering period how all kinds of campaign were carried against Buhari. All the negative things about the president by various media organizations could not resonate with many Nigerians who believed that the country needed a man as strong-willed as Buhari to put things right in the country. Nigerians were fed up with the rampaging corruption on a massive scale, the meddlesomeness of godfathers the leaders spouse which had over the years proven to be an impediment to good governance.

Many Nigerians were therefore, highly desirous to have the Mr Clean-Buhari, come on board so as to right the many wrongs in the country.

So, it was so reassuring for the President to start on such a desirable note.

However, it is one thing to make a declaration and another to enforce it. We have witnessed repeatedly in Nigeria where our leaders say something and do the opposite. We have seen several occasions where the legislators who make the law and the security agencies who are supposed to enforce the law are the ones breaking the law. Already, some people are becoming skeptical about the President’s sincerity over the fight against corruption in view of the recent withdrawal of corruption case against the former Bayelsa State Governor, Mr Timipre Sylva. They say, though Buhari might not be behind the action, he must know that puts a question mark on his anti-corruption stance.

So, President Buhari and indeed the state governors and other leaders in this present administration should endeavour to walk the talk. As the saying goes, action speaks louder than words, so our leaders should lead by example and be people of more action and less words.

Calista Ezeaku