A few days ago, Nigeria’s newly elected president who will be sworn in on May 29, retired army general Muhammadu Buhari, snubbed and turned away a prestigious convoy of cars including the power establishments’ ultimate car Rolls-Royce from the Nigerian high commission in London, for a modest Toyota Camry from a private arrangement.
It is a matter of fact that the diplomatic corps and influence peddlers around the high commission were shocked by this rare act of dignity and responsibility and example shown by the former military head of state. Buhari ruled briefly from December 1983 to August 1985 before the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida clique forced him and late Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon out of office.
;Second, as a leader Buhari has shown that the paraphernalia of office, the pomp and pageantry of presidential authority and the flamboyant accoutrements of power do not fall into his areas of interest or indulgence. I believe that the man wants to make history as a potentially great Nigerian president.
Third, Buhari is starting well by sending the right warning message to all those serial swindlers and misappropriation cabal who are clothed and fed and wined by our scarce resources. I believe Buhari’s austere and spartan approach has made very uncomfortable the maniacally greedy and violent gormandizers of Nigeria’s commonwealth and resources. It’s about time for Nigeria– especially after watching the country of 172 million struggled through the blinding bouts of corruption and primitive thieving since the 16 years of the PDP locust and profligacy which formed the end notes of the Goodluck Jonathan indecisive presidency. Before him and with him came the corrupt presidential docility years of the late Umar Yar’Adua.
Fourth, I know that for Buhari — of the Fulani-Kanuri heritage and a conservative Muslim — to be that great Nigerian leader, he has to profit from the lessons of the mistakes of the previous leaders and presidents from the country. Especially, from one man who is similar to him in some ways.
Remarkably, from 1999 to 2007, the presidency of the man, retired General Olusegun Obasanjo of the political-business animal called the PDP, rolled like a juggernaut.
Fifth, like Buhari’s coming into Abuja to lead, Nigerians held high hopes for Olusegun Obasanjo that, tragically, he thought 8 years in office could also mean 80 years. No!
I recall that Obasanjo’s redemption opportunities to truly perform to historical distinction were squandered in petty fights and punitive expeditions and private appropriations — all wrapped in his torn and incredible garment of ‘Nigeria’s National Interest.’ Consequently, my mentor, the greatest novelist of African descent, Chinua Achebe, protested and rejected Obasanjo’s “national award” as published first on USAfricaonline.com
Sixth, like Buhari, Obasanjo is the only other Nigerian who served as a dictator and as an elected leader. I met Chief Obasanjo 3 times in Houston when he came out of Sani Abacha’s prison during his first trip after his release; when he decided to run for president in 1999 and after he was victorious; and once in Calabar, Obudu ranch and Tinapa port during the outstanding governorship of Donald Duke.
Seventh, Buhari benefits by taking Objective recommendations from Obasanjo, while looking beyond Obasanjo’s faux righteousness and spin. Regardless and frankly, Nigerians still recall Obasanjo for the serial corruption of budgeting and spending billions in the monumental failure to give as little as 15% of Nigerians steady supply of electricity or cooking gas or kerosene!
Eight, like Buhari, Obasanjo is remembered for unlawful and unconstitutional impunity and operational excesses. Both men were foes of the freedom of the media….
In terms of the challenges ahead, as President Buhari is inaugurated on May 29th as a democratically-elected president, it is important that he profits from the lessons of history, and I have to say it, particularly, the reasons why so many leaders in Nigeria’s history squander opportunities for greatness. Buhari should remember that Nigerians voted for him in high numbers in order to fight corruption, corruption and corruption. Interesting that already the captains of corruption who wickedly reduced Nigerians to children of a lesser god are afraid of the emerging Buhari presidency.
Buhari has the capacity to rise to the challenge of history to be recorded as a man who had a rare second chance and truly turned Nigeria away from being the playground of economic leeches, political gangsters, irreligious murderers, social swines….
He should also note that they would not give up without a fight. Those legions of perversion, those offsprings of Machiavelli who show no fear of God!
Buhari, in my view, has an advantage because he wants to make history instead of coming in to stack mountains of dollars, euros and Naira for his great grand, grand, grand children in Daura, Dubai, Maidugiri, Abuja, Lagos, Aba…. •Dr. Chido Nwangwu, Founder & Publisher of USAfrica multimedia networks since 1992, first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNETUSAfricaonline.com; served as adviser to Houston’s ex Mayor on Africa business and recipient of several journalism and public POLICY awards, has been profiled by the CNN International for his pioneering works on multimedia/news/public policy projects for Africans and Americans.
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VIDEO #CNN special #CHIBOK Girls n #BokoHaram Live intvw wt the Founder of USAfrica multimedia and public POLICY networks Chido Nwangwu. CNN anchors John Berman n Michaela Pereira.
and friendship HOLD lessons for humanity and Africans, USAfrica Founder Chido Nwangwu takes a measure of their works and CONSEQUENCE to write that Mandela and Achebe have left “footprints of greatness.”
He chronicles, movingly, his 1998 reporting from the Robben Island jail room in South Africa where Mandela was held for decades through his 20 years of being CLOSE to Achebe. He moderated the 2012 Achebe Colloquium at Brown UNIVERSITY in Providence, Rhode Island.“I’ll forever remember having walked inside and peeped through that HISTORIC Mandela jail cell (where he was held for most of his 27 years in unjust imprisonment) at the dreaded Robben Island, on March 27, 1998, alongside then Editor-in-chief of TIME magazine and later news chief EXECUTIVE of the CNN, Walter Isaacson (and others) when PRESIDENTBILL Clinton made his first official trip to South Africa and CAME to Robben Island. Come to this island of scourge and you will understand, in part, the simple greatness and towering grace of Nelson Mandela”, notes Chido Nwangwu, award-winning writer, multimedia
specialist and founder of USAfricaonline.com, the first African-owned U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET, in his first book; he writes movingly from his 1998 reporting from South Africa on Mandela. http://www.mandelaachebechido.com/
•Dr. Chido Nwangwu, moderator of the Achebe Colloquium (GOVERNANCE, SECURITY, and PEACE in Africa) December 7-8, 2012 at Brown UNIVERSITY in Rhode Island and former ADVISER on Africa business/issues to the Mayor of Houston, is the Founder & Publisher of Houston-based USAfrica multimedia networks since 1992, first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET USAfricaonline.com; CLASSmagazine, AchebeBooks.com, the USAfrica-powered e-groups of AfricanChristians, Nigeria360 and the largest pictorial events megasite on the African diaspora www.PhotoWorks.TV . He was recently profiled by the CNN International for his pioneering works on multimedia/news/public policy projects for Africans and Americans.E-MAIL: Chido247@Gmail.com WIRELESS 1-832-45-CHIDO (24436).
Lessons of history duly noted. Praise God for president Buhari. I wish him the best and much success in the future. Thanks Chido for the wonderful story. See you at the top!
What does that mean? Will he ride on donkey or trek on foot in London? He flew to London by air. He should not confuse these differnt kinds of trasportation made available to him by an industralized nation.
In case anyone is still not convinced on how dangerous things can turn when proper security is not used: In 1984, our own Umaro Diko, was kidnapped, put into a crate, and was almost smuggled into Nigeria while living in this same London…ironically, this same Buhari was head of state then too..lol
What exactly was the black president elect doing with the white boys at 10 Downing Street on the eve of his inauguration as president of the world’s most populous black nation? Ugly is ugly.
….to add to that, I commend his choice of ordinary as against flamboyance in London, but Buhari should please follow the protocol of the British intelligence service next time. We live in dangerous and unsafe times where terrorists, especially ‘home grown’, are always seeking to cause havoc. Choosing to ride in an unsecured Camrey is not a very smart move. Additionally, I think Buhari missed the real point of why he was being required to ride in a Rolls Royce; apart from possibly being bullet proof like Obama’s $1.5 million Cadillac one ‘Beast’, Rolls Royce is also a British car company, unlike the Camry (Toyota/Japan). Hence most nations choose to promote their products in an official capacity whenever the need arises.
also note that they would not give up without a fight. Those legions of perversion, those offsprings of Machiavelli who show no fear of God!
USAfricaonline.com; served as adviser to Houston’s ex Mayor on Africa business and recipient of several journalism and public POLICY
and friendship HOLD
Kk,the man is playing to the gallery. Very cheap popularity.
That’s his choice ….he is a devout Moslem they care less about all these flambouyancy .
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Why did he fly first class? Was the economy class full?
Lessons of history duly noted. Praise God for president Buhari. I wish him the best and much success in the future. Thanks Chido for the wonderful story. See you at the top!
He seems to be starting out very well. I hope this trend continues
Inconsequential!
What does that mean? Will he ride on donkey or trek on foot in London? He flew to London by air. He should not confuse these differnt kinds of trasportation made available to him by an industralized nation.
In case anyone is still not convinced on how dangerous things can turn when proper security is not used: In 1984, our own Umaro Diko, was kidnapped, put into a crate, and was almost smuggled into Nigeria while living in this same London…ironically, this same Buhari was head of state then too..lol
Nkea bu ka ewesi na ifedi nma asoro ya, biko rapunu abokiaa.
Deceit and hypocrisy.
….bro, point made, and not taking anything away from the great op-ed by oga Chido Nwangwu
What exactly was the black president elect doing with the white boys at 10 Downing Street on the eve of his inauguration as president of the world’s most populous black nation? Ugly is ugly.
And I am
Ezeana Igirigi Achusim
Odi-Isaa
Nwa Dim Orioha
….to add to that, I commend his choice of ordinary as against flamboyance in London, but Buhari should please follow the protocol of the British intelligence service next time. We live in dangerous and unsafe times where terrorists, especially ‘home grown’, are always seeking to cause havoc. Choosing to ride in an unsecured Camrey is not a very smart move. Additionally, I think Buhari missed the real point of why he was being required to ride in a Rolls Royce; apart from possibly being bullet proof like Obama’s $1.5 million Cadillac one ‘Beast’, Rolls Royce is also a British car company, unlike the Camry (Toyota/Japan). Hence most nations choose to promote their products in an official capacity whenever the need arises.