Buhari: How dare you…? – Lanre Ogundipe

Honesty may not always pay, but lying always costs. Trust is a tower, built stone by stone, lies take stones from the bottom. There is no security in secrecy; every undiscovered lie is a live landmine. Lies breed a bodyguard of new lies to protect themselves – Amar Bhidé and Howard H. Stevenson.

“I live on rent accruals from my houses in Kaduna” says Mohammadu Buhari. This banner headlines in virtually all our major dailies grabbed my attention. Self-adulating anti- corruption posturing
by no less a personality than former President Mohammadu Buhari should naturally attract attention. I was in haste to get the entire gist. I rushed to get my palmtop. Alas! The speech was nothing but carefully concealed lies from a three-times number one leader in Nigeria – a k.a Baba Bubu.

I was torn apart that Monday morning and said this was not the best way to start a working week. I restlessly wondered, why an octogenarian – a former President, for that matter –would regale in lie telling and relish in tales by the moonlight. Why resort to spinning of ‘truths’ which actually qualifies as half-truth and untruth!

What does he benefit, manipulating Nigerians all in the bid to self -glorify as a living legend or a being of immaculate conception? What does our President – oh, I meant former! – aim to benefit from whitewashing the tomb and labouring to rid a stubborn stain? Can a leopard change his skin? Our self-acclaimed austere former President may never do so. He relishes in donning the garb of an incorruptible and uncommon leader, a special breed, and the Saint extra- ordinaire of our clime.

Our former President- like other elites of his kind- unequivocally, profits from the gullibility and “stupidity” – permit my choice of word- of their fellow citizens and perpetually ride roughshod on their shoulders. Nigerians, I may say, are regarded as buffoons – who have no capacity to reason- by their leaders, or else, how could a supposedly educated and enlightened General and former three – times No 1 citizen of a well-heeled country like Nigeria, openly declare, that he is only sustained by the meagre rental income from his 2 houses in Kaduna?

General, with due respect Sir, Nigerians are not that daft! They know better. At least a sizeable number of Nigerians who are educated, well informed and analytically minded, know that your story was a tale by the moonlight. They are aware that no retired General in Nigeria is sustained solely by proceeds from his house rents alone, talk less of a former President, and 2 times former No 1 citizen of the country.

In all honesty, your statement, Mr. former President qualifies as a child talk, or at best a comedy, or soap opera for the TV. Except that no one could tell what the intentions were, for the spinning the lie.

However, one thing that stood out clearly was that the political jab wrapped in a cloak of integrity was aimed at drawing sympathy from the naive politicians gathered at the meeting. It was a shot in the crowd, aimed to whip up sentiments and galvanise APC die-hards and Buhari’s blind supporters, to hit the ground running and mobilise for the coming local government election in Katsina State and its environs.

Laughably, “I am a poor former President” comment, presents as a thoughtless expedition, by an unsavvy Baba Bubu to project himself as an honest leader who served without appropriating the nation’s kobo to himself.

Haba, Mai Karya! Have you forgotten that this your tale can be fact checked? I don’t think Buhari should indulge in an unmastered game to attract unnecessary sympathy. Whatever the story tends to achieve seems to have fallen flat on arrival.

Without begging for honour, past leaders deserved to be respected and honored. They should command it. But making statements to draw emotions when such is wrapped in a cloak of deceit, surely and naturally undignifies a leader, who has stripped in the public square. That’s exactly what Mr. Buhari did.

Unfortunately, the coteries of handlers around the former leader seem to have been shut out of the show or cowardly genuflected to their principal’s wishes. That does not befit an elder stateman of his stature and a leader who has lived all his life on acclaimed integrity and tax payers’ money.

It was an entertaining read that Baba Bubu said he sustained himself on rental income from his two houses in Kaduna State. How much is rent income compared with the post-presidency benefits of a three times Head of State and retired General?

This aside, Buhari has no clean bill of health to speak on transparency and accountability in public office. Such was nonexistent in his 8 years rule as a civilian president. Who is Buhari trying then, to impress with his bogus claim? If not that our leaders regard Nigerians as buffoons and memory deficient, President Buhari should have by now, apologized to Nigerians, for the costly trust betrayed. So much was expected of him when he became president based on his much-fllaunted integrity. Regrettably, he squandered the trust reposed in him.

His tenure was characterized by the same sleaze and mismanagement that has become the albatross of the country’s governance. While the former president continued to harp on his integrity, his hangers-on, family members, and administration cabals were feasting on the nation’s wealth.

Honesty, no seroius minded person should be seen picking quarel with Buhari’s speech at the All Principalities Congress otherwise known as All Progressives Congress (APC)’s caucus meeting held on January 25 at the Presidential Banquet Hall of Katsina State’s Government House. Buhari stated that he refrained from enriching himself illicitly during his presidency, asserting that Nigeria’s complexities make governance a significant challenge.

This misguded statement in Kaduna solidified my informed though reluctant stance, to align with Nasir El-Rufai’s submission that Nigerians were robbed by its gullible and misguided elites – to foster stark illiterates on the populace as leaders! If not, how dare Mr. Buhari come into the open with his self-adulating and pretensive comments that he lives on rent accruals from his houses in Kaduna?.

The claim is spurious and laughable. Otherwise, he needs to disclose to Nigerians the post- presidency financial status of his immediate family members, relatives, and other acolytes that wielded influence or served in his government. Only then will Nigerians take him seriously.

Buhari’s angelic claim would have attracted post – mortem in more democratically accountable climes. Unfortunately, this is Nigeria, a country where a smart thief pays the transport fare of his bewildered co-passenger victim and receives accolades and prostrate-level thank you from his unsuspecting victim and other co- passengers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Our own WS – Wole Soyinka would say ‘this is ikoko lie from Agbalagba’ – this a child’s prank coming from an Elder. It is crystal clear that the once acclaimed Mr. Gaskya has deviated completely from his much-vaunted integrity if he had ever genuinely nursed one.

There’s no need shying from telling Mr. Buhari to stop his cock and bull stories, as Nigerians are more enlightened to know how much a retired general earns in retirement, not to talk of the perks accruable to a three terms Head of state of a country that satiates his elite class with bogus awards and mouth- watering service and post- service packages.

This kind of manipulative citizen engagement has become the hallmark of our leaders – who prefer to feed half-truth to their people to conceal their past flaws and embark on ego trip.

Our ‘poor’ former President who survives on mere rental charges, is gratiated with mouth-watering post- presidency packages, which , besides cash emolument, includes several other benefits namely three to four armed policemen and a State Security Service officer as an aide-de-camp ADC;
three vehicles that are replaced every four years; a diplomatic passport for life, and free medical treatment for themselves and their immediate family within Nigeria. If needed, they can also receive medical treatment abroad at the Federal Government’s expense.

Other perks include a 30-day annual vacation, a well-furnished office, and a five-bedroom house in a location of their choice. Buhari earns all this, apart from whatever his entitlement is, as a retired general.

On a serious note, our leaders are vicious and extremely self- centered . They are also unabashedly dishonest. Taking the resilience of most Nigerians for weakness, they refuse to appreciate the sacrifices of their fellow citizens who patiently bear the brunt of their misgovernance, commonwealth appropriation, and consequent agonizing existence.

On transparency while on the saddle as President, Buhari should simply zip his mouth and remain silent as he has nothing to boast of. In 1977, a sum of 2.8 billion was controversially declared missing in NNPC as Minister of Petroleum during Military days.

Under Buhari’s democratic watch, a public officer in good standing with him, acquired 795 duplexes while in service and purchased over 1000 vehicles to campaign for an elective office Buhari’s cousin, Tunde Sabiu a one time airtime recharge cards seller, became stupendously rich. Buhari hosted many other infractions, when he mounted the saddle.

The long list of corruption against his associates, friends and family, is hanging yet Mr. Bubu is thumbing himself up, as an honest person who should be venerated.

A stop must be put to the atrocious dealings of leaders in the country. We can not continue to paper cracks and look the other way as if lies and corruption are the bedrock of our life in Nigeria.

Mr. Buhari should please embrace honesty and clothe himself in the garb of dignity.

©️ Lanre Ogundipe
Public Affairs Analyst;
Former President Nigeria and African Union of Journalists
February 4,2025