Why Buhari should jettison ‘Baba Go Slow’ approach
With Ayobrown Adetunji
Travelling they say is part of education, and education too they also said is a continuous process from cradle to the grave, no matter who you are or your status. Leaders world over leave the shores of their country to see and familiarise themselves with events and new happenings in other countries in order to copy or even steal technology and human advancements to better the lots of their citizenry.
Franklin Roosevelt said the only limitation of our realisation of tomorrow will be our doubt of today, covering a distance of about 3659 miles, 5888.59 km, 3179.58 nautical miles, in a 3-hours flight, our president told his audience he is ‘Baba Go Slow’, little wonder why Maurice Freehill asked ‘who is more foolish, a child afraid of darkness or a man afraid of the light? The president only performed about four strategic functions, including appearing before Nigerians who are based in the country for a ‘grilling’ session on his performance in office. He said “come over to Nigeria and prosper”, I’m sure no investor will take such statement serious.
‘Come and have handsome returns on your investments within the shortest possible time’, but what type of assurance can someone who is only ready to go but very slowly can give to people who are ready with speed and accuracy? Many wondered.
Fear and worry are the interest paid in advance on something you may never own, or how else will you consider President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement when he said he is going slowly because he wants to survive, while forgotten that no man has power over the length of his life, but only the creator does.
Addressing Nigerian community in Dubai during a town hall meeting, president Buhari said he does not care if he is called “Baba go slow” as long as he is not looting the country’s treasury and did not want to make the mistake he made as a military head of state when he landed in prison for being so much in hurry.
Strong conviction precede great actions, “I may be ‘Baba go slow’ but I didn’t loot,” he said, but being slow and looting the treasury are not in the same realm and space. Yes, he may not loot directly but what about his cabals and aides who are doing the opposite, many Nigerians some answered if truly their president’s words are anything to go by. If in doubt, he should ask his vice when he said Nigeria is short of men of integrity in positions of power, quoting Prof Yemi Osinbajo when he thought our nation is not short of ideas, projects or money but that the country is short of is men and women of integrity in positions of power. In his words, “as I repeated many times during the course of the campaign that our country is not short of idea, we are not short of projects; we are not short of money either; what we are short of is integrity in office. Corruption is the major problem that our country is facing and once we are able to deal with it effectively, our country will be the great nation that it ought to be”.
If still not sure, he should consult the recent finding of the United States Department of State as released, what it termed evidence of impunity in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government. United States released and pointed out evidences of massive corruption under the Buhari’s government. The US Congress makes it mandatory for the executive to produce a report on the state of human rights worldwide every year where classification and categorisation of the Nigerian state should give our president worry and why should jettison his ‘go-slow’ approach.
All over the news, the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for year 2018, said that Nigeria under Buhari, had made little progress in efforts to limit corruption in its public service.
The report added that “Although the law provides criminal penalties for conviction of official corruption, the government did not implement the law effectively and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
“Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security services. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year.
Zamfara killing and kidnappings are still on and unabated, Nigerian economy is in disarray and a mess, even borrowing is more than it was in previous government.
Never show doubt and never lose you dignity beneath the crown or it will never fit you. Should Buhari had inquired or asked in Dubai how UAE was built, they would have told him it was within a space of two decades or even less and not through a ‘Baba Go slow’ leader. President Buhari should avoid the ‘status quo’ – (the mess we are in) as explained in Latin.
If he can’t, what about his aides? But a flock of sheep led by a lion would surely defeat a park of lion led by a sheep, many Nigerians opined.
Even if he did survive, life is beyond survival; ‘don’t just grow, but bloom’ was the watchword of great leaders, and if we must reach the promise land and timely, the nation needs a president who can do more than just decide but discern, he who don’t just speak but impact meaningfully well on its citizenries.
Success depends not on ratiocination but on rhythm, of what use is it to be an industrious fool? Many still harbour the illusion that governance, dealing with political power and authority as it does, is beyond the petty rivalries that trouble the rest of the world, Mr President is one of those forgot that every step had to be planned and executed with the utmost attention to details and nuance at such international level.
The breakfast of champions is not cereals but obstacles; because circumstances are the rulers of the weak, but they are instruments of the wise…a simple question our president failed or forgot to ask in Dubai is how United Arab Emirate was built and came to being.
More harm is done by weak persons than wicked persons, guarantee to success is to work smarter not harder, but I will advice our president to do both, not necessarily by himself but with his numerous aides, ministers, assistances and advisers. Many expected President Buhari to lay intellectual siege as carefully as any general who knows his onions would.
Direction is a matter of fact; ideas are a matter of opinion, ‘I bark but I cannot bite, Baba go slow’, Nigerian President admit deficiencies. This was how he described himself in the presence of international investors and foreigners who he was trying to woo for investments. You can’t stroll to a gaol. I wish I was in Dubai to have asked our Nigerian President some vital questions.
Everything you ever wanted in on the other side of fear and in valour there is hope, though, a dog cannot become a lion, but let the dog be the best it can was just the message. And you can only help people based on your strength, our president needs to understand.
*Ayobrown, Senior System Analyst, National Pilot Newspaper, writes via [email protected]