An open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari

By John Chukwu….

Dear President Muhammadu Buhari,

I have always wanted to write an open letter to you concerning the state of affairs of our great country – Nigeria. There is no better time to do that than now you have been re-elected, in the February 23rd, 2019, Presidential Election, for another term of four years. I congratulate you, your Excellency. It is not easy to win a Presidential Election in a country made up of multiple ethnic groups and religious leanings like Nigeria.

I remember you initially contested three times for the office of the President – in 2003 against President Olusegun Obasanjo, 2007 against President Umaru Yar’Adua and 2011 against President Goodluck Jonathan – and you were defeated. It was in 2015, when you contested for the fourth time, that you won. I always tell people that you do motivate me in many fronts. I draw strength in your uncompromising, never-relenting and determined spirit.

It is natural for you to have thrown in the towel and retire in your farm in Daura, Katsina State, when you could not make it in the first three times you contested. It took you 12 years to achieve your dream of occupying Aso Rock and being at the helm of our national affairs. I must be quick to assert that I admire your persistency and consistency.

Mr President, you took charge of this country as a Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and returned as a democratically elected President in 2015 and by the virtue of your victory – at the recently concluded polls – you will champion the cause of this nation till May 29, 2023. Thus, you have equaled the record of President Obasanjo who ruled as a head of state – 1976 to 1979 – and as a democratically elected President – 1999 to 2007. The history of Nigeria cannot be written without the mention of your name. God really blessed you.

As you are aware that the Presidential and National Assembly Elections that took place last week Saturday were marred by electoral violence which even resulted in the death of people especially in Kogi, Rivers and Lagos States. I pray you set machineries in focus in order to avert such ugly electoral occurrences which have become an inseparable part of our electoral process.

Sequel to the Presidential Election, the country is now divided like never before. It is a normal thing for a country, fresh from a national election, to be dragged into the dark room of division and dissatisfaction of diverse proportions. The country is in desperate need of unity. It is, therefore, pertinent you map out constructive strategies that would help deliver the country from the clutches of ethnic, political and religious differences. Please, permit me to assert that one of the ways to achieve this feat is by carrying every geopolitical zone along. Treating a geopolitical zone with governmental apathy because they did not really vote for you would further fuel tension and heat up the polity. Being the father of our nation, it is incumbent on you to treat us equally.

Mr President, as Nigerians have given you another opportunity to pilot their affairs, and take them to the Next Level, they expect you to do everything within your power to put an end to the reckless and wanton killing and destruction of property by the Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents. Nigerians have suffered tremendously at the hands of these two security threats and having given you another opportunity to remain in power simply means that they still have much faith in your ability to secure their lives.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, prior to the election, visited you with a powerful delegation, and shed tears while appealing to you to help him stop the rampaging insurgents in his State and in affirmation of the faith they have in you, to stop the insurgents, the people of the State – and other Boko Haram ravaged States like Yobe – voted for you resoundingly and massively.

The Fulani Herdsmen have dealt mercilessly with many communities across the country and this has even brought a bad image for Nigeria in the international community. I strongly hope that you can rise to the occasion this time and make our security issues history. There are other security minuses we face but particular interest is paid to Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani Herdsmen attacks because of the gargantuan pains of loss of lives, maiming and destruction of property they offer.

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Last year, we became the poverty capital of the world. When I learnt about this, it got me terribly frustrated. We are known to be the “Giant of Africa”. We were once the biggest economy on the African continent. Other nations once depended on us for sustenance. We need to find out where we got it all wrong and retrace our step for us to make progress. Agriculture used to be our economic mainstay but following the discovery of oil, we hurriedly threw agriculture into the evil forest. How pathetic. The common man in Nigeria seriously hopes for the economy to improve. Please, expedite efforts to get our economy riding on a fruitful and productive lane.

Corruption is one dangerous societal disease we have been struggling with for decades. The promise to get rid of it was one of the wings that flew you to power in 2015 and during your campaign for the just concluded election, you vowed to intensify efforts in fighting it. The time to get into action is now. There have been a growing idea that your fight against corruption is only channeled towards people who are not in your party – All Progressives Congress. I beseech you to prove them wrong by conducting a critical investigation on the people in your party and government. If anyone is found guilty of corruption, let the full wrath of the law take care of the person. Doing this will make a reverberating statement that there are no sacred cows in your fight against corruption.

Mr President, NEXT LEVEL is the agenda of your second term. Nigerians are patiently waiting to reap the benefits of this Next Level. They want all the sectors of the nation to be on a whole new level. This can only come to fruition, if they needed human and material resources are deployed judiciously and productively. If you will reshuffle your ministers and assign credible, qualified and experienced people to man the ministries, I will appreciate it. You have a reputation of being incorruptible, disciplined and integrity-personified. Thus, I believe you will do everything to keep your reputation intact. That can simply be achieved when you keep doing the right and furnish Nigerians with the dividends of democracy. I pray God gives you the requisite wisdom to lead us well.

Congratulations, once again, your Excellency.

Yours Sincerely,
John Chukwu

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