How Gates, Obasanjo, Danjuma, North delivered a bad week to Buhari

The week of March, which began on the 18th and ended on the 24th, turned out to be one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s worst ever. He sure did not expect it to turn out the way it did.

Billionaire Microsoft boss, Bill Gates, first hit him with some home truths. Then, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo threatened to write a second open letter. While that was on, General TY Danjuma made that call that many had expected. Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), umbrella political body of Buhari’s political base, and 17 other groups from the north, sent in a vote of no confidence. Indeed, the cards are cascading badly.

Bill Gates’ ‘Impudence’

First, he sat, watched and listened to Microsoft owner, Bill Gates; destroy his much-celebrated Economic Growth and Recovery Plan (ERGP), torn to shreds by the billionaire who is on record to have spent $1.6b on Nigeria through his foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

For those who do not know, the ERGP is being celebrated by the Buhari administration as the Holy Grail of its economic transformation plan. The ERGP was developed in 2017 and until Gates pulled it down like Julius Berger would a poorly constructed bridge, was referenced everywhere by members of Buhari’s Economic Team led by Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President and a law professor with the Ministers of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma; Finance, Kemi Adeosun among others as frontline members.

In fact, the ERGP had been presented to Buhari as the magic document to turn around Nigeria’s economy. Its basic foundation was on huge infrastructure funding. But in his x-ray of the document, Gates found it unrealistic in addressing the human capital development needs of the country. Gates told Buhari and his cabinet that building roads and bridges without a healthy and well-nourished human capital to manage them is wasteful.

Gates’ analysis of the economy under Buhari’s management as against investments in health, education and agriculture has forced a puerile response from Buhari’s men where they sought to belittle Gates without effect.

TY Danjuma Finally Speaks

While Buhari and his team were still ruminating over Gates impudence in speaking hard truth to power, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma hit in with a call on Nigerians to rise to arm and defend themselves over the rampaging murderous gang of armed herdsmen who, he alleged, are on an ethnic cleansing mission.

Danjuma’s background and involvement in Buhari’s ascension to the Presidency is apt for recall. He is a Jukun from Taraba state. Danjuma is also a retired General and Buhari’s senior in the Army. His Taraba state has been a flashpoint in the Fulani herdsmen rampage. Outside the military, Danjuma is a friend of Buhari and one of huge financial contributors to his 2011 and 2015 presidential campaigns.

Read also: Saraki Aborts International Engagement To Fight For Survival

Recently, he has embarked on shuttles to Minna, Niger State meeting with former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida over the state of the nation. There are indications that he had also rallied ex-military officers to forge a common front to confront the Buhari administration to the extent it has refused to force a stop of the herdsmen rampage.

In his recent shuttles to some states where the Fulani herdsmen crisis had been deadliest, Buhari entered Taraba state where he spent a few hours. At a meeting with stakeholder, he told Nigerians that the killings in Benue state was nothing compared to what had taken place in Taraba state. His comment was interpreted to mean that Benue people needed not raise their voices over killings in the state by the herdsmen, because what had happened to Fulani herdsmen in the Mambilla area was more.

No doubt, Buhari had shown, and continually shows his support for Fulani herdsmen. To this extent, he approved the creation of a battalion of the Nigeria Army to protect cattle against rustlers in Zamfara state. He also ordered the creation of a department of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) to protect farmers, a move interpreted to mean that he was using the NSCDC to create safe passage for herdsmen.

However, the last time Danjuma spoke the way he did last Saturday at the maiden convocation of the Taraba State University, was at a public lecture of Leadership Newspapers which held at the International Conference Center in Abuja sometime between 20013 and 2014. In that lecture, Danjuma upbraided President Goodluck Jonathan for allegedly losing control of government and allowing persons not elected to run government for him.

His comment at the lecture was believed to be one of the fuels needed by some politicians to rally against Jonathan.

Speaking in a stronger manner, Danjuma simply said that Nigeria’s leadership had collapsed. He also says neither the military nor the police are now capable of protecting Nigerians. As a retired general, he is in a position to have first hand information about certain developments in the military. His conclusion that the military is no longer neutral is a conclusion arrived at from facts available to him. He should know the details especially with the effects of Buhari’s refusal to retire service chiefs when they became due for same.

The statement is also a vote of no confidence on the leadership of the Army, Air Force and Navy and other security establishments. Statistics show that of all heads of security establishments in Nigeria, only the Chief of Naval Staff is from outside the northern region. All others are northerners and predominantly of the Fulani ethnic stock. This situation, foisted on the country by Buhari, does not appreciate the diversity of the country and raises fear level among other ethnic groups. That fear level is what Danjuma now summarizes as planned ethnic cleansing.

Also, Danjuma’s call on Nigerians to arm and defend themselves, comes as direct disapproval of the order by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on all Commissioners of Police in the states to disarm all armed groups including vigilante groups which owe their existence to laws of the states. Idris wants a culling of arms in the hands of private citizens including herdsmen. But there is no evidence that any official of the Police Force has moved against Fulani Herdsmen even when their leaders in Benue State, represented by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) had openly vowed to observe the Benue State Anti-Open Cattle Grazing Law in breach while being armed.

Danjuma’s call may just be the fillip needed by his ethnic stock to rise up openly against herdsmen, who are believed to be mainly from the Fulani ethnic stock, and make Taraba state uncomfortable for them. Reality is that such a situation will spiral and may signal an end to certain realities in Nigeria.

Obasanjo’s Second Letter

Speaking at the 14th Annual Lecture of Women In Management, Business which held in Lagos on March 22, Olusegun Obasanjo, who rattled Buhari with an open letter wherein he asked him to quietly retire and perish the thoughts of contesting for the presidency in 2019, said he may be forced by current realities to write another letter.

In his first letter, Obasanjo pointed out Buhari’s inability to manage Nigeria’s diversity as reason he had led the country into a crossroad. He condemned the mindless killing of Nigerians by the same herdsmen, and lack of understanding of how the economy works as reasons Buhari has failed to live up to his pre-election rating as the change that Nigeria needed.

Obasanjo’s letter was soon followed by one from Babangida who spoke in similar fashion. Though Babangida said his was not an open letter but a public statement, he still conveyed the feeling that Buhari has failed and needed to step aside in 2019.

After the two, some leaders of the north had expressed individual disappointments over Buhari’s handling of internal security situation of the country. The letters lifted the veil of criticisms against the Buhari government making it possible for more voices to rise against the president.

North Rises…

Northern political leaders including Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum and 16 other political pressure groups in the region, rose from a summit in Kaduna state with one verdict -that northern political leaders, elected and appointed, of the 2015-2019 class have failed the region and must be replaced with more competent persons.

Part of a communiqué from the summit read: “The historic gains in the northern political unity secured by northern votes in 2015 elections have been wasted by the poor management of conflicts between and among northern communities”.

Another paragraph read: “Most political office holders from the north are hereby served notice that they have failed the test to lead the region towards economic recovery and growth”.

Their message, including those of Gates, Obasanjo and Danjuma all had one thing in common; the Buhari government has failed Nigerians. Even though the president and his handlers have refused to openly declare it, Buhari has no intention to ‘take a rest’, as he is still eyeing retaining the coveted seat in 2019.

The messages no doubt must have caused some disquiet within the Buhari camp, as they throw a spanner in their plans, and efforts to convince Nigerians to give Buhari a second chance, and another shot at the presidency in the fast approaching 2019 general election.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now