The on-going re-packaging of President Muhammadu Buhari to which his handlers, political associates and supporters as well as a lot of the functionaries of the current government are totally committed is a sufficiently understandable project. It is quite legitimate and even desirable for the various categories of his sympathizers to worry about his post-tenure life and consequently work assiduously to ensure that it is favourable to him.
They are, just like they did when he was being prepared for democratic governance, expected to continue to manage and drive the process of his exit from power in such a manner that can guarantee the protection and promotion of his image as a Nigeria’s leader whose election in 2015 and even 2019 was considered, by most citizens, as a fundamental responsibility. Having reached this stage at which he is duly rounding up, President Buhari needs to be fully subjected to a packaging process that should be a lot more comprehensive than the one that was executed in 2014/2015.
As a perfect history maker and on whom history will inevitably pass judgement, the president’s future life should be a matter of utmost concern to all those who were or are still key actors in the governance of the country during his time. It is, in fact, such a concern that is being translated into reality as evident in all the efforts being made by the relevant figures within and outside the government to provide justifications for all the pronouncements and actions of the president.
In other words, the performances of the Buhari government with which political opponents and even some critical domestic and foreign assessors are, however, continuously finding fault are tirelessly being highlighted by the official and self-appointed defenders of the policies of the administration. All policies and programmes of the government are, in a bid to increase the image of the president, readily classified as major achievements that should be colourfully celebrated by all.
Honestly, it was the president who, at several times and in various ways, manifested a desire for more than a usual defence of the government and even lamented the reluctance of the relevant officials to showcase the achievements he has recorded in the last seven and a half years that he has been in power. Also, as part of the effort to convince Nigerians that he has exceptionally performed, the president predicted that he will be terribly missed after he leaves office, clearly saying that whoever will come after him will achieve less.
Most importantly, the President of the United States of America, Mr Joe Biden, described President Buhari as a champion of democracy in Africa whose legacy is a “model”, thereby unconsciously boosting the morale of those doing the re-packaging. This particular comment which Biden made when Buhari visited the country most recently for a US-Africa Summit has come across as a recognition of the real and perceived qualities as well as the achievements of the Nigeria’s leader which are being flaunted by the image makers.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Malam Garba Shehu, has already identified some issues that were treated during the visit for the benefit of Nigeria. It is Shehu”s belief that “Biden’s recognition of Buhari as a continental champion of democracy will come with admirable dividends” and to which Nigerians should confidently look forward.
The biggest of the anticipated dividends is the possible inclusion of Nigeria in some major groups of countries that are committed to the conduct of credible elections in particular and the sustenance of democracy in general, which may serve as a prelude to its appointment into the United Nations Security Council. If this ultimate objective of the country and, indeed Africa, is achieved, it will be a clear consequence of the consideration of President Buhari as a leader with whom America shares the vision for the promotion of democracy and the defence of human rights.
In the course of his interactions with the key American government officials and other participants in the summit he advertised some of the strategic plans and programmes of his administration such as the Energy Transition Plan and some other vital designs that are, for example, meant to facilitate the creation of healthier environment and strengthen investors’ interest in the Nigerian economy. It was, by the judgement of the image makers of the president, an outing that has brought out his capacity and foresightedness and for which he should, therefore, be commended.
While Buhari is, at his own level, visibly trying to ensure that he finally goes home with his integrity intact, the relevant government officials have consistently been at work in this regard. The introduction of the Presidential Scorecard Series by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, the 14th edition of which was launched last Tuesday, is one of the most practical steps towards the proper re-packaging of President Buhari as he prepares to leave office next year.
Since the commencement of the series, the ministers have been taking their respective turns to give account of their tenures with a view to making the point that the country has fared well under Buhari. The series are sessions at which the current administration is being exonerated from all blames or allegations bordering on any form of impropriety
But even as the re-packaging is being done, certain ugly realities about the conditions in which Nigerians live and work have remained huge challenges for the drivers of the process. Facts and figures about the security situation have fully indicated that majority of the people in various parts of the country have been victims and targets of attacks by violent criminals who have now constituted themselves into a force that competes with the constituted authority.
The recent revelation by National Bureau of Statistics that about 133 million Nigerians which are more than 60 percent of the total human population in the country are poor is a devastating blow to the government’s claim that its anti-poverty programme is succeeding in the same way that certain reported cases of corruption have simply rendered the anti-graft crusade ineffective. It is the totality of all these drawbacks that will continue to make the work of image makers extremely difficult.
President Buhari, as a former Minister, Military Governor and Head of State who invested his whole time and energy in the service of the country is definitely most deserving of a full rest at end of his tenure as an elected president. Having so served in government before he, at some point, became an opponent of it and now president of the country, Buhari should have been one of the Nigeria’s greatest and most respected leaders.
All these efforts at re-packaging him which are essentially counter-arguments over his performances are being made because the capacity of the government for delivery has been found to be inadequate. This means that even with all the insistence by the officials of the government that remarkable achievements have been recorded, President Buhari is most likely to suffer loss of reasonable amount of credibility because of evidence of low performance in some critical spheres of national life that has been established against his administration.
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