President Muhammadu Buhari 

People 2 People with Oke Epia

Nigeria has once again become the beautiful bride of the world, especially the West. President Muhammadu Buhari who only just returned to Abuja from the Group of 7 (G7) meeting in Bavaria, Germany is swirling in a swell of admiration and goodwill from leaders around the globe. Expectations are however high that this honeymoon will translate into tangible positives for Africa’s largest nation south of the Sahara.

These expectations are not out of place. They are a direct contrast to the pall of gloom and doom that had straddled the soul of Nigeria prior to the conduct of the general elections which many had feared would precipitate her unravelling. 2015 had been predicted as the year for Nigeria’s break-up by some quasi-official agents of the United States of America. Although that doom prophesy remained as controversial as its source, the turn of events leading to the March 28 presidential polls which brought President Buhari to power greatly accentuated the fears and anxieties of many Nigerians and foreigners that the end may have indeed come for a united nation clobbered together in 1914 by British imperialism. Both generic and contrived fault lines of the country came under heavy pressure owing to the fractious and acrimonious contest for power between Goodluck Jonathan, a then incumbent with immense powers to swing things his way if he was desperate and the rampaging forces of change coalesced into the Buhari candidature. While politicians pulled in opposite poles and the electoral body fiddled with ill-tested experimentations, ethnic warlords and clannish crusaders threatened to bring down the roof if their candidate failed to win. And of course, the scary sceptre of book haram terrorism continued to dangle in spite of escalated assault on their Sambisa stronghold by the military. Out of fear for the worst, Nigerians migrated in mass numbers from their places of residence and subsistence to their native towns, homes and hamlets. Things were falling apart and it seemed the centre could no longer hold as late Chinua Achebe succinctly put in his classic prose. Matters were made worse when the presidential election initially scheduled for February 14 was postponed by six weeks. The postponement made friends of Nigeria and other foreign interested parties that had keenly watched events openly expressed concerns. The United States for instance, reacted by issuing veiled threats to politicians to keep the peace no matter the outcome of the polls. Such concerns were heightened by unconfirmed reports of deployment of Special Forces by some western powers along Nigeria’s coast to ensure timely evacuation of their citizens in case the worst happened. To make matters worse, some otherwise respected senior citizens unfortunately oiled the propaganda machines by conjuring up fratricidal images and doomsday end-games like was the case with former Ivorien leader, Laurent Gbagbo. The stage appeared set for the gunpowder to explode.

But alas a sudden denouement: Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to the opposition candidate even when the complete results of the election were yet to be announced. The former president had seen the handwriting on the wall and moved swiftly to reverse the simmering tension. That was how Nigeria pulled back from the brink and saved the world a crisis of gargantuan humanitarian proportion. That was also how her profile rose steeply in the international community. And although President Buhari is the standard bearer of this resurgent national image, the point has not be lost on the world that Mr. Jonathan, the shoeless gentleman from Otuoke whose word is demonstrably his bond, is the architect statesman of modern Nigeria who built the levers of a new democratic culture where the loser in an electoral contest gives a bow to the victor instead of bringing down the roof on all. Also deserving of tribute too are the Nigerian people themselves who showed resilience, courage and a dauntless will to brace the odds even in the face of a waning hope.

It is this subliminal display of political maturity and a rare ability to pull back from the brink that has placed Nigeria in a fresh pride of place among other nations of the world. These are national values not all nations of the world are imbued with. And they are worth celebrating by Nigerians and friends of the country. The attendance of foreign dignitaries including Heads of State/Government or their representations at the May 29 swearing-in of President Buhari attests to this. Notable leaders of the world now appear more enthusiastic to offer attention and assistance to Nigeria.

]]That is why Mr. Philip Hammond, British Foreign Secretary on behalf of his Prime Minister, openly asked the Nigerian leader to bring a ‘wish list’ to Bavaria when coming for the G7 Summit. In a piece published in Thisday newspaper of June 1, 2015, the foreign secretary echoed the world’s respect for and readiness to help Nigeria thus: “It was an historic election which was a great credit to the famous innovation, persistence and energy of the Nigerian people and which has brought about Nigeria’s first democratic transition from one political party to another; a transition that was achieved with civility and in peace. This was not only a huge achievement for Nigeria but also one that will be held up as an example for others to follow. We stand ready to support President Buhari and his new government as they begin their programme for a secure and prosperous Nigeria.” 

Reports of President Buhari’s participation at the G7 summit have also been quite heart-warming. Leaders of the world’s most industrialized countries reportedly told Nigeria to streamline her wish list and narrow down to specifics what help the country requires from them. It is noteworthy that the Nigerian President had presented a demand for assistance in the areas of tackling the boko haram terrorism challenge, curbing corruption, economic cooperation and confronting unemployment and poverty among others. A statement by presidential spokes person, Mr. Garba Shehu said the G7 leaders promised to “engage, cooperate and collaborate” with the Buhari administration in governing Nigeria, adding that “they asked to know the nature and the scale of the problems in order to know the nature and the scale of the assistance they will provide. Suffice it to say that they assured President Buhari that ‘Nigeria will find a partner in the G7.”

But Buhari must seize these honeymoon moments. He must get the world to assist Nigeria defeat book haram in concrete terms in contrast to mere rhetorics. He must get America, Britain and France to help bring back our girls. He must get Europe and Uncle Sam to rein in the rogue corporations which connive with government officials to steal Nigeria’s crude and undermine transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector. He must get Switzerland, Cayman Island and the rest of them to stop being repositories of public funds stolen from Nigeria. Agreed he needs time to do these and much more. But he should not forget: no honeymoon lasts forever.

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