The new catch word in the opposition circle in Nigeria today is the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has been slow in making impact in the lives of the citizenry, a little over a month he was sworn-in as President under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The new main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented by its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, who of course, is the only notable national officer still functioning now, has been particularly harping on the delay by the President in naming his cabinet members or ministers, among others.
The opposition and its media megaphone have therefore tagged President Buhari ‘Baba go-slow’ instead of the change agent he professed to be.
Not to worry, what the PDP is doing or saying now is a familiar political gimmick that took root in the early days of the government of late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. It was during his time that the word: ‘Baba go-slow’ was invented, incidentally, by the opposition then, which happened to be the ruling party today.
The similarity in the designation of late Yar’adua and President Buhari as “go-slow” leaders is not necessary the issue here, but the end product of what was imputed via-a-vis the rationale or implication of what has come to be commonly known as ‘hitting the ground running’ an acronym for haste in running the affairs of the nation. The former, i.e. the go-slow concept, to be sure, looks dowdy and is on a lonely lane while the latter, i.e. hitting the ground-running, looks attractive and is often oiled by propaganda.
At the time Umaru Yar’auda was tagged go-slow, he was actually making slow and steady progress in all the socio-economic and even political fronts. Such positive progress was not noticed until he died. It was actually after his death that those who were vilifying him and making jest of him came to know that, had he tarried awhile, he would have sanitized the nation’s electoral process through his famous electoral reform.
It was after his death that the nation was jolted up to realize the great plans he had for the upliftment of the status of the country on the economic and social fronts. Indeed, political and economic analysts came to a conclusion that what Yar’adua achieved, in terms of plans for steady growth and development in all sectors of the nation’s socio-economic fronts, within his short stay, would have brought the country out of the wood.
When he died, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who succeeded him, decided to follow the popular opinion that wanted haste in the governance. He went swiftly to assemble those who later turned to be speaking above the head of the Nigerians, instead of practical result. They were those who have mastered the art of speaking grammar to convince even the most pessimists amongst the populace that Nigeria was moving forward.
They, indeed, were those who have mastered the art of propaganda: who would tell you that roads have been constructed in places where it was obvious there were no such roads. They were those who would keep on shifting goal post on when the nation would finally enjoy steady power supply and expected you to jubilate in advance.
They were those who would tell you that millions of unemployed youths have been gainfully employed even if you did not know any one close to or far from you that had enjoyed such opportunity. They were those who would shout to the high heavens that after rebating the economy (a very mighty grammar that meant nothing to the common man), Nigeria had suddenly became the biggest economy in Africa, even when the living standards of millions of citizens were taking a dangerous downturn and they were going down in life of squalor.
They were those who would tell you that they were on top of the situation when actually they didn’t know the situation they were talking about.
One dangerous thing about propaganda is that the propagandists would cleverly create a dummy that makes you feel happy that some positive things are ongoing, whereas the system is gradually collapsing. For, as the saying goes, it is when you agree that you have a problem that you would get a help from the neighbour. But when you show your neighbour that you are doing well and even that you are the biggest economy in Africa, pray, you are simply committing suicide. Which was what happened.
Like Late Umaru Yar’adua who co-incidentally came from Katsina state, President Buhari appears to be working on the concept that when you hit the ground, you don’t run until you have studied and assessed the situation and define the direction to which you would like to run.
For, in a sense, it is only a careless and empty headed leader that would hit the ground and begin to run. What happens in most cases is that such leader would run the country into socio-economic gutter and depression. Which was what happened.
One thinks that that is what the Change, by President Buhari implies: doing things differently from the familiar ways. If that means go-slow, let us be patient to see where it would lead us. [myad]
