“Nigeria is a place of numerous challenges and the home of vast human
potentials. Our greatest challenge has always been how to best direct
our vast potentials so that we overcome the challenges that plague us.
This cardinal challenge is why the APC was formed and why the party
presented then General Muhammadu Buhari
as its standard bearer. The
people rightly chose him as their president, believing he was the best
person to make Nigeria into a better nation.
His electoral victory was historic. More importantly, like most
Nigerians, I believed his presidency represented a historic mission to
right many of our nation’s wrongs. I still believe so. The previous
administration treated Boko Haram softly, appearing to view the
terrorists as part of their political equation rather than a lethal
threat to national security. President Buhari has gone after Boko
Haram without condition and without fear. He has pushed them back,
saving lives and giving northern Nigeria a chance to breathe again the
air of peace and normalcy.
“My recent visit to Borno State to inaugurate projects opened my eyes
to the progress President Buhari has made in the anti-terror war. An
enabling environment has been created for Governor Kashim Shettima who
has taken advantage of the peaceful space to initiate laudable
projects such as the provision of housing for and rehabilitation of
Boko Haram victims. The previous administration treated corruption as
its co-tenant in office. President Buhari has fought it with tenacity,
equal to that with which he has confronted Boko Haram.
We currently face stiff economic challenges. This is neither
President’s Buhari’s doing nor choosing. The steep decline in oil
prices caused the downturn which exposed our nation’s long-time
failure to plan ahead by diversifying our economic base. It has fallen
on the Buhari government to fix the immediate problem while also
diversifying our economy so that we will no longer be as vulnerable to
the price of oil again.
“His policies have begun to bear fruit. We are moving out of recession
and toward the long-term reshaping of the national economy. Given the
complex menu of problems he has faced, President Buhari has done well
in a tough situation. While I seek not to diminish the hardship still
faced by many of our people, we also must be cognizant of the
important progress made these past two years.
President Buhari has moved us from the path of failure to a path where
we have a fighting chance to realize a better nation. Had we stuck to
the ways of the former administration, our present situation would be
worse than untenable. Those who publicly speculate about the issue of
the President’s health must keep all of this in mind. Much is at
stake. We owe a responsibility to be wise and circumspect in what is
spoken into the public ear.
“We voted for President Buhari because we trusted his ability to make
decisions regarding complex issues of state. If we can trust him to
handle difficult matters of governance, we can also trust him to make
correct decisions regarding his personal health. The President Buhari
I have come to know is an honest and responsible man and leader.
When he returned to Nigeria on March 10, he disclosed to the nation
that he had been sick to the extent that he received blood transfusion
and would leave for further treatment at some future date. He said he
would follow the counsel of his doctors and there is every reason to
believe that he has been true to their counsel. Many people have
openly speculated about the President’s health. Some have done so for
their own selfish reasons. These people shall be found out in time.
There are many who have done so out of sincere concern for the
President.
“These people should not be condemned for their heartfelt concern.
However, they should be advised not to allow fear to ambush their
better judgment and their courage. They should not give themselves to
idle speculation. We should not buy into the myth of some cabal at
work. Dwelling in empty speculation on the existence of some mythic
cabal is not what the country needs at present. From what I can see,
the President remains at the helm and his policies are being
implemented.
The President is also showing his belief in process and partnership by
assigning more responsibilities to the VP, which included presiding
over meetings of the Federal Executive Council, thus demonstrating his
trust and implicit confidence in him. Unfounded speculation serves no
purpose other than to encourage those who would rather derail the
President’s progressive agenda and who would divisively pit one aspect
of this nation against another. Such chatter may foment division where
there was none and this might come to impair the management of the
affairs of this country.
“By fomenting animosity among groups that have heretofore been allied,
those who hold to the bankrupt politics of yesterday seek to thwart
the President’s mission while claiming to support him. Those who truly
care about the President and the important work he still must do
should not allow themselves to become the unwitting tools of these
regressive forces.
We must stand with and beside our President. The unfounded speculation
around his health should stop. We must not covet fear and rumor but
should engage our creativity and enterprise to help the President
accomplish his historic mission. Our greatest energies should be
focused on righting this economy so that it provides a decent
livelihood for all people. This critical path towards economic
recovery must be followed for the sake of our children.”
ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU
Jagaban Borgu
May 7, 2017