Requiem For Buhari And Nigeria

• Olumide Olugbemi-Gabriel

He’s the first and only politician that I gave my money to.

Yes! In the build up to the hotly contested 2015 presidential election in Nigeria, I went to the bank, picked a teller, and donated some thousands of naira to the Buhari Campaign Organisation.

It was a testament to how much I believed in him. To be frank, I had hoped that he was going to be different.

For the 2019 election, I served in one of the presidential campaign committees. I was that involved in seeing to it that he succeeded.

Buhari and APC promised much.
I expected much for the country.
I asked for nothing for myself: just a working county for everyone.

But ….

In the second term of his presidency, it became too obvious to me that Buhari only wanted to be President and enjoy its perks.

In addition, it became clear that APC promises were tissues of lies and mere sloganeering. I had been taken for a fool.

My disappointment was palpable and significant. My heart and hope were shattered by hardcore emerging realities.

So, I made a quiet exit from active politics.

Yesterday, July 13th, Buhari bowed his head to death as all mortals will do one day.

Make no mistake, he died at 82 plus years as a fulfilled man.

I saw too many people gloating over his death. Some were in celebratory mood.

Well, I do not begrudge anyone their rights to so behave. Honestly, they have my sympathy.

Because …

The death of anyone – hero or villain – actually calls for sober reflection. Whether good or bad, death is final and every mortal will face it.

Buhari’s death, least expected by me, offers all patriots and discerning minds, the political class and the rich and powerful in Nigeria, the golden opportunity to do soul searching.

His death didn’t touch me as much as where he died.

Buhari died in a foreign hospital after 8 uninterrupted years as president of Nigeria.
Sadly, in those years as president with the enormous power and resources at his neck and call, he didn’t build a single hospital to meet his own medical needs.

Our leaders and elites are not only selfish, they are criminally shallow-minded.

President Yar’adua died in a foreign hospital.

Gov Akeredolu of Ondo State died in a foreign hospital.

Where are the world class hospital built by these leaders?

Gov Ajimobi died during COVID 19 pandemic in a private hospital in Lagos only because there was no way to fly him abroad.

Did he build a word class hospital in Oyo State when he was governor?

Where is the world class hospital built by Gov Makinde to cater for his health in the event of a medical challenge?

Did Kayode Fayemi build a world class hospital that he can use in Ekiti when he was governor?
What about famed ‘ore mekunnu’ (the friend of the poor), Ayodele Fayose? Did he build a world class hospital during his term as governor?

Has Gov Oyebanji built one in almost 4 years as governor?

Seeing that Akeredolu died in a foreign hospital, has his successor, Gov Ayedatiwa, who saw it all built a world class hospital for himself and the people of Ondo State?

Has Gov Adeleke of Osun State and Sanwo-Olu of Lagos built world class hospitals that can treat them when they are sick?

Where are the world class hospitals built by the Niger Delta Development Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria National Petroleum Company, Nigeria Customs, Nigeria Ports Authority, NIMASA, etc for the people of Nigeria?

Aminu Dantata, one of the richest Nigerians ever and maternal uncle of Africa’s richest man, Dangote also died in a foreign hospital. He didn’t build a world class hospital to cater for his own healthcare needs in Kano, where he lived all his life.

I thought that COVID 19 taught us significant lessons regarding building local capacity in healthcare. The noise on doing the needful was much from every corner during the pandemic.

NNPC promised to build 6 world class hospitals in the six geopolitical regions of the country.

Of course, those were empty promises and noise.

Clearly, we are a people destined never to learn from history.

I do not have the character to mock Buhari in death neither do I have the mind or strength to mourn him.

I reserve my mourning for Nigeria, a country cursed with bad leaders across strata.

As the nation and his family commit the remains of President Buhari to mother earth today, I pray for the repose of his soul.

I also pray that the current political leadership and the Nigerian elites will take important lessons from these sobering events to turn the country’s fortunes around.

For everyone, take a lesson from DEATH.