“I live on rent accruals from my houses in Kaduna,” says Muhammadu Buhari. This banner headline in virtually all our significant dailies grabbed my attention. Self-adulating anti-corruption posturing by no less a personality than former President Mohammadu Buhari should naturally attract attention. I was eager to grasp the full essence of the situation. I rushed to get my palm top. Alas! The speech was carefully concealed lies from a three-time number-one leader in Nigeria—aka Baba Bubu.
Honesty may not always pay, but lying always costs. Trust is a tower built stone by stone, lies take stones from the bottom. There is no security in secrecy; every undiscovered lie is a live landmine. Lies breed a bodyguard of new lies to protect themselves—Amar Bhidé and Howard H. Stevenson.
I was torn apart that Monday morning and said this was not the best way to start a working week. I restlessly wondered why an octogenarian—a former President, for that matter—would regale in lie-telling and relish in tales by the moonlight. Why resort to spinning off ‘truths’ that actually qualify as half-truths and untruths?
What benefit does he derive from manipulating Nigerians to glorify himself as a living legend or a being of pure conception? What does our President – oh, I meant former!—aim to benefit from by whitewashing the tomb and labouring to rid a stubborn stain? Can a leopard change his skin? Our self-acclaimed, austere former President may never do so. He relishes in donning the garb of an incorruptible and uncommon leader, a special breed, and the Saint Extraordinaire of our clime.
Our former President- like other elites of his kind—unequivocally profits from the gullibility and “stupidity”—permit” (my choice of word)—of their fellow citizens and perpetually rides roughshod on their shoulders. Nigerians, I may say, are regarded as buffoons—who cannot reason—by their leaders, or else, how could a supposedly educated and enlightened General and former three-time No. 1 citizen of a well-heeled country like Nigeria openly declare that he is only sustained by the meagre rental income from his two houses in Kaduna?
General, with due respect, Sir, Nigerians are not that daft! They know better. At least a sizeable number of well-educated, well-informed and analytically minded Nigerians know your story was a tale by the moonlight. They know that no retired General in Nigeria is sustained solely by proceeds from his house rents alone, talk less of a former President, and 2-time former No. 1 citizen of the country.
In all honesty, your statement, Mr. Former President, qualifies as child talk, or at best, a comedy or soap opera for TV. Except for that, no one could tell the intentions for spinning the lie.
However, it was evident that the political jab, disguised as integrity, was intended to elicit sympathy from the inexperienced politicians present at the meeting. The aim was to stir up emotions and inspire APC ardent supporters and Buhari’s unwavering supporters to actively participate in the upcoming local government election in Katsina State and its surrounding areas.
Laughably, the “I am a poor former President” comment presents as a thoughtless expedition by an unsavvy Baba Bubu to project himself as an honest leader who served without appropriating the nation’s kobo to himself.
Haba, Mai Karya! Have you forgotten that this tale of yours can be fact-checked? I don’t think Buhari should indulge in an unmastered game to attract unnecessary sympathy. The story appears to have failed to achieve its intended outcome.
Past leaders deserved to be respected and honoured without begging for it. They should command it. But making statements to elicit emotions when wrapped in a cloak of deceit surely and naturally undignifies a leader who has been stripped in the public square. That’s exactly what Mr. Buhari did.
Unfortunately, the coteries of handlers around the former leader seem to have been shut out of the show or cowardly genuflected to their principal’s wishes. That does not befit an elder statesman of his stature and a leader who has lived all his life on acclaimed integrity and taxpayers’ money.
It was an entertaining read. Baba Bubu said he sustained himself on rental income from his two houses in Kaduna State. How much is rent income compared with the post-presidency benefits of being three times Head of State and a retired General?
Despite this, Buhari’s reputation for transparency and accountability in public office is far from stellar. Such was nonexistent in his 8 years of rule as a civilian president. Who is Buhari trying, then, to impress with his bogus claim? If not that our leaders regard Nigerians as buffoons and memory deficient, President Buhari should have by now apologised to Nigerians for the costly trust betrayed. So much was expected of him when he became president based on his much-flaunted integrity. Regrettably, he squandered the trust reposed in him.
His tenure was characterised by the same sleaze and mismanagement that have become the albatross of the country’s governance. While the former president insisted on maintaining his integrity, his associates, family members, and administration cabals gorged on the nation’s wealth.
Honestly, no serious-minded person should be seen picking a quarrel with Buhari’s speech at the All Principalities Congress, otherwise known as All Progressives Congress (APC)’s caucus meeting held on January 25 at the Presidential Banquet Hall of Katsina State’s Government House. Buhari stated that he refrained from enriching himself illicitly during his presidency, asserting that Nigeria’s complexities make governance a significant challenge.
This misguided statement in Kaduna solidified my informed, though reluctant stance to align with Nasir El-Rufai’s submission that Nigerians were robbed by its gullible and misguided elites to foster stark illiterates in the populace as leaders! If not, how dare Mr. Buhari come into the open with his self-adulating and pretentious comments that he lives on rent accruals from his houses in Kaduna?.
The claim is spurious and laughable. Otherwise, he must disclose to Nigerians the post-presidency financial status of his immediate family members, relatives, and other acolytes who wielded influence or served in his government. Only then will Nigerians take him seriously.
Buhari’s angelic claim would have attracted post-mortem in more democratically accountable climes. Unfortunately, this is Nigeria, where a clever thief pays the transport fare of his bewildered co-passenger victim and receives accolades and prostrate-level thank you from his unsuspecting victim and other co-passengers.
Our own WS – Wole Soyinka would say ‘this is ikoko lie from Agbalagba.’ This is a child’s prank coming from an Elder. It is crystal clear that the once-acclaimed Mr. Gaskya has deviated entirely from his much-vaunted integrity if he had ever genuinely nursed one.
There’s no need to shy from telling Mr. Buhari to stop his cock-and-bull stories, as Nigerians are more enlightened to know how much a retired general earns in retirement, not to talk of the perks accruable to a three terms Head of state of a country that satiates his elite class with bogus awards and mouth-watering service and post-service packages.
This kind of manipulative citizen engagement has become the hallmark of our leaders, who prefer to feed their people half-truths to conceal their past flaws and embark on an ego trip.
Our ‘poor’ former President, who survives on mere rental charges, is gratinated with mouth-watering post-presidency packages, which, besides cash emolument, include several other benefits, namely three to four armed policemen and a State Security Service officer as an aide-de-camp (ADC); three vehicles that are replaced every four years; a diplomatic passport for life; and free medical treatment for themselves and their immediate family within Nigeria. They can also receive medical treatment abroad at the Federal Government’s expense.
Other perks include a 30-day annual vacation, a well-furnished office, and a five-bedroom house in a location of their choice. Buhari earns all this as a retired general, apart from his entitlement.
On a serious note, our leaders are vicious and extremely self-centred. They are also unabashedly dishonest. Taking the resilience of most Nigerians for weakness, they refuse to appreciate the sacrifices of their fellow citizens who patiently bear the brunt of their misgovernance, commonwealth appropriation, and consequent agonising existence.
On transparency while on the saddle as President, Buhari should simply zip his mouth and remain silent, as he has nothing to boast of. In 1977, 2.8 billion was controversially declared missing in NNPC as Minister of Petroleum during Military days.
Under Buhari’s democratic watch, a public officer in good standing with him acquired 795 duplexes while in service and purchased over 1000 vehicles to campaign for an elective office Buhari’s cousin, Tunde Sabiu, a one time airtime recharge cards seller, became stupendously rich. Buhari hosted many other infractions when he mounted the saddle.
The long list of corruption against his associates, friends, and family is hanging, yet Mr. Bubu is thumbing himself up as an honest person who should be venerated.
A stop must be put to the atrocious dealings of leaders in the country. We cannot continue to ignore the issues and pretend that lies and corrupttion are the foundation of our existence in Nigeria.
Mr. Buhari should please embrace honesty and clothe himself in dignity.
*Ogundipe is a Public Affairs Analyst; Former President Nigeria and African Union of Journalists
