I am doing this assessment on the three promises President Muhammadu Buhari made in 2015 when he assumed office. These were his commitment to fighting and reducing to low level corruption and insecurity and reviving the country’s economy. I start with security. To his credit, the president within one year succeeded in retaking the 17 local government areas Boko Haram terrorists controlled in the North – East during the presidency of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (May 2010 – May 2015).
But under Buhari terrorism has gone worse. In Jonathan’s time, the insurgents operated mostly in Borno State and occasionally in Yobe State, not in all the six states in the North – East. They also did so about once or twice in each of Abuja and the North – Western States of Kaduna and Kano. But in the four years President Buhari has been in office the insurgents have been striking at will in several towns and villages not only in Borno and Yobe States but throughout the North – East, North – Central and North – West. It started with suicide operations but has in the last two years gone on to include attacks on military and police barracks and civilian targets.
Another menace since Buhari assumed office has been herdsmen, who are mainly Hausa and Fulani, attacking farmers, including members of their ethnic groups in the North – East, North – Central and North – West. People believe that the president, who is a Fulani, did not take steps in time to deal with the problem because he too is a big – time cow businessman.
Those killed in the 36 states in the country and Abuja since May 2015, are five to seven times, if not up to 10 times, more than those murdered nation – wide during Jonathan’s five – year presidency. So, how can those who had lost relatives, friends, associates, neighbours, townsmen and women or property or both, be disposed to voting for the re-election of the president?
His promise to drastically reduce corruption was what made most Nigerians, including myself, to have voted for Buhari in 2015 instead of Jonathan. Although he has been able to recover an appreciable amount of looted money and property, through his whistle – blower policy and court judgments, but corruption still remains at a disturbing level.
According to Transparent International, Nigeria has dropped from the 148th to the 144th position among the most corrupt countries in the world. But this is because corruption had grown worse in some nations, not that the situation has substantially improved in Nigeria.
The country’s scores in 2018 still remained the 27% it was in 2017. In fact, the fear is that the situation of corruption in Nigeria would deteriorate immensely if President Buhari is re – elected on Saturday. This is because of the statement made by the National Chairman of his All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, three weeks ago during the presidential campaign in Benin City.
With Buhari standing next to him he said the APC will not probe, let alone prosecute, anyone who joins their party, no matter the crime the person might have committed. The President did not denounce Oshiomole’s pronouncement when it was his turn to make a speech and he has not done so up till now.
Consequently, people have found it difficult to believe Buhari saying at other rallies that he would intensify his fight against corruption if re-elected. Oshiomole’s statement only confirms the accusation of opponents that Buhari is not fighting corruption, but using it to harass or prosecute his political rivals and enemies.
The state of the nation’s economy is another area where President Buhari has under – performed. As a matter of fact, the country is currently ranked as the headquarters of poverty in the world. In other words, poverty is globally the worst in Nigeria. Unemployment which was said to be seven million in 2015 when Buhari’s presidency began in 2015 is now put at 13 – 21 million.
Nigeria is said to have suffered recession twice since independence 59 years ago, and both are under Buhari. Those who were old enough in January 1984 through August 1985 when he was military Head of State know this.
In 2015, the exchange rate of American dollars to naira was N165, now it is N360. One litre of petrol which was N87 is now N145 while the price of a bag of rice has gone from N8, 000 to N18, 000 – N20, 000.
The alarming or frightening scale of insecurity and corruption and economic doldrums is why many Nigerians want Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win Saturday’s presidential election. This is because he is a businessman with acclaimed expertise and experience and world – wide connection and who has established industries and given employment to more than one hundred thousand or more workers.
So people believe he can revive the economy, provide jobs for many millions of people and drastically reduce unemployment in the country. Since as I had written in the last four months that Almighty God is the one who wants to bring him in as president that means he would also be able to end insecurity in the country.
The Lord is against bribery and corruption in Exodus 23: 1 – 9 and Deuteronomy 10:17 and 16:18 – 20 in the Holy Bible and in Chapter 2 verse 188 in the Qur’an. So if Atiku is corrupt the Heavenly Father would not have chosen him to lead Nigeria to greatness. And if he is, would President Buhari who is desperate for a second term not have prosecuted him for corruption?
Alhaji Atiku has done what the Most High required of him spiritually. As I stated last week, the only thing that stands between him and victory on Saturday is if he fails to carry out the two messages of the Lord I delivered to one of his three wives last week.
If Atiku does not act on them, the Heavenly Father can still make him win on Saturday because of the 61 – day fasting and prayer exercise performed for him from November, last year through January 2, this year. But I believe the Lord will take him away before May 29 and it will be his running – mate, Mr. Peter Obi, who will be sworn – in as President that day. Along with the northerner he would choose as Vice – President.
The good news for Nigerians is that whether the President is Atiku or Obi, the country’s security and economic situation will change for the better.