The literature on Presidents and their legacies is nearly unanimous in its advice: Begin early to identify areas you want to leave a worthy legacy, appoint exceptional talents with the requisite skills who will help you accomplish those tasks you want to be remembered for. These talents must be able at all times to give you unvarnished truth. They should not be ‘yesmen’ or sycophants. All of these attributes make sense because, a president’s authority comes from the public belief in his ability to govern, and his judgement to make right decisions for public good.
For millions of Nigerians and even foreigners, the ravaging insecurity in the country is a test of President Buhari’s ability to respond to present danger. And it seems he(Buhari) is getting more exasperated than at any time in his presidency. Last Thursday, August 19, he showed that anxiety during an emergency meeting with Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The National Security Adviser to the President, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno(retd), quoted the President as telling the service chiefs that he would not want to leave office as a failure. The NSA also told State House Correspondents that the president though impressed with the successes recorded since their appointments, he wouldn’t hesitate to replace them if he feels dissatisfied with their performance in the theatre of operations.
But don’t be deceived. This is not the first time that the President had issued such directive and nothing came out of it. So, why will this latest order be different? Should the President’s tough stance this time round be taken seriously by the service chiefs, and why? The answer is simple : It’s the fear factor, the anxiety of failure . Every President is acutely aware of legacy and the judgement of history. The thinking is that his appointees in critical areas such as security ought to be aware that the president is measuring his own success on the basis of their abilities to implement his programmes.
Therefore, they need reminding that the President’s concern, is also their concern, and no margin for avoidable errors will be tolerated. Specifically, insecurity in the Northern states, and indeed, all over the country, will determine whether Buhari will exit as a failure. Time is ticking away. He should not be carried away that some insurgents are reported to be surrendering with their “wives” in the North Eas of the country. If insecurity is a measure of his success or failure, it must be measured along other areas such as the economy and corruption which have become his Achilles heel as well.
Truth is, the desire to leave something permanent behind as evidence of a work of a lifetime is often with every leader, every president from the days of their youth. It’s about looking ahead to posterity. Indeed, eyes on the future, every president believes he will be judged by history for his success or failure in fulfilling the promises that brought him to office. In this case, what did Buhari promise he would do when he campaigned for the presidency? Has he been able to accomplish them? I believe as he is doing his last lap in office, these questions weigh heavily on his mind when he met with the service chiefs . He sees, I guess, a conflict between his role as the Commander in Chief and the ravaging insecurity in Nigeria that has claimed millions of lives and hundreds of millions homeless. In the end, it’s the judgement of history that every president fears the most.
Some of the questions presidents often ask themselves are: Will I like to be remembered as a preserver of my nation’s peace and unity? Or as a wimp when courage and strength are needed to confront a common enemy? Or a president who could not enforce the law with equity and fairness to all, a man who presided over the division of his country? The judgement of history often doesn’t come fast, but historians do. But there is always a good place in history for any President who wants to succeed. The starting point is to define his goals, his vision and purposes of his government in such a way that gives coherence to his administration. An elected president cannot achieve these goals, this vision and purposes if they are packaged in a mishmash manner. Most critical is the fact that the presidency is not a prize to be won, it’s a duty to be done. It appears Buhari is beginning to realize this now.
Ultimately, a President is judged by the many things he initiated and accomplished. These include legislations, programmes/policies that affect the lives of the people in positive ways that can move the country forward. In that sense, a President is like a shepherd who knows what stirs the hearts of the people and make better choices that work in their overall interests. Therefore, the challenges that the country faces and the concerns of the citizens are often millstones around the president’s neck, and how he solves them, determines how, in the end, history will look kindly, or harshly, on him.
From my point of view, this is the point of difference between rhetoric and reality. This is why presidents are not judged like other men. That is why, in the words of American broadcast journalist and war correspondent, Edward R. Murrow, “difficulty is one excuse that history never accepts”. It is hard to say if President Buhari knows that good leadership and legacy make the difference. If he did, he would not be pursuing agenda that favours a section of the country. His plan to review the grazing reserves in many states of the country, is a case in point of a president who’s not seriously considering the judgment of history. Before the history of his presidency will be written, it’s interesting, historians must record, that president Buhari rode into Aso Villa, the seat of power, like a knight on a white horse, looking ready, prepared and capable. There was warmth and excitement in the country when he came in 2015. There was optimism that after three failed attempts, and having succeeded in his fourth attempt, he would use the enormous power of the office for very large purposes. That excitement seems far gone now. Why, because, too many of the people he brought with him were political amateurs, with a chip on their shoulders, some very arrogant, some divisive . Every administration do have it in some form though, the danger is when they become a stumbling block of some sort to achieving the president’s agenda for good governance. Many people believe, rightly or wrongly, that where former president Goodluck Jonathan used a steak knife, Buhari is wielding a cleaver, sometimes giving the notion of an imperial president. And that’s wrong.
I still believe history can still be kind to Buhari if he can put his ears on the ground, his eyes on the ball and his hands on the plough and focus on the issues that matter to Nigerians and stop the blame game. In the less than than two years left in his presidency , he can still restore his reputation and secure a decent place in history. He needs to act fast in all critical sectors. Insecurity is one key area he must defeat if he must not end up a failure.
For now, on the war on insecurity, Buhari has left a legacy of pain and suffering. For the time left, he should be determined more than ever before to heal the divisiveness that has racked us for so long. More than anything else, he should bear in mind that a President is judged by history by his own actions and decisions, and not by the errors of his appointees.