He was pronounced dead by those with credible inside sources, a professor in Atlanta swore to high heavens that President Muhammadu Buhari had died. His satanic audacity was later corroborated by Nnamdi Kanu. So sure were these two young Nigerians that they rechristen him Jubril of Sudan! In blind posture, they dissected the man in pictorial frame- using every part of the man’s body to frame and illustrate their fallacy. Tragically, millions of supposedly educated people bought into the narrative, and the story of Jubril of Sudan gained its desired momentum. How that changed is another wonder in making!
His silence was greeted with mischief, some posited, he is too weak mentally hence the escapist choice to be silent. So convinced were the mischief-makers that the story gained wings and flew in the cloud of cynicism. According to them, the man was brain dead and merely existing for the benefit of a few who wants to hold on to power. ‘He is not even aware of his existence ‘ was their usual echo of mischief.
All these were rubbished by time and the defiant restraint of President Muhammadu Buhari. For every plot of mischief, he remains calm, unperturbed and unfazed. How a man remains calm with the ceaseless barrage of onslaught awes me. Perhaps, scholars of behavioural leadership should understudy the calmness of President Buhari even in the face of vicious attacks. This is a mystery in leadership. Even when he eventually speaks, something he rarely does, he shuts them into sullen obscurity. Remember when former President Obasanjo won’t let a day passes without throwing shades at Buhari? After long enduring silence, Buhari sent Obasanjo into permanent abode of silence. ‘Where is the power?’ Was what was needed to stop the Ota man!
For everything this man does, he is splashed with the waters of scorn. Records have it that he has spent more in equipping the security architecture than any leader in history, yet, he gets the bashing when things get worst, especially with the intractable traces of banditry, kidnapping, and Boko Haram. As someone opined, it would have been worst if not for the sincerity of this man. His stoic resolve to build the military into a sustainable institution offends the naysayers the more. What used to be a routine jamboree where officers are lined up and decorated for political reasons reached its end with Buhari’s insistence of having Service Chiefs remain long on their positions. You build strong – sustainable institutions this way. Same principle he has applied in the executive arm of governance where Ministers are spared to remain long on the job instead of cutting short their programs because of political correctness.
He is getting it right even though gradually. Like, true builders of nations, the people see nothing in him, like he said recently, let time define his tenure and let the people judge him in fairness when the time comes. And for those who wrote in convincing arrogance backed with baked scientific audacity, President Muhammadu Buhari is not dead, he has not lost any part of his mental ability, he is alive and only the dictates of God can change his current status. For the naysayers, Buhari has resurrected and giving them headaches in the language they understand. As his resolve to be civil, humane and democratic is seen as the resolve of a weak man, the man has decided to be what the people wanted, a brash, harsh and uncouth. For now, Buhari lives again.
Happy 80th Birthday Mr President.
Resurrectedly musing
