‘I Belong To Everybody And I Belong To Nobody’: A Message For The Flawed Putrid
| Prof. Femi Ajayi
‘I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY’: |
igerian society has actually transformed President Muhammadu Buhari, a ‘converted democrat’ setting aside the memorable military bloody reign of terror; still displaying that military orientation with a resounding powerful, very concise, heavily loaded Mission Statement in 1,863-1,916 words. He avowed to serve as the President of all, irrespective of political, ethnicity, or religious affiliations, detached from being categorized as a religious zealot, philosophically stated, Friday, May 29, 2015, 1:39:34 pm, “Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.”
May I repeat: “I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY”
Dale Carnegie once said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving”.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his administration will decisively tackle the country’s problems.
As Buhari takes the mantle of leadership of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; he belongs to EVERYBODY and belongs to NOBODY, who wants to pocket the country at the expense of the suffering Nigerians. Nobody stays in his room and presses the button on how certain issues should be addressed in Nigeria; otherwise heads will break loose if EVERYBODY deviates from NOBODY’s script.
Nigerians MUST work together to solve the challenges caused by the xenophobic, egotistical, repressive, and uncouth NOBODY and turned around to rain blames of good job. The heartless NOBODY at the sunset of their life; even not believing in life after death, NOBODY rejoices with EVERYBODY living in abject poverty in the land of plenty.
Electioneering campaigns are the struggle to get access to the available resources in the country, hiding under all sorts of political languages, except the use of force. After the elections, they return to their cuckoos and get busy with the successes and failures; losers plan for the next competition; while winners work in sustaining their gains, convincing an average electorate that the choice was appropriate.
EVERYBODY is created equal under God; NOBODY has the monopoly of good life. Those who have the mandate to manage Nigerian resources should fairly distribute the resources, lifting their fellow human beings from abject poverty with the fear of God at heart.
Nigerians give Elderly Buhari the ample chance to translate his words into actions, getting peoples’ mandate in his fourth attempt, as human being proposes, God disposes. Buhari belongs to EVERYBODY and belongs to NOBODY for most impious godfathers, who have the notion that without them the country would not move forward. They should wait for history to appraise their contributions, in one way or the other, to the country, and humanity.
Before the administration settles down, NOBODY has delivered a lousy document, on “the way forward for Nigeria,” focusing on education, power, the economy, security and infrastructure; like the unfinished Lagos-Ibadan Express since 1999. Buhari in his 70s, who has the mantle of power, is obtuse according to NOBODY; as he might have bought the script from a School of Thought that, Buhari, at his age, has nothing to offer the country.
What a step in enslaving Buhari’s intelligence to succumb to the will of NOBODY, without considering EVERYBODY. The moment Buhari is no longer dancing to the music produced by NOBODY, katakata would approach, and the house built with dribble from NOBODY, crumbled. Unfortunately, EVERYBODY would be in pain and eternal sufferings bite deeper.
NOBODY has turned Nigeria into a hopelessness country; nothing seems to work in Nigeria. Those who are fully determined and left their comfort zone to help the country, are being discouraged every second of their stay in Nigeria, writing off Nigeria as a hopeless country, because of NOBODY.
 President Goodluck Jonathan presenting his hand over notes to the President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari during the official presentation of Handover notes to the President-Elect at the Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida |
The challenges in the country are enormous and we should stop pointing fingers, because the foundation for a functional Nigeria was weak and flawed from the time it returned to American Presidential Democracy in 1999.
Like we rightly initiated, Buhari is focusing on Security on the gratuitous and godless Boko Haram, which is far away from Islam; the Power outrage, as the country experienced May 2015, without adequate power supply, the businesses were at a halt.
In addition to what Buhari has to do for EVERYBODY, the issue of unemployment has pushed Nigerian Youth engaging to illegal extant practices, and the cancerous corruption, encouraged by NOBODY, has beleaguered an average Nigerian as addressed in my previous articles.
However, NIGERIANS must be part of the solutions, with the political will of the leaders to make those changes. An average Nigerian has to be self tasking to fight the social ills of the society in all honesty and transparency, from their homes to the public life.
Buhari is not a stranger to the terrain of Boko Haram in the Northeast; as the former Governor of North-Eastern State in the 70s (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gongola, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States) during Obasanjo’s regime. I happened to meet him at GSS, Bama, during my NYSC, where he came with Obasanjo for lunch. All Boko Haram hidden places on Gwoza Hills and Bama should be combed out with the Military Command locating to Maiduguri.
Realizing that the issue of Boko Haram could be resolved with the cooperation of Cameroon, Chad and Niger; fishing out its sponsors will relieve EVERYBODY, with show that he ‘belong to NOBODY’. With the cooperation coming across the world, Buhari for EVERYBODY could combat “… threats of cross-border terrorism, sea piracy, refugees and boat people, financial crime, cyber crime, climate change, the spread of communicable diseases and other challenges of the 21st century”.
Other security matters that could be visited by the administration for EVERYBODY are kidnappings, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers clashes, and cattle rustlings.
 “I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY” |
It is magnanimous of Buhari to have taken a lesson from that historic phone call from Jonathan who conceded to the election, which saved lives of many Nigerians if he insisted on sitting tight; Jonathan REFUSED to belong to NOBODY. It is really a foundation for the Nigerian politicians to be sportsmanship in their political games. Henceforth, Jonathan has become a standard of Nigerian Politician.
What a big lesson to the survivors of Nigeria founding fathers who started acting like ‘spoiled Children’.
Jonathan has kept Nigeria unity intact for the incoming administration to follow; against the insinuation that the country would dismantle in 2015. Nigerians should credit him for that, regardless his administration’s unsung accomplishments. If each administration could at least point to one form of accomplishment in its life span, the aggregate of that would make Nigeria a formidable country for life, which rotten children of Nigeria past heroes and heroines could build on. Jonathan has established a legacy for African Continent Presidents to follow.
NOBODY should reroute the attention from an average Nigerian, who goes through miserable life, through dubious impious activities. Bridging the gap between the poor and the wealthy NOBODY; creating a Middle Class again, through the fair distribution of the available resources, is attained.
 The US Secretary of State, US Ambassador to Nigeria, other top US diplomats and officials in a group photograph with President Buhari after his inauguration Friday, May 29, 2015 |
The International body, that has been taking advantage of the situations in Nigeria, should revisit their practices, taking their partners interest, into consideration from NOBODY to EVERYBODY. Hopefully, good legislation from the National and State Assemblies, to the Local Government Council Chambers, would alleviate the suffering imposed from NOBODY to EVERYBODY.
American Presidential system could be most expensive in the modern world. While American economy supports that; Nigeria could design its own democracy along line its economy. Buhari would peg the recklessness of the Governors and Local Government Chairs, in all ramifications, under his watch; not dancing to the tune of NOBODY, so that EVERYBODY could be happy.
Buhari, a man of fewer words, embedded in actions, is ready to precisely work on the home front and keep the ground running on security, corruption, fuel and power outrages. Unfortunately, Nigerians have a set of spoiled and rotten children who refused to follow good governance established by Nigeria founding fathers, heirs and heroes of the great civilization.
Nigerian should remember their yearnings for ‘Common Sense Revolution’, that is change. Buhari would not make that change alone; it takes the whole of the country to make the change. Buhari has identified with the slogan “I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY”
 Left was Geneneral Muhammadu Buhari when he was sworn in as military Head of State in 1983 and the right picture was the same man in 2015 as he was sworn in as a democratically elected president |
Nigerians have a lot to advice the current administration the changes they want. Nigerians are the architects for positive change on how services are conducted in the country.
The swearing-in of Muhammadu Buhari, one of Nigeria’s oldest former army generals and dictator, who embraced democracy and politics at the break of the 21st century, has joined the crop of opposing African leaders, Frederick Chiluba (Zambia, 1991); John Kufour (Ghana 2000); Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal, 2000); Mwai Kibaki (Kenya, 2002); Yayi Boni (Benin Republic, 2006); Ernest Bai Koroma (Sierra Leone, 2007); Alhassan Quattara (Cote d’Ivoire, 2010); and Peter Mutharika (Malawi, 2014), who defeated incumbents in the last two decades.
Buhari will be held accountable, reversing his association with EVERYBODY to NOBODY. Nigerians would love to remind him, not with the wrong quote from Shakespeare, with Animal Farm, after Buhari becomes very comfortable with power, where ‘All Animals are Equal, but some are more equal than the others.’
Nigerians would give Buhari the benefit of doubt, to capitalize on his nine powerful words “I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY” to investigate the immediate and remote causes of Boko Haram, its sponsors and their international connections; get the witches and wizards off the irregular power supply, (immediate Power Supply Minister’s school of thought); the deficient Lagos-Ibadan express since 1999; creating more jobs for the misfit nagging Nigerian Youths; establish the way of minimizing corruption; dispose of all the outstanding witch-hunting politically minded, vengeance EFCC pending corruption cases in the courts today, (June 2015); while the Judiciary should live up to the expectations of an average poor Nigerian whose last hope lies in the Judiciary.
It is really a new dawn in the Nigerian political arena; with Buhari’s nine powerful words: “I BELONG TO EVERYBODY AND I BELONG TO NOBODY”