MEMO TO MY PRESIDENT

President Muhammadu Buhari

My President,

That sense of citizenship and duty to my fatherland which often propels me to take a position on issues of national importance has once again come upon me this Monday morning. 

When I signed up to support you for the Presidency I promised I was not going to do it the Jonathanians way of praise and worship, seeing no evil and hearing no evil. It was that disposition that made Jonathanians to lead the man far down the self-destruct path until it was too late to turn back.

I promised I was going to support you by putting Nigeria first. I promised I would tell you what you wanted to hear and also what would not be good music to your ears. I promised to be partisan in your support, but also to tell you the bitter truth when and where necessary. The objective of the latter was to give you early warnings so that you could have a rethink on areas you have taken not-so-right decisions. 

In choosing to support you this way, it is not because I know more than any other on issues of governance; rather it is because I am right on the street as an ordinary Nigerian and I feel the pulse of the citizenry more than your advisers who may never have seen a bus stop, boarded a molue, or bought a sachet water in the last 20 years of their lives. The symbolic significance of bus stop, molue and sachet water is all too clear to dwell on here. Needless to say that leaders have been known to be misled simply because their advisers lost touch with reality on ground. An adviser who for the past 20 years have been chauffeur-driven is not likely to know what ordinary Nigerians face every day.  

I, and so many others like me, did not vote you because we were APC. I don't belong to any political party. At least not yet. I voted you on the strength of your own personal character. I voted you because you were (still are) a better candidate. I voted you based on my conviction about your personal integrity, your sincerity and your aversion for corruption. I voted you because you represented an opportunity for the country to return to the point where it missed its way.

Although I knew it was not going to be easy. I, and many like me, believed that you would do what you said you would do and promise only that which you meant to fulfill. I would vote you again and again given the same circumstance that prevailed before you ascended the seat of power

Right now however I am seriously concerned about two issues in your government:

My first concern centers around three individuals in your government. Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, Interior Minister General Abdulrahman Danbazzau (rtd) and Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai have corruption suspicion hovering around their heads.  Though none of them has been indicted so far, and they remain innocent until proven guilty, I opine that it will be a massive boost to confidence in your anti-corruption crusade if you prevail on these individuals to step aside, especially now that probe into Defense Equipment Procurement from 2007 to 2015 is ongoing.

Mr. President Sir, Amaechi has had corruption allegation associated with him even before you appointed him minister. It is said that he used the proceeds of corruption as River State governor to support your campaign for the Presidency. There is no proof of course, but the allegation is not about to go away any time soon. This aside, he is seen as an arrogant and polarizing personality who does not care much for team work. His escapades during the last Rivers State legislative re-run elections left much to be desired. He and Governor Nyesom Wike ran riot on the streets of Port-Harcourt, fostering insecurity and threat to public peace everywhere. This of course eventually led to the shooting to death Dumebi Okonta, an INEC ad-hoc staffer who was on national assignment.

The recent removal of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as Group Managing Director of NNPC is also seen by some as the unseen hand of Amaechi because of their recent burst up over the Maritime University at Okerenkoko. Many see Kachikwu’s new position as Chairman of NNPC as inconsequential insofar as he would cease to see to the day-to-day running of the corporation.

This allegation is given credence given that you, Mr. President, still retains the position of the Petroleum Resources Minister. We all know that GMD of NNPC reports directly to the Petroleum Resources Minister who traditionally is the chairman of NNPC. What role, then, is Kachikwu expected to play now as chairman of NNPC except to merely occupy a vacant seat and make up the numbers? Even more to the point, what will now happen to the all-important Maritime University for which Kachikwu as GMD had promised funding from NNPC even as Amaechi recommended its scrapping for lack of funds?

With regard to Buratai, I am aware that he is damned good on his job and that he has been given a clean bill of health with regard to the story about his Dubai properties which broke recently. You should be aware however that not many Nigerians belief the report clearing him. And now this Defense Equipment Procurement probe covering a period within which he was Director of Defense Procurement! I posit that though he may not have soiled his hands as Director of Defense Procurement, his remaining as COAS while this investigation goes on would substantially degrade the credibility of the final report even if he escapes indictment. Personally, I would prefer a situation he is asked to step aside until conclusion of the investigation.

What applies to Buratai also applies to Danbazzau who was Chief of Army Staff between 2008 and 2010, a period falling within the Defense Equipment Procurement probe timeline.  

The other area I am concerned about Mr. President bothers on the Presidential fleet. During the campaigns you stridently criticized then President Jonathan for maintaining 11 aircrafts in the Presidential fleet at a time the country did not have a national carrier. You promised that offloading the presidential fleet would be one of your first actions in office as a way of cutting down on costs of running government.

Mr. President Sir, it has been over one year since you took over as President. So far, I have not seen anything suggesting that reduction in the Presidential aircraft fleet would be done any time soon. So I ask, when are you going to dispose of some of the aircrafts as you promised during the campaigns Sir?  In these days of dwindling economic fortunes of the country reducing the Presidential fleet would be one of the wise decisions to take.

As I conclude, let me state that though much of the criticisms against you have been unfair, going by the level of corruption in the last administration, it is nevertheless necessary to take steps not to prove the critics right no matter how difficult it might be. One of the criticisms against you is that you are shielding some members of your party from investigation and that your war on corruption is a witch-hunt. I do not believe it of course; and personally I do not care if you are lopsided insofar as I would not care too if the president coming after you decides to witch-hunt you and members of your cabinet. Still, I do believe that a demonstration of your (now) famous quote that you “belong to everybody and belong to nobody” is necessary at this point in time even if it is a symbolic one. 

All said and done Mr. President, you still remain the best opportunity the country has to retrace its steps from its inglorious past. 

Good luck Mr. President.