Opinion
“The fear of Buhari” whips Nigeria into shape – and Africa just might be carried along with it
His was a no-nonsense regime, they say. He did not tolerate graft. He threw people in jail for mere suspicion of graft. When he left, “the weeds soon returned”.
Sheriff back in town
Fast forward to 2015 and the sheriff is back in town.
It is now September 2015 – only months since Buhari took office. The national electricity utility, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which was never known to supply electricity for more than 2-3 hours a day is now consistently powering the cities for 20+ hours.
The Port Harcourt petroleum refinery that was on the verge of collapse is back at full capacity – and Warri and other refineries are about to come back online. “To the best of my knowledge,” my host says, “there has been no extra funding, technical assistance, or anything new given. This is happening because of the fear of Buhari.”
The fear of Buhari. What a wonderful phrase. Who would have thought that a president who wins a landslide election victory would be termed as being fearsome.
Still, I cannot find anything to disagree with this view. Buhari is yet to complete naming his cabinet – and all these things, improvements are happening. The al-Qaeda-linked Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, which was advancing southwestwards into the country is now said to be just months, maybe weeks, from being snuffed out.
How is it that Nigeria is now winning a war that it was steadily losing for almost 5 years?
As I write this, the sitting Nigerian Senate president, a key member of the Buhari’s party and one of Nigeria’s most powerful men, is currently on trial for false declaration of assets. The trial is being broadcast live all over the country. No matter the outcome of this process, the message is clear – that under the new political dispensation, there will be no sacred cows in the fight against graft and corruption, and that no one is above the law in Nigeria.
