Secret Reporters No place to hide
Abba Dukawa
Before delving into my subject let me asks God forgiveness for believing only GMB can change the country without seeking Allah’s guidance and SWT leave us with PMB. Oh Allah we bow before you seeking your forgiveness. Help us in our trying moment as people and the country at large. One of the most important qualities of a leader includes integrity, accountability, empathy, humility, resilience, vision, influence, and positivity. In order to be an effective leader you must think about people and situation facing them.
Maybe Mr president easily forgotten that his mandate was hard fought and won. Nigerians overwhelmingly voted him with the expectation that finally – a new dawn will commence on May 29, 2015 which will take into account several decades of indifference and exclusion.
In September 2016 Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai sent 30 pages powerful memo to President Muhammadu Buhari said APC administration has not only failed to manage expectations of a populace that expected overnight ‘change’ but has failed to deliver even mundane matters of governance outside of our successes in fighting BH insurgency and corruption. In the letter read apart The two officials whose titles may enable them function as such generally alienate those that contributed to our success,” he declared, dismissing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as not only inexperienced in public service but lacking in humility, in addition to being insensitive and rude to virtually most of the party leaders, ministers and governors. Arguing that their party has made the situation in Nigeria worse than it met it by failing to be proactive in taking key decisions in a timely manner. “The Chief of Staff is totally clueless about the APC and its internal politics at best as he was neither part of its formation nor a participant in the primaries, campaign, and elections,” El-Rufai said. “In summary, neither of them has the personality, experience, and the reach to manage your politics nationally or even regionally.
In 2017, the former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Emmanuel Kachikwu had written President Buhari following insubordination and illegal award of contracts at NNPC under the leadership of Dr. Maikanti Baru.The letter which was written by Dr Kachikwu detailed how Dr Baru took wholesale decisions to make appointments and award contracts without any communication to the board which Mr Kachikwu is chairman.
For long, ordinary Nigerians knows there is lack of coordinations and intelligent sharing between security agencies and also on part of other stakeholders in the administration. Before this open Internal wrangling within President Buhari’s kitchen cabinets there is issues which had long been subject of public speculation with casual reference made most political watchers to the existence of a cabal within the presidency are ruling the country not the person we voted in administering the country.
The recent leaked memo written by National Security Adviser (NSA) General Babagana Monguno to President Buhari and published by Premium Times an online medium accused Chief of staff to the President presiding a meeting with security chiefs despite CoS is not a presiding head of security, neither is he sworn to an oath of defending the country. in the leakage memo December 9, 2019 that was addressed to the police affairs minister and police inspector-general, described Kyari’s action as “reckless and irresponsible”, warning that it was capable of ridiculing Nigeria as an unserious nation before a reliable international partner, adding CoS has been getting away with disregarding presidential orders to impose his own decisions — even though he had no constitutional power to issue directives on matters bordering on security. The NSA said only himself, as the head of multiple national security panels, and the defence minister have constitutional roles to act on security matters. NSA said development made government’s inability to contain terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other criminalities in the country. How on earth the “Chief of staff presiding meeting with head of security, neither is he sworn to an oath of defending the country as the President is this not clear violation of the constitution at the pleasure of PMB allowing his personal aide to undermine the authority of Mr President as such, unprofessional practices such as presiding over meetings with service chiefs and heads of security organisations as well as ambassadors and high commissioners to the exclusion of the NSA and/or supervising ministers are a violation of the Constitution.
Let President Buhari remember he is the person the Nigerian electorate entrusted with their mandate. No one any other person into office, and as such it is highly insulting to the sensibilities of Nigerian people for an unelected person to be exercising the mandate of the office of the President. Although Nigerians have suffered many low blows as a result of abuse of power and bad governance over the years, nothing annoys more than a man who has no mandate from the Nigerian electorate dishing out orders to the head of the nation’s armed services as if he was the Commander-in-Chief.
Let PMB remember that Nigerians voted him as the president of the country not anyone else. For quite long he is on denial that he is control of his administration and not Chief of Staff and other invincible cabal behind the throne but with the latter written by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Governor Nasir El-Rufai 30 pages powerful memo to President, former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Emmanuel Kachikwu and may be unknown memo by well-meaning Nigerians which was not been leak to the media shows the level of impunity going on the seat of power where an appointee of Mr president caught on “unwarranted meddlesomeness” on matters of national security and proven Mr president is not in control.
For the umpteenth time, Nigerians insists that the usurpation of Presidential powers by an unelected impostor no matter how close to the corridors of power in Aso Rock, stands rejected by the people. President Buhari must immediately put a stop to this if he does not want to absolutely erase whatever is left of the goodwill he previously enjoyed, but which has now been frittered away by his lethargy and the activities of those taking advantage of their closeness to him.
Let Mr president remember Leadership is a responsibility bestowed on Him by God and as a Muslim know that you will account for every deed and you engaged in under oath as a president and you will appear before Almighty Allah in chain on the day of judgment. Our beloved Prophet said “There are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His. [One is] the just leader.”(Saheeh Muslim).
As a matter of fact, no matter how your admirers want the administration to succeed in office almost every day there are stories that make them shiver with the way the administration is handling critical issues that affect Nigerians. For President Buhari to achieve desirable goals there is need for him to ditch some of his service chiefs, inner aides and other members that are promoting their selfish interest above the administration’s interest.
There is need for the president elected by Nigerians to live up to his oath of offices by taking drastic measure to arrest the drift in the presidency in order to save our democracy and restore effective governance. This is right times for our past leaving Presidents and other well-meaning speak up, and pressure President Muhammadu Buhari to halt the current absence of a clear vortex of authority. If President Buhari feels that he is too weak or tried to take charge of governance, which he is elected to do by the people, the best alternative for him to do the needful as President, rather than subject the nation to ridicule by allowing his CoS hijack machinery of governance in the country, particularly tampering with the nation’s security.
The actions and conduct of this cabal within the corridors of power are only projecting a negative image for PMB’s administration at home and abroad. In reality Nigerians are alienated, angry and fed up with the way things going on in the administration as there is not much convincing pointers supporting the once fearful GMB as kind of leader that can turns around the misfortunes of Nigeria.
Nigerians strongly condemns the abuse of power as its use by an unelected official to pursue narrow objectives, which are antithetical to the national interest. At a time the country is at war on all fronts, and defenseless citizens are being slaughtered by terrorists, bandits, robbers and kidnappers, these are not the kinds of vibes the people of Nigeria deserve.
PMB had said everything should be done through the Chief of Staff, this implied that Buhari has given him limitless power and he can do anything. With recent violation of the constitution by president to recognize his Chief of Staff as his ‘Deputy President’”. He have proven his limitless power by sacking aides of the country Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; while knowing fully that both President and Vice President received same mandate of 15 million votes and PMB do nothing.
Monguno’s leaked memo exposes the underbelly and cracks within the Buhari presidency and further strengthens Aisha Buhari, Buba Galadima ‘ allegation that the affairs of our nation have long been ceded to a unelected cabal.
Dukawa can be reached at abumahmud@gmail.com
