I wrote one letter in 2020 as you turned 72, but you pretended not to see it. The people around you too glossed over it and continued lying to you. But it’s no big deal. In that letter, I begged you to consider our plight and give Nigerian youths a chance to thrive as you did. I reminded you that most of your achievements, which gave you recognition before becoming president, happened when you were young. I mentioned other issues too. This is the link.
This year, I wonder if you know that Nigeria was a country. We are all pretending that insecurity has not reached its peak yet. Your loyalists, the ignorant and deadbeat Buharists, sing your praises every other day, and it seems that’s what you listen to. It does not look like you hear the cries of pain of losing a loved one every other day from terrorism (including banditry and unknown gunmen).
When you assumed office in 2015, there were quick wins, and we must commend you for that. We had the Treasury Single Account (TSA) that gave little or no room to people who used the failed systems to pass conduit pipes to loot.
There were also reports that towns taken over by terrorists were reclaimed. And, children captured for ransom and recruitment into terrorist groups were brought back home.
Some sections of the country, till date still boast of constant electricity. Roads abandoned, like the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, are turning to good roads. The country can now claim to have a revived railway system, and the work is still ongoing in some sections of the country.
But, nightmares have taken over our dreams.
A section of the media and your fellow citizens decided moments after these wins became stories of nightmares that your transformation to a reformed democrat was nothing but stories told so we go out to vote for who we all regarded as the saviour. They added “General” to your name. But, I believe that was a flawed decision, knowing that an Army General, retired or not, would do better, especially solving our insecurity issues.
Sometimes, I wonder how you face other leaders abroad where there are working systems and do not express shock at every slice of the yam, but do something about it.
Dear Buhari, your reign can be described as a rapacious authoritarian nightmare. Even that is a mild metaphor in comparison to the actual reality. The reality is that many Nigerians would have died from depression, extended frustration, chronic stress disorders, and all the physical diseases that kill Nigerians every other day, including malaria, HIV, hepatitis, and so on.
The nature of your reign has made it so that the nightmare only extends to ordinary citizens who just want to live their lives as stakeholders, like citizens, of their origin country, and is never extended to individuals and groups who would do anything to make sure the country does not count more than 100 million people by the next election.
If we left undeserved deaths (“deserved” – reserved for murderous politicians and so-called powerful individuals), we would talk about poverty.
As of 2020, nearly 43 percent of Nigerians (89 million) live below the poverty line, while another 25 percent (53 million) are vulnerable. Ta lo wa ku? And, when I remember how many times you have expressed shock at the statistics and committed to lift poor Nigerians out of poverty, I am saddened by the actual reality and wonder why we are not seeing the results of the commitments. But, like many other Nigerians, I am still unreasonably tolerant of the happenings in the country.
You once said, “I was shocked, hearing from you that, of the vast agricultural land resources available to the nation, only two percent of it is under irrigation. We will make the best use of the land. Thank you shaking us up. We are now awake, we will not doze off again. We did not just bump into this, we believe it is something we can deliver on.”
You agreed with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) that the country required a poverty reduction strategy that will usher in a “rapid, sustained, sustainable and inclusive economic growth.” In case you forgot this, please ask Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who constantly comes out to cry out about a problem when there are practicable problems.
Indeed, there are loan systems currently in place for farmers, for small businesses and for individuals who wish to turn ideas into solutions, and even ordinary systems have benefitted from these loans. Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced new loans for university and polytechnic graduates who are willing to set up businesses, saying the move is part of its effort to fight rising unemployment in the country.
To further these loan schemes, the CBN opened Development Finance Offices in all its branches across the nation in order to move the administration of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) closer to farmers.
But, what are the odds that they know about these loans systems? What policies are in place to ensure these farmers and small businesses can thrive even after they get the loans? What kind of security measures are in place to ensure I don’t finally get my container of goods/equipment today and, after surviving the thieving policemen, that are not paid as much as they should, wake up to see that my shop is empty. Or, bandits don’t approach me for tax collection?
Dear Buhari, we cannot deny that you have introduced schemes to actually lift Nigerians out of poverty, but I also think that you should monitor the monies released for the schemes, ensuring they are not going back to inappropriate pockets. Your supposed good intentions are overwhelmed by harsh realities.
Every other day, it looks like no one is being lifted out of poverty.
The youth population, whom your administration should be concerned about now have japa in their personal dictionaries. No doubt once they get the opportunity, they migrate. Your administration is not looking at the root cause(s), like every other issue plaguing the country.
I just imagine what happens after all young Nigerians migrate to live in other countries except Nigeria. But, let us not imagine that.
See ehn Buhari, many of us don loss. We no know wetin this country be again. We just dey observe, dey wait when e reach our turn to japa. Shey, na cow you wan dey lead when all of us don go?
If we left insecurity and poverty, we would be looking at a non-progressive educational sector with teachers that only want to strike at every opportunity, and are not bothered about personal and professional growth. On the baseline, we are still using outdated curriculum, ultra-medieval facilities, and so on and so forth.
A survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2018 indicated that the population of out of school children in Nigeria rose from 10.5 million to 13.2 million, the highest in the world. Most of these children are in Nigeria’s northern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, where Boko Haram insecurities have disrupted academic activities.
The Minister of State, Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, in 2021, said that Nigeria has the highest number of Out-of-School Children in sub-Sahara Africa. He announced that Nigeria had an estimated 10,193,918 children out school.
According to him, “the current challenges affecting the Nigerian education system has left much to be desired, the system is characterised by high illiteracy level, infrastructural decay and deficits.”
The health systems? I mean, if it were rosy, you would not be travelling to the UK for a mere headache, would you? We all know how dead that sector is. Well, like every other sector. I remember how doctors and nurses queue when a country visits and announce they want medical professionals to go back home with.
According to the World Bank, there is only ONE doctor to 1000 persons in Nigeria. We all know it is ONE = 5000. But, let us be reasonable with numbers right?
Ah yes! Lest I forget. The fight against corruption which was revived when you assumed office as a democratic president is now at an all-time high and, has given room for people to say we should bring back Goodluck Jonathan. No, I would not agree to having any of you in office if this is what we will get from your administrations. So, the comparison is flawed and unnecessary.
We remember how we were happy that corruption may finally be reduced and the country progresses in that aspect. Our happiness has turned to daily bad news now. We now see monies missing in billions. Haba!
Some people will argue that Nigerians deserve its leaders, considering hypocrisy, widespread innate intent to be practising criminals, and activities that we do daily in our homes, offices, and the roads to irritate the next person. Yet, no one deserves to pay tax and have dead systems, and policies that work against them.
Dear Muhammadu Buhari, we still have more than a year to cry out asking that you either resign or make proper attempts to make this country better. Please choose one.
No one is secure in any part of the country, and I am more than bothered that some sections of Northern Nigeria have been taken over by terrorists. Slavery, that has been abolished the world over, is back in full force and we just think it is kidnapping for ransom – even that sounds dreadful.
You are not as old as any of my grandparents, if we go by your football age published on Wikipedia. But, let me call you grandpa.
Grandpa, please stop shocking – pun intended – the country and either fulfil your promises or resign.
Lord Rickie Speaks 
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