Before You Make Those DEMANDS on BUHARI

Jeff Okoroafor

Number seven of the 48 Laws of Power says, GET OTHERS TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU, BUT ALWAYS TAKE THE CREDIT. In its description it further states, use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. It says that in the end, your helpers will be FORGOTTEN and you will be REMEMBERED. In conclusion, it says, “never do yourself what others can do for you.”

I pulled the above line out not because its the most inspiring line in the book, but because it’s the line that President Jonathan failed to utilize and also, one that if Buhari implements diligently, will put him in a global atlas of successful leadership.

The people you use in doing your work can make you a hero or a zero. They can make people remember you in a positive way or they can make you forever be remembered in a negative way. Without doubt, from a general point of view, from public opinion, and from my own perspective, President Jonathan will forever maybe be remembered not a full “zero”, but as a leader who despite the POWER at his disposal, the resources at his beck and con, failed to lead Africa.

The 2015 general election has come and gone, and the Nigerian people have made their choice. However, it appears some people are still campaigning instead of looking for ways to help the already elected and sworn in President, achieve his goals of fixing Nigeria and setting it on a positive path toward development. Nigerians did not vote for Buhari because of the political party APC. They also did not vote for him because of the CHANGE he made clarion call on. Buhari was voted into office by the people because of what he stands for and what they believe he CAN do as a President of the federal republic of Nigeria.

The All Progressive Congress made lots of promises to the Nigerian people before and during the election, Buhari himself also did. The promises they made to the people are not impossible promises, but they are ones that can and will be achieved with the cooperation of everyone in the country. There’s a perception, a narrative and misconception that has been flying around since the day President Buhari was declared winner of the 2015 general election, and has become a thing of concern to me even as we pass through this herculean times. As a start, i really don’t think it will be fair to begin to make demands on the President-elect even when he hasn’t be sworn in or couple of days after he’s sworn in and fully assume the position of the President. The work to be done are enormous, there are documents to look through, laws to amend or enact, appointments to be made, structures to set up, projects to be re-evaluated and a feasible work plan to be mapped. All of these are not a days job and any immediate demands for delivering of promise will only amount to unnecessary distraction that will indeed, not be good for the new Nigeria we are all interested in getting out of this hopefulness. It will not be a skyrocketing statement to say that the “Nigeria” handed over on May 29 is badly injured and needs a proper ‘medical’ attention and action to get it healed and back on its feet again. The economy is in a shabby state, electricity supply is wrinkled with inefficiency/corruption/sabotage, there’s fuel scarcity in the country as oil marketers holds the people on ransom, educational system is messed up, workers are owed several months salaries, unemployment is rising at a faster frequency and Boko Haram is still terrorizing the country.

So before we go out making demands on Buhari, before we open that door of distraction and unnecessary pressures, lets remember to look and see where we are right now, what we are going through, the level of destruction already done by the Jonathan’s administration, and imagine in estimation, how long it would take to get things right again.

Now don’t get me wrong and don’t attempt to quote me out of context. It is ‘productive’ to mount pressure on the government, productive to follow them up on their promises and all that, but being POSITIVE while doing this is the right and most efficient way to go.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.