By David-Chyddy Eleke
More than half of the people of South East Nigeria believe that former President Muhammad Buhari died long ago, and that the recent announcement of his death was just because the family couldn’t sustain the lies any longer.
The demography of those who believe this narrative cut across age, gender, education and many others. Perhaps, it may be true to believe that even people of other region believe the narrative that Buhari died in 2017, and was secretly buried in Saudi Arabia and quickly replaced with a replica – one Jubil el-Sudan, from Sudan.
The above narrative was made popular by leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who believed that the reason for the action was for his handlers to cling unto power, using the name of Buhari.
In the South east, Mondays are mostly regarded as Sit at home days, and businesses run skeletally. This morning, I went to a shop to get a new car battery and met two young boys and a sales girl. I inquired after their Oga and was told he was not around. Apparently, he was at home resting in observance of the sit at home. While Sundays are now majorly for worship and all manner of meetings/ceremonies, Mondays are now the official days for people to stay at home and rest.
This is why the sit at home will not come to an end anytime soon.
My young friends were discussing Chelsea’s outing yesterday when I arrived, then the television in the shop interrupted them with analysis of the death of Buhari and the expected return of the remains. So, they too quickly switched topic.
“Who are they deceiving? Buhari that died long ago,” one of them quipped. The other responded: “This country is a zoo, somebody that died and was buried in Saudi Arabia. How can they explain that one Buhari was taller than the other, how come the finger prints did not tally?”
The first one took up the challenge again and said: “My only concern is that the person that acted Buhari after his death cashed out big time. Imagine acting as a president for six years.”
As they held their conversation, I pretended to be looking around for battery of my choice, just so I can listen to their conversation in full.
But truth be told, no one can exactly blame anyone who truly believed that the real Buhari died eight years ago. You will remember how shabbily the presidential handlers treated the news of his being sick.
For crying out loud, everyone including a toddler can fall sick. If Buhari, an octogenarian was sick, it should be no news, but perhaps the desperation of the presidential handlers to cling to power and gluttinously enjoy every benefit associated with Buhari’s presidency caused them to panic when their breadwinner fell sick.
Who would forget the secrecy that shrouded Buhari’s health, who would forget how they shielded him from even his family members, including his wife to the point that she once cried out, who would forget how closely they guarded the news of his travels, and even the location so closely that an inquisitive mind would be sure there was something shady about the president’s health.
It was at a time like that, that Nnamdi Kanu who was already a parrot on Radio Biafra, and seeking to discredit everything about Nigerian government cashed in on this and sold the news of the death of Buhari and his replacement with Jubril el-Sudan to receive Nigerians.
Today, Buhari is dead and many have continued to stick to the narrative that he long died. Who would blame anyone thinking so? Nobody!
Buhari is one man who many believed would have changed Nigeria for good. He had contested severally to be president after his first stint as a military head of state, before power smiled on him. Many would believe that for one who had been in power before albeit – with a bad record, his coming to power a second time would have been to salvage what he ruined. His return would have been such that he already knew the faults of the country and would hit the ground running.
For one who was a soldier, many expected a firm and decisive leadership; for a no nonsense man, it was believed that corruption under him would be minimal; for a man known for his exemplary frugal lifestyle, it would have been believed that he would have cut the wastages in government. Also for a man who shot his way into power in his first stint as president, he would’ve used the barrel of the gun to silence violent extremist who metamorphosed terrorists.
But you know what – non of this was done. Hunger became a permanent inhabitant among Nigerians, insecurity grew higher, and his fellow herdsmen from Fulani grew wings overnight and tormented Nigerians, prices of food rose sharply, cost of governance grew and corruption ballooned to the stage it walked boldly on two legs in public glare. BUHARI WAS JUST A DISASTER.
With the announcement of his death, while newspapers are filled with flowery words in praise of him, the social media is awash with the bitterness of Nigerians towards him for the sufferins he put them through. BUHARI WAS JUST A DISASTER.
Many have taken to admonishing others on the need not to speak ill of the dead, but many Nigerians have refused to heed this, heaping curses on his dead body.
This should serve as a lesson to the living, especially those in the leadership echelon of the country. You must live well, so that when you leave, Nigerians will not be forced to lie about your life on newspaper, while everyday Nigerians are taking to social media to curse you.
Back to my two young friends. Before I left their shop, one of them was just saying: “Just like this Tinubu now, the man who looks like him should be warming up because if anything happened, that one will be the next person to cash out, because they will never announce that he had died. Instead, they will use someone to replace him, and that one will just start enjoying his life.
For context, the boys I’m referring to are just between 17-20 years at most, so it wasn’t a worry to me the way they sounded about Tinubu’s life. But at least, it is a lesson that the living should learn. We love Tinubu, we wish him life, but Buhari’s death should be a lesson to him.
What would you be remembered for? Your mansions, your “grab it and run with it” mentality, the new presidential Jets you’re acquiring while Nigeria’s are hungry?
Tinubu, what would you be remembered for? Good deeds or of infamy? The time is still right to make amends. Buhari bequeathed us a shattered economy, a country polarized along tribal lines and skyrocketed insecurity, especially by emboldening his Fulani folks. Tinubu, what will you be remembered for? Think, just think about it.
David-Chyddy Eleke is an Anambra based journalist and can be reached on donbaron2004@gmail.com.
