The Elevation of Incompetence by Shaka Momodu.

President Mohammadu Buhari of Nigeria

There is a struggle going on in Nigeria. It is a struggle between two evils – one, less so with a touch of human face and the other, extremely so – aloof, insensitive, unfeeling, deeply hypocritical and incompetent on a level never before seen in our country. My dilemma is not so much with choosing between the two, but about some people’s warm embrace of the latter. Ordinarily, one would think that the less dangerous of the two would be more attractive to many people. But I have been shocked by some people’s blind craving for danger masked in superlative adjectives of integrity, character, honesty, etc.

I must confess that I have been struggling to understand the rationale and motive of some of these people for their willful blind support for a man whose legendary lack of competence and capacity for the job of president of a diverse country as Nigeria has been established beyond a shadow of a doubt, not by murmurs of ill-feeling or whispers of rumours born out of partisan jealousy, but by loud evidence, albeit with the tragic consequences that have come through the massive decline in all facets of our national life. We are in strange times, an era where failure is hailed as excellence by a vocal group of revisionists hell-bent on continuing the path of destruction.

This government has been laying the blame for its poor performance on others. President Muhammadu Buhari’s supporters have remained in lockstep with him, creating excuses and celebrating his stunning incompetence as excellence. All policy decisions made by the previous government are bad in the eyes of this government which unfortunately has shown no intellectual depth, vision, rigour of character or creative ingenuity, to create superior alternative solutions. Sometimes I get amused when I read the president’s complaints and lamentations in the newspapers. I ask myself, how can someone whose government is totally bereft of ideas and energy condemn the work of others. A man who brazenly claims other people’s achievements the result of thoughtfulness has the temerity to condemn the same people for lacking imagination.

Let us even set all that aside and restrict our assessment to three key areas, viz., economic reforms, restoring security and intensifying the fight against corruption – the tripod upon which then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari anchored his vision to transform Nigeria. He received thunderous support from who’s who on this tripod, pushed through on the strength of the Buhari triangle of personal integrity, character, and ascetic lifestyle.

But as things stand today, can Buhari’s supporters really tell us from the bottom of their heart that he has delivered on his promise in the area of security? Some of us will not be surprised at the ”yes” chorus from the self-deluding Buharists. Buhari’s strongest selling point was that as a retired general, he was best equipped to deal ruthlessly with the anarchist Boko Haram. Of course that belief was somewhat not misplaced given his advertised track record. Well, it has proved to be misplaced after all – an exaggerated regard for a man who has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for values of national cohesion. In the mad hysteria of 2015, our nation was lured with sweet nothings into the hangman’s noose. Now in 2019, those same characters that lured the people are not done yet; they want to finally kick the stool off our nation’s feet. What is wrong with the black man of the Nigerian specie?

A report of the US-based International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA) released last week spoke volumes about the state of the war against Boko Haram. Extracts from the report indicated that the Nigerian government had completely and comprehensively lost control of the engagement with Boko Haram and could show no instance when the government had tactical, theatre, strategic or information dominance of any aspects of the conflict. According to the report, as the insurgent groups grow stronger by the day, the government forces grow weaker and more beset by morale collapse.

It said: “It is fair to say that the Nigerian intelligence community itself is no longer sure what groups even comprise ‘Boko Haram’, nor has it addressed the international logistical, ideological, and support aspects contributing to the ongoing viability of the groups. The conduct of the war in the North is tied to the corruption in the military and Buhari — ring-fenced by his own team — is unable to tackle the issue.”

The report stated further that the leadership of the military, including the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd), rather than concentrate on how to defeat the insurgents is preoccupied with how to stop the leakage of information about the massive corruption running into the equivalent of many billions of dollars that has taken place on the pretext of fighting Boko Haram. All these happened on the watch of “Mr Integrity” and a “no-nonsense anti-corruption czar”.

When Buhari took office in 2015, we were dealing with a largely decimated Boko Haram. Four years down the line, our country is dealing with at least four major security threats, a strengthened and highly equipped Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa Province (ISWAP), terrorist herdsmen, and heavily armed bandits that have turned Zamfara State into a killing field. Recall that when 39 people were slaughtered in Zamfara in February last year, the state Governor Abdulaziz Yari lamented how he supported and campaigned for Buhari on the strength of Buhari’s advertised capacity to end insecurity in the country. Yari, a staunch Buhari ally, spoke the truth many in Buhari’s orbit would never admit when he thought he had seen the worst.

That is the tragedy of Nigeria. Needless to remind every concerned Nigeria that the Zamfara situation as in other parts of the country has progressively gone worse, and yet the government’s response has been lacklustre, aloof and totally irresponsible. Because of the worsening security situation in Zamfara State, Yari is now begging for a state of emergency to be declared. Unsurprisingly, Buhari insensitively launched his reelection campaign in Akwa Ibom on the back of the most recent killings in Zamfara. His campaign saw nothing wrong with that. They want to win the election by all means. Talk to those in his campaign team and all you hear is the pompous rhetoric of how they “will win in February”.

In the president’s home state of Katsina, Governor Aminu Masari has joined in crying out about the state of insecurity at an extraordinary security meeting in Katsina. This was how he put it: “Our state is currently under serious siege by armed robbers, kidnappers and armed bandits who arrest rural people at the grassroots at will and demand ransom, which if not paid, they kill their victims. The people of Katsina, in the 34 local governments, now sleep with one eye closed and the other opened.” Despite the poor situation in Katsina, Masari is still campaigning for Buhari, for whom he has vowed to deliver millions of votes for his reelection. Does this make sense? Is this not a classic case of suffering and smiling?

For these people, Buhari must continue not because he is performing, but because of their “conscientious stupidity”. What a shame! While we embrace incompetence, it is Nigeria that suffers and human lives that are lost. Have you not also heard? Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima has raised the alarm that the security situation is getting worse, but said he would not criticise Buhari because the president has given him (the governor) “unfettered access to him”. So because of that unfettered access, he cannot criticise the president, even when it is obvious the situation is getting out of hand? Another classic case of “conscientious stupidity”…Indeed, Buhari has become the nemesis of a progressive Nigeria. To those campaigning for him to continue in office, history will be less forgiving of what they have done to our country.