Baba, now that you have finally settled in Aso Rock

And true to script, Nigeria erupted in violence when you did not win the 2011 elections. Kaduna especially –which is my home town- was in such chaos that all anyone needed to do was go out of their houses and see the smoke-cover that was everywhere. My brother had gone for I.N.E.C duty and when we heard how corps members, students and anyone who was different were brutally killed, I feared for my brother’s life. You see, he is my only brother and we had lied to our father that he had an exam to write because he wanted to make a quick buck. I imagined him being butchered for being different or worse, for just been there. It quickly degenerated into a religious fight -as usual- and we were all tense, waiting for news of our brother and others whom we knew were stuck somewhere in the hot zones.

In that time frame, I kept listening to the radio and watching the television for any news calling for peace. Surprisingly, the then Nigeria Electric Power Authority (NEPA) ensured we had roughly 24-hours supply of electricity. You can imagine my angst when your response didn’t come until two days later on Radio Kaduna. For two whole days, you had been silent as Nigerians were killed, butchered, maimed, raped and other such horrible acts. For two whole days, you didn’t call your supporters, who started the crisis because of your loss, to shun violence as the same Nigerians you wanted to rule were annihilated on the basis of party and/or religious affiliations. When you finally made a call, it was too late; too late for the 800 people (as reported by the Human Rights Watch) who lost their lives in the ensuing crisis, too late for the number of people who were injured, battered, bruised and maimed and definitely too late for the peaceful existence between Muslims and Christians in states like Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe and Katsina. To me, your silence was worth more than the inciting comments you were accredited with and in that moment, I wrote you off completely.

Now that you have finally succeeded in becoming president, I really want to believe that you, as your campaign promised, are a changed man; a man who cares about the plight of Nigeria and Nigerians, a man who will not sit back and watch citizens butchered on the basis of religion or tribe, a man who is now a progressive. So President Muhammadu Buhari, now that you have settled into Aso Rock and have started carrying out your duties, here is my own piece of advice. I may not like you but your policies will affect my life, my business, my plans and my dreams.

1.    Destroy Sentiment

As one who is alleged to have contributed in dividing Nigeria along sentimental lines, you need to set a road map to fix this divide. Before you jump down my throat, many newspapers reported that you asked Muslims to vote only for one who upholds Islam’s tenets. This was reported by allAfrica.com in an article written by Isah Ibrahim Maru titled ‘Nigeria: 2003: Buhari Urges Muslims to Vote Upholders Islam’. It was dated 21 January, 2002. In his words, ‘As the year 2003 elections draw closer, former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has called on Muslims across the country to vote only for the presidential candidate that would defend and uphold the tenets of Islam. Buhari who made the call yesterday at the closing ceremony of the 16th National Qur’anic Recitation competition held in Gusau, Zamfara State told Muslims that they have every reason to thank Allah for restoring the Islamic Sharia under the present dispensation, which he said was destroyed by British colonialists during their crusade in 1903 against the Sokoto caliphate’. If that article is to be believed, then you, being a respected figure in the Northern part of the country, told Muslim Nigerians to only vote a Muslim for President. Knowing how religious we are, it meant that Muslims across the nation would have voted for you. Being from Katsina, many people saw you (and still see you) as a ‘true Northerner’ and since the North believes that leadership is their collective mandate, you were in a strategic position to win the elections. Again, if this is to be believed, you knew that states like Bauchi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto would invariably vote for you.