Idris Bello: Why I will not be voting for Buhari in February

by Idris Bello

Buharii

No one probably knows Buhari’s failings more than my 67-year old dad who has voted against him three times previously, but come February 14, 2015 will be voting for him…

I am sure this headline will come as a shocker to many of my friends on Facebook and Twitter, and several of them will be ready to disown and defriend me even without reading this to the end. On the other hand, there will be hordes of people who will go to town with this article as a campaign tool for the incumbent. To both sides, I say, hear me out first.

There’s a Middle Eastern story of a spy who had been captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general had fallen upon a strange and rather bizarre custom. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. He could either face the firing squad or pass through the black door.

As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the question: “Which shall it be – the firing squad or the black door?”

This was not an easy question, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon he made it known that he much preferred the firing squad. Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced the grim sentence had been fulfilled. The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, “You see how it is with men; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. And yet I gave him his choice.”

“What lies behind the black door?” asked the aide. “Freedom,” replied the general, “and I’ve known only a few men brave enough to take it.”

I am a computer scientist by training, among many other things. Several times, I have clients whose computers have frozen, and several hours later, having tried all things possible, the computer just refuses to budge. At that point, there is usually only one thing left to do, reboot. You should see the apprehension in people’s eyes when I suggest they may have to reboot their computer. “What if it doesn’t fix the issue?” “What if it’s worse?” “What if I lose my data?”

My response to them is always this; “When your PC is frozen for 6 days, and you have tried everything else, you reboot it. Not because you are 100% certain the reboot will fix it, or even  because you are certain the reboot won’t introduce its own issues, but because it will be stupid to wait for another 4 days, hoping that doing the same thing will bring a different result, and counting on good luck to change a bad situation! You do not let the fear of a reboot paralyze you into doing nothing!

So what do these two stories of a locked door, and a reboot have to do with my decision not to vote for Candidate Buhari on February 14? I will explain.

I am one of those who believe that President Goodluck Jonathan is a good man and has tried his best over the last six years. My friend and prolific writer, Tolu Ogunlesi has already done a good job in his Monday column listing the achievements of the Goodluck administration over the past six years. However, it would also be a disservice to truth if I failed to acknowledge that he has failed on the very important issues of fighting corruption and securing the country. As I travel around the world, I always get questions about corruption, insecurity, and the lots, and folks asking me how a country like Nigeria can afford to be punching below its weight. I remember being asked once after a talk at the Vatican, “What is the theory behind corruption in Nigeria?” to which I replied, “There is no theory, it is all practical”.

I do acknowledge that several of these issues ranging from the seemingly intractable Boko Haram issue to the endemic corruption did not start with the Goodluck administration. What bothers me is his ’I don’t give a damn’ body language, and the apparent lack of anger at the big problems we face as a country.

I recall a 1993 challenge thrown to African leaders by Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew when he said thus; “From Africa must come a new generation of leaders, committed to reform, and tapping the same spirit that brought freedom 30 years ago. Angered by the failures of corrupt and autocratic leaders, frustrated by economic policies that did not deliver, impatient to recover their lost civil rights, and worn out by wars, Africa’s people are striving for a fresh start.” It is that anger that I have failed to see in President Goodluck Jonathan, and that is why despite his few successes over the last few years, I strongly believe he does not deserve another four years.

When you read the story of the locked door, I am sure you told yourself you would have chosen the black door, given that you probably had nothing to lose, and given that your other option was certain death? But the truth is that most of us will often choose the familiar, even if it’s undesirable, over the unknown, which might be a wonderful opportunity. And there are usually few people who are brave enough to choose freedom. But just because something is familiar doesn’t make it good, best, or the best thing to do.

As a country, we have had various points of inflexion in our journey where we could have made the right decision but often ended up on the wrong side of history. I strongly believe that the 2015 election is another inflexion point and whether we decide to choose the familiar and retain power in the hands of the status quo, despite its obvious failings, or we decide to take the risk of going with change and taking a chance to open the locked door will define our nation’s path for years to come.

So why will I not be voting for Buhari on February 14? Simply because due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be in Nigeria on that day. However, I am determined to do my best to convince as many people as I can, that at this present moment, in light of our national realities, our only option of effecting change, and rebooting our nation’s settings is by voting for Buhari and an APC–led government.

I ask you to vote for Buhari, not because he is a saint or a messiah. I ask you to vote for him because out of all the options currently available on February 14, he is the only option that offers a chance at a new beginning.  No one probably knows Buhari’s failings more than my 67-year old dad who has voted against him three times previously, but come February 14, 2015 will be voting for him, because he realizes that we can no longer continue with the way things are, and this election is not about him, but about his grandchildren to whom he hopes to bequeath a better nation.

It was the great Egyptian poet of the last century, Ahmed Shawqi who said ““Freedom lies behind a door closed shut. It can only be knocked down with a bleeding fist.” I believe strongly that for Nigeria “Change lies behind a door closed shut. It can only be knocked down with your PVC.”  So I ask you on my behalf, and on behalf of our children to vote for Buhari and the APC on February 14, 2015.

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Idris Ayodeji Bello wrote in from Victoria Island, Lagos.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

 

 

Comments (36)

  1. This is not a change but a continuation of unfinished bad leadership.. And please the so called black door in your article is a nonsensical . The blackdoor can also lead to a much bigger disaster. You all singing Biharis praise, is he really a change? If we are to tell the truth , we all know buhari is not the change. Unfortunately God never gave GEJ the baton of change, and sure as the sun shines everyday it’s definitely not in Buharis remit to bring the change we so need. So please vote buhari in and I will be interested to read your article in few years.

  2. Very surprising people are saying Buhari is an illitrate, he is not and is far better than even the zoologist in politics. He spent his life from 2nd lieutenant to the position of major general, undergoing various courses to prepare him for leadership position without which, even his fellow khaki boys would not have given him the nod to lead them. We have seen how the Phd. Holder
    is completely bereft of critical thinking when it mattered most. (Try and see him being interviewed on CNN. So let us be reasonable with our vote. We need change. Buhari and Osinbajo will bring that.

  3. @Funmi Fowler. Every family has the good and the bad. Does that add to or subtract from the character of a person? A political party is an aggregation of all sorts of people. This is a necessary condition that has to be fulfilled before it can be called a political party. You do not determine the character and personality of your members. While a political party might serve as the ladder to power, one’s performance in office depends mainly on his/her character and vision. There were interesting characters in the ANC. This did not in anyway impact negatively on the legacy of Madiba

  4. The reasons that I am not voting for Buhari are

    1. Buhari believes that Nigeria should be islamic state and that Nigerian muslims are being denied there right to live under Sharia Law. He is a signatory to the Abuja Declaration on the Islamisation of Africa and continues to support the adoption of Sharia law in those states that have so far done so.

    2. Buhari does not believe in democracy. He has otherthrown a democractic government in 1984 and has repeatedly stated that it was not a mistake doing so and he offers no apology. In a country like Nigeria where the President is a God, how long will it take for him to suspend the senate and house of reps and arrest its members.

    3. Buhari has few progressive ideas, this is evident in his personal life (point to one achievement aside from participating in the 1983/84 coup), and professional life. He cancelled the metroline project in Lagos in 1984 (instituted by democratically elected Lateef Jakande administration) and paid out $300 million in penalties to do so, despite the total project cost being slightly under $400 million. Condemning Lagosians to 3 decades of transportation nightmare. The economy stagnated under his leadership and the people welcomed the corrupt Babangida by dancing in the streets, so bad was the economic pain. His deputy Tunde Idiagbon was the brains behind everything positive the administration did.

    His current contribution is to roll back privatisation. His next contribution will likely be import licensing and the need to go to Abuja to bribe people before you can trade.

    4. Buhari’s campaign promise of fighting corruption and ending terrorism in Borno State are hollow. During his tenure he contributed to the dismantling of the military by not spending a dime on capital equipment (it was during his tenure that all 24 of Nigeria’s Alphajets and 12 Mig 21s were grounded; the Migs remain grounded and 12 of the Alphajets started flying again under Goodluck’s tenure – after sitting idle for 30 years – not that I think it was a good idea to put them back in service, they are too old and have been sitting idle for too long, it is no wonder that one has already crashed. But that is a different story.)

    On corruption, a genuine corruption fighter will not surround himself with the likes of Tinubu and Osinbanjo.

    5.

  5. Before I make any comment on your article Idris Bello, I need to respond to Funmi Fowler’s comment, Buhari might be an old win in a new jar of win but what you fail to realize is that he has always stood by his words and if I may say since independence in this countries history his time has the heads of state is one of the outstanding regime we’ve had in this nation and has the petroleum minister he did 100% better than all the past presidents we’ve ever had in this nation put together and talking about corruption I believed he will do has he as said , what you are seeing happening now with the PDP members running to APC is just an indication of what God is doing to PDP and for a new Nigeria to come to reality PDP foundation must be uprooted but that does not mean they are free from there corrupt act which I believed they will answer for , just like a proverb in Yoruba that says E JE KI ALE ELEYORO NA KI AWA FI ABO FADIYE.
    I must say you’ve really made my day God bless you

    1. PLS READ THIS FROM YOUR PIECE “Buhari might be an old win in a new jar of win but what you fail to realize is that he has always stood by his words” HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT AFTER HE LOST THE 2011 ELECTION AND ITS ATTENDANT CRISIS, BUHARI SAID THAT HE WILL NOT BE CONTESTING ANY ELECTION IN NIGERIA AGAIN. WHO CAN WE TRUST EXCEPT GOD….
      ..

  6. What an anti-climactic end. Oh, it turns out you’re one of the people running away from the country come election time? Safe journey. You use a catchy headline to draw the reader in and then you fail to deliver. I wasted 7 mins of my life that I can’t get back reading this. And your analogies suck! Buhari was president before so what are you talking about. For him to have the audacity to come back to run over and over is mind blowing. Goodluck and Buhari are the biggest disappointments candidate-wise for this election.

  7. Your analogy of the black door and the system reboot are quite incongruous. Buhari is no black door. It is very well known what he’s all about. He can’t change anything because even if he wanted to, he doesn’t have the power to. He forgets he’s not coming back as a military dictator. GEJ has gathered momentum already. Let him keep at it.

  8. I’m sorry, I just can’t get past the irony in this article; a new beginning from Buhari??? New wine in old wineskins. I’d rather a new generation make and learn from their mistakes than buy into this argument that Buhari is the change we need.

    I voted for Buhari in 2011 because he promised to root out corruption in a swift and fierce manner but now with the APC (and their countless and recycled old PDP members), all I see is wolves in sheep clothing. I highly doubt he’ll get my vote this time.

  9. Haven’t visited Ynaija in forever. Your piece brought me here. Didn’t disappoint in delivery, but in what your decision implies. Minus 1 vote. I will not be voting because I was unable to register. So, make that minus 2 votes.

  10. None of you guys have ever voted including the writer…. all talk no action…… mostly a sign of weakness. Clueless bunch

  11. Buhari is the waste of space that would lead us to further emptiness and division, with Buhari I guaranty you that their will not be a country called Nigeria in 2015 not because I want it but because he has set the marker and nobody south of the border would have peace and like the uneducated and uncultured brain that Buhari has, sorrow tears and blood.

    1. thats why u will continue to live in mediocrity and sufferness because people like u are blind to anything good or you are profiting from the corruption of dumbo and his cohorts

      1. Lame duck, with no basic education will lead us backwards like he has lead his people for 50 years, no job, no qualification to do anything else and no prospect for improvement. Dead on arrival

        1. What really is education? Is it possessing a certificate or being enlightened? Start from there…

          1. Education is about enlightenment but also rules of the subject matter, for example a person who fails math in school cannot become a statistician, a person who failed literature would not be expected to rule a common library, so would a person who failed wood work expected to lead an industry of carpenters. Formal education is the basic skills set for unlocking the vast treasure of knowledge, interpret signs, coordinate effort and get result. If you have not had the basic, how would you be expect to lead a group of experts in any field?

            You can’t expect a man who did not finish school to tell our children that schooling is good, the will say what about you.

            1. May I ask you…before the introduction of schools and the British system in Nigeria, were communities and villages not ruled and governed competently? Who taught the people that formed schools? I don’t want to start calling names of prominent and established people who didn’t go beyond high school yet have been awarded degrees because achievements and experiences supersede the four walls of a school. I know a lady who never went beyond high school but is heading a unit in the ministry of defence in the UK. School has its place no doubt…but it’s not a panacea for effective leadership nor the issues of life. Education is not limited to the four walls of a school; and as a matter of fact there are many things you will never be taught in school.

              1. Formal education is needed to understand the basic and without the basics you will find the way forward more difficult to go, most people that have thrived without formal education are exceptional to the norm but they all had the fundamental basic to begin with. Closest to home Aliko, Bill Gate, Job of Apple, and a hand full, but they all had one simple thing in common, they all were masters of their trade, they understood the game, the play and the conclusion.

                For the rest of us we have to follow a formal process in our lives, from family, work, play to worship. So you cannot remove the York from the white of the egg after it is fried. We are all the same but to be admitted in a hospital you expect to be seen by a doctor, not a bone collector. You can write means you can edit what is written for you, not ask others to interpret what you want to read.

            2. Leave the painting of a car and enter the car. If Buhari is not educated, what did the educated GEJ do for Nigeria. The last election we said lets give him a chance. After giving him chance what did we get? Abeg leave that yan.

              1. Remind me this question another day and I will have the opportunity to tell you how far GEJ has taken Nigeria in this short years, some planned others by just goodluck.

              2. Hey if i have to remind you, then its obvious GEJ did not do anything tangible or remarkable. He got all the chances he needed. As for the presidential seat controversy in general, PDP made the mistake of using GEJ as their candidate. Because as it stands, Buhari is obviously more capable despite all odds against him.

              3. The odds against Buhari is education, without proper education you cannot understand basic law, procedure or processes that allow government to work. Your contribution to governance will be half hazard and destructive to the economy.

                Careless talk like “dogs and baboons” can affect the economy, taking a stand on boko haram could have help the economy, having a national plan for growth and development would have given economic analyst time to evaluate . But you cannot plan if you don’t know planning or you did not complete school.

                Without education you can become a billionaire but without education you can rule even your own village government. We are in a democracy not a dictatorship where the boss’s word is final.

                You will need to work with other stakeholders in the society and Korofo general does not collaborate with stakeholders they jail them or kill them.

    2. Dumb blonde as your name implies

  12. The black door for me in the real sense will be a neutral unknown person just like the story depicts – Maybe a Remi Sonaiya or Martin Onovo or Mani Ibrahim Ahmad

    1. @teedee i share your view on black door option

    2. That is a fair statement, the problem we’ll have with those ‘neutral unknown persons’ is exactly what you have called them. They may have something to offer but because few know them, there is no way they will get enough votes to even be viewed as a credible threat. I’d love to vote Sonaiya, as I actually have the privilege of knowing her from OAU but I will be wasting a vote as I know that I will be one of a few. We are not trying to make a statement, we really just need something to change for the helpless people dying in the north and GEJ has shown he cannot handle that, what will 4yrs more of him change?

  13. @ Idris Ayodeji Bello – the poster — I will advise u wait or postpone ur travelling to maybe feb 15 so that u can cast ur vote to “ur agent of change – Buhari” cos if others u were campaigning to would travel as u planed to, the event of 2003, 2007 and 2011 might repeat itself and I believe u know the implication.

  14. Lovely write up,one of the best i have read in a while…change is what we seek and change is what we will get.

  15. What a write up. It really caught my attention. As for me am voting for change.

  16. Well, at the rate he’s going, NO ONE is going to be voting Buhari…. Yeah… Let that sink in for a minute…

    1. go fuck urself goat
      GMB 2015 you get that into ur thick skull

      1. You really don’t need to be abusive in order to make your point.
        Civility is a more preferred approach.

    2. Are u blind or simply daft?…has that sunk deeper?

  17. Good piece. I rarely read long articles, but I wanted to know why you will not be voting for this dude. You were able to hold my attention to the last full stop. It is only rational we give opposition a CHANCE to make a CHANGE. We can no longer continue to wallow in sentiments. I have always supported Buhari and I am still rooting for him this 2015.

    1. Its only to write long story u people know, go n vote una go still dey house dey write story then una go cry foul. Run for an office so we see the change u write about dont…… *in tuface voice* faceless gangsters.

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