The Thread: Why Buhari cannot congratulate Joe Biden | #EndSARS

About 15 hours ago, Joe Biden was announced US President-elect after days of predictions and teasing moments. No one could determine who will lead the country at the beginning of the votes, it seemed like a close race. But then, numbers starting changing on the graph and more eyes turned to Biden.

As expected – and as he has repeatedly mentioned – incumbent President Donald Trump has yet agreed that the election should go the way of Biden, but more expectedly is Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, who is usually quick to respond to events outside his country, and pretend like his own country is not on fire.

If you wanted a list of reasons 2023 should be here already and President Buhari ceases to be the person the country calls the President of the Federal Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, you will be spending the next five days reading the scrolls. However, his reaction to the #EndSARS protest is enough reason to tell you that Nigeria hardly has a leader.

His congratulatory message talks of democracy and respect for the will of the people, but his body language and that of his cohorts – especially the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who has repeatedly asked his officers to react with guns – tells a different story.

There is the argument that the actors in the #EndSARS horror drama, especially after the #LekkiMassacre, are acting without a national script and are only trying to please themselves, but that affirms the narrative that Nigeria is led by cabals who will stop at nothing to ensure the country remains in a pitiable state. It also reaffirms the fact that the president neither ‘repented’ from being a military dictator nor is concerned about happenings in the country, as long as it is not getting to his doorstep.

In the thread by Joe Parkinson, Wall Street Journal‘s Africa Bureau Chief, there is the talk of a disconnect between President Buhari’s advisers and himself – “The reasons are quite simple and are linked — human rights, the #EndSARS protests, and weapon sales,” he writes.

Posting his congratulatory message, President Buhari posted a picture of him standing beside Joe Biden and this is what Parkinson uses to tell his story. Read below:

The end of his thread is what is more interesting. This is where Parkinson opines that human rights abuses, which the Buhari administration is notorious for, is not a phenomenon the Joe administration will smile at.

Recall that Biden had sent a message to Buhari asking that the country stopped abusing peaceful protesters – a request that was grossly ignored. In the letter, Biden says the US will stand with Nigerians on the #EndSARS protests which have shown young Nigerians that change is possible, only that it will be met with strong opposition.

I urge President Buhari and the Nigerian military to cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already resulted in several deaths. My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one in the violence. The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy. I encourage the government to engage in a good-faith dialogue with civil society to address these long-standing grievances and work together for a more just and inclusive Nigeria.

It is this letter that Parkinson says has made ‘change oppositioners’ nervous and would have preferred a Donald Trump who cared less about human rights abuses.

Well, maybe Nigeria should be thanking the high heavens that we got a Biden who will care – even just a little – about what goes on in Africa.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail