Yusuf Buhari

By Salisu Yusuf

Saturday, the 21st of August, 2021, marks a black day in our march towards achieving social equilibrium among Nigeria’s two social classes: the poor and the elites. The picture on social and conventional media of President Buhari, former President Jonathan, Atiku Abubakar, Femi Fani-Kayode, etc., dining, laughing, exchanging banter, posing for the camera at Bichi speaks volumes on the future of the masses in Nigeria.

On the one hand, these men would quarrel, argue and set their followers against each other just to win elections. But, on the other hand, they shower elitist solidarity to one another when anyone in the circle is celebrating or mourning. Alas, it’s the poor who’s socially excluded even though it’s through him they rode to power. 

While the glitz and glamour were going on at Bichi and Aso Villa, in Batsari, Danmusa and many palaces, people are running for their lives; some are bereaving the dead ones. Moreover, many are abducted by bandits. For example, over 150 Islamiyya students from Attagina (Tegina) in Niger State were, for months, in captivity. Six died, including a three-year-old boy. What do you think if these children belong to the upper class? It’s high time our politicians show class, empathy and maturity.

Today, Nigeria represents every aspect of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” says the satiric work! Clover, one of the most loyal and hardworking characters, symbolises the Nigerian poor. For the poor is the only symbol of loyalty and toil to the Nigerian state like Clover. Clover’s realisation toward the end of the novel of betrayal of the so-called revolution depicts the current sad reality:” if she herself had any picture of the future, it had been a society of animals set free from hunger and the whips, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak.” 

Photos of the number of jets grounded at Aminu Kano International Airport on social media depicts the sad reality. On the one hand, it reveals the massive gap between the elites and the poor. But, on the other hand, it reveals the security situation in the country and why our elites are reluctant to address it; they travel on planes, we travel by road, where kidnappers set up roadblocks. 

From the wedding scene, receptions, the phones distributed, to Abuja where the bride is conveyed, the glamour exhibited reflects how far we’ve regressed to the version of 18th-century capitalist Britain and its attendant ‘Enclosure System’. Oliver Goldsmith sums up our predicament in his famous ‘The Deserted Village’ when he says, ” to see profusion one cannot share, to see ten thousand baneful arts combined.. to pamper luxury and thin mankind.” 

Today, there are designated federal parastatals and ministries such as Petroleum, Finance, CBN, Federal Inland Revenue, etc., where the children of the poor can’t work; for them, these covetous places are uncharted territories. They’re meant for the rich.

Today, our leaders are attributed with everything elitist and why elitism represents. One salient legacy our man will be remembered is his earnest response to elites’ birthdays. They’re the hallmarks of elitism because they’re the only group who celebrate it. However, a poor isn’t after birthdays; he contends with his security and daily bread in a hostile socio-economic environment. Thus, he neither gets the bread nor feels secured; he’s barred from farming by a group that catches him and demands a ransom from his low-income family members who are too hungry to pay.

Sadly, the so-called ardent supporters couldn’t differentiate between sad reality and fantasy. Those who sometimes cried in the past, when we were in the new normal, can’t cry now when the new not normal sets in. We’re besieged from every angle of our home. The attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) this week is the last straw…the definition of Nigeria and what it symbolises: chaos.

The government has so far mastered the art of rhetoric. They can rhetorically speak in the language the criminals understand; but can’t speak in the language the Talakawa understand: that provides the basic social services.

Never in the history of politics in Nigeria has a political figure garnered so much goodwill and solidarity from the poor like President Buhari. But, alas, the goodwill and the solidarity aren’t reciprocated. A conscientious man can’t sleep soundly when his subjects are daily hunted like dogs. Those poor masses who toil and sweat… 

As for now, the hope of the poor is so slim, for hunger, bandits, and elites besiege him.

Salisu Yusuf writes from Katsina. He can be reached via salisuyusuf111@gmail.com.

By Aminu Nuru

Fellow Nigerians, 

It has become necessary for me to write this letter, having heard the grunts of some Nigerians on what they described as ‘glitz’ and ‘glamour’ wedding ceremonies and events of my son, Yusuf.

It is important to clarify why I choose to write on this topic while there are more pressing issues endangering the peace and stability of our dear nation. I decide to write to you because I consider this grunt to be directly aiming to attack my integrity and the reputation I built in my more than five decades of selfless service to the country.

Forgive me if I sound harsh in this letter; I am still shocked by the killings of innocent Muslim travellers in Jos. As it stands today, I could barely eat well. I hope you noticed how starved I look at the venue of the wedding Fatiha and later at the Presidential dinner in honour of the bride and groom. I could not even stand on my feet, just as everyone did to welcome the new couple.

Fellow Nigerians, you should understand by this time the personality traits of your President. I am a terrible introvert, a man of few words. This is a confession, and you may think it is a deficiency. Still, I am content with it, for silence teaches me how to be calm and concentrated in a time of turmoil, endure and be patient in critical situations, and reflect and find solutions in the face of problems. Besides, I believe that not every moment is worth or requires me to write or speak to my people. 

Please don’t misconstrue my silence as a trick to shield my leadership shortcomings. I may not be a perfect leader, but, deep down, I know I am patriotic, and my intentions are pure, and I always strive to give the best to my people. This is not seif-romanticism; a half an hour heart-to-heart interview with my dear wife would unveil to you how tirelessly I work for a better Nigeria, sometimes even at her detriment.

Back to the main matter, I write you this letter. I understand that many of you took to social media to criticise my only son, Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari. There are even false accusations by some pundits that public funds are used to sponsor wedding events.

Let me set the record straight: it is in your interest to know that no kobo from the public treasury was used to finance any wedding event. Therefore, these allegations are groundless, baseless and mischievous. I will be the last President to approve public funds for the wedding of my son.

I understand that my success in life, especially in the political gallery of Nigeria, has made so many people have deep-seated envy for me. But, if not for that, how can you accuse a tested and trusted leader, who has the mandate of his people twice, for embezzlement and misappropriation? Or am I not blessed enough – in wealth and friends – to give a befitting wedding to my only son? 

If your memory fails you, let me quickly remind you that I was a former Petroleum Minister, Governor of the North-Eastern region, Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and  Head-of-State. In addition to this, I have inherited a large farm from my father, which I personally run to date. I think someone with this pedigree can legitimately afford all that we have seen in the events of Yusuf’s wedding.

I could understand that some of you were perplexed that we can afford to pay five hundred thousand naira (₦500 000) as dowry for our son, but do you bother to check the price of an average well-fed cow in the market today? We have not fewer than a hundred heads of cows on our farm in Daura. So a simple check will cure your deliberate ignorance.

Lately, I learned that you were also worried that iPhones were shared with family and friends at the wedding dinner held at the Presidential Villa in honour of the bride and groom. I think I will blame myself for your worries here. My failure to write about myself extensively, which will give you a glimpse of the circle of wealthy friends I keep, results in your fears. Let me be blunt with you here, my friends immensely donated to the wedding. Just imagine what could be donated to a person of my calibre on the occasion of his only son’s wedding. The party of donations we saw at the burial ceremony of Obi Cubana’s mother was undoubtedly a child play.

Fellow Nigerians, as a democratic leader, I acknowledged and acted upon your grunts accordingly. Let me say this for the last and the repeated time: public treasury is a trust; I cannot temper with it to satisfy my personal or family needs. I have never used public office to enrich myself or anyone. It pains me to come across those false allegations that public funds are used to sponsor the wedding.

And for those that falsely accused me – the purveyors of falsehoods – I leave you with the lines from the poem of my late comrade – Jiya Mamman Vatsa – titled “Judgement Day Na Wa”.

Aminu Ahmed Nuru can be reached via aminuahmednuru@gmail.com.

By Idris Yana

As is usual with Nigerian cyberspace, the wedding of Yusuf Buhari and Zarah Bayero has sparked yet another trend of varied opinions. From pre-wedding pictures to the statehouse dinner – which hopefully marked the end of weeks of grandeur events – each gathering left behind a trail for criticism or praise. Given the number of these varied opinions the wedding has generated, I have attempted to deviate from commenting on its rights and wrongs.

As a keen observer of Nigeria’s evolution since the return to democracy in 1999 and a privileged citizen who witnessed the country’s pre-1999 socio-economy, one thing that is inevitably noticeable is the vast evolving gap that separates the haves and the have-nots. Election into political offices has become a lifeboat that rescues few people from the sinking ship that carries Nigerian masses. On the one hand, these politicians succeeded in blending in an elite circle that was hitherto formed by the military personnel (generally retired); civil servants, whose share of national cake from Heaven; contractors (and every Nigerian knows what this means); and few legitimate business moguls. But, on the other hand, the explosive downtrodden population continues to sink into the abyss of poverty.

The widening gap between these two classes has created a cause for concern. As the elite, in most cases, carelessly flaunt their expensive lifestyle to the envious eyes of the poverty-stricken majority, this has begun to breed resentment in the hearts of the majority of the latter. This resentment is gradually increasing whenever an event like Yusuf and Zarah’s wedding takes place.

Elitism in all cultures is real and inevitable. Since time immemorial, societies have always been divided along this line. What distinguishes Nigeria’s current situation is the circumstance and extent to which these class differences are expressed. In a country where the level of poverty, and its attendant consequences, is glaring, the reckless flamboyance must be done with caution. This is especially important when poverty-induced (in)security crises are on the rise.

The poor and forgotten should also not allow self-pity to make them wallow in destitution. In most cases, they are the ones who made these overnight elites by electing them to the privileged offices. They can change that by holding them accountable for their responsibilities. Another way is by defining what they want from these politicians. Electing people based on primordial sentiments or personal aggrandisement must stop. Most importantly, people must understand that they are the architects of their future.

Idris Yana writes from Exeter, United Kingdom. He can be reached via idrishyana@gmail.com or @Idrisyana (Twitter).

By Muhammad Sabiu

The former Nigerian Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), has come under fire for posting pictures of him with Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, at the wedding of President Muhammadu Buhari’s son in Kano.

FFK, a staunch critic of President Buhari, had some months ago described Pantami as an “unrepentant jihadist, cold-blooded beast, a psychopathic and clearly insane individual.”

Attending President Buhari’s son’s wedding by Mr Fani-Kayode took many people by surprise.

Responding to his critics via his verified Facebook account, FFK said politics“is not war.”

“Buba Galadima with Ahmad Lawan, GEJ with PMB, GEJ with VP & Atiku with PMB. Politics is about bridge-building regardless of your differences.

“It is not war. You can be friends with your political adversary & still disagree. It’s called politics without bitterness & being civilised,” he wrote.