EssayNigeriaOpinionBuhari’s Reticence And Femi Adesina’s Insult of Nigerians

“A president who avoids the media; who does not speak directly to the people on a weekly briefing particularly during a national emergency has something to hide. That is fact one. Buhari seems to be hiding something about himself and his ability to govern as a result of his health from Nigerians.”

The health of the president of any country is a National Security priority. Elaborate structures are put in place to secure the capacity of the president to function. No country leaves the primary care of its national political leadership to the expertise of another country, however friendly. Doing that leaves the possibility that a trojan horse can be introduced through control of the life and mental circumstance of the leader of a country by another country. Countries are notoriously protective of their sovereign space. What better way to control the affairs of a nation remotely than by the control of a sick head of state whose life and survival is in the hands of a foreign government?

He would do anything asked of him to stay alive! Buhari’s health has been a source of constant worry for Nigerians. Since the last five years of his presidency, Mr. Buhari has more or less “hidden” from Nigerians. His allegiance does not seem to be to Nigeria. His public appearance is rare and mostly staged. He does not engage with the public nor does he respond to public affairs with the kind of immediacy and knowledge required of a president. As far as it is obvious: Nigeria could go to hell! Sometimes, when you put a question to him, in those extremely rare moments when engages the public, he often says, “I am not awia.” His utterances, when they are made, very regularly runs counter to the public utterances of his presidential staff.

It feels disorganized in terms of its policy direction, but highly organized in terms of its secrecy and lack of transparency about the functioning of the presidential office.

These contradictions are often reflected in the policy chaos that has long characterized this administration. It feels disorganized in terms of its policy direction, but highly organized in terms of its secrecy and lack of transparency about the functioning of the presidential office. The  health and activities of the president is shrouded in the deepest mystery. This meticulous ring of silence around the life of the president gives the impression of the hijack of Nigeria by a very dark cabal with very opaque intentions and goals. This cabal is what Americans call the “deep state.” It is like a black hole.  The executive Council is as remote as the president. No one knows exactly the mind of this administration regarding foreign and domestic policy. While Nigerians are deeply divided and bicker, the grounds beneath their feet shift dangerously. For much of the time, Nigerians suspected that the late Mr. Abba Kyari was the de facto president of Nigeria. He ran the “deep state.” As the president’s Chief of Staff, the late Abba Kyari who succumbed recently to the coronavirus-19 infection, took absolute charge of the presidency, and enforced the President’s will. That’s what they said he did: enforce the will of President Buhari.

How could the president’s Chief of Staff prevent ministers of government from access to the President? All matters went through him. This is as ridiculous as it is unconstitutional.

But what is the president’s will within the constitution? How could the president’s Chief of Staff prevent ministers of government from access to the President? All matters went through him. This is as ridiculous as it is unconstitutional. The life of the Executive Council of the Federation is established by the constitution. Although each minister serves at the behest and the pleasure of the President, but once constituted, the Executive Council is the highest administrative council of the land. It is a “Council” which means that if it came to procedural votes, the President’s vote is one, and can only break a tie. This means, only the Executive Council with the President is the executive government of the land. A presidential staff who appropriates the right of the president is subject to investigation by the office of the Attorney General, and might in fact be tried for a high crime against the state.

In two instances, Abba Kyari seemed to have overstepped his bounds as the President’s pointsman: once was during the period in which the Vice-President acted for the president, and a conflict arose between Winifred Oyo-Ita, Permanent Secretary and Head of Service of the Federation, and Abba Kyari, the President’s Chief of Staff over the scandal of the re-instatement of Abdul Rasheed Maina, who had a cloud still hanging over him over the Pension Fund racket. The second was only just months before his death, over sore points with Mr. Babagana Monguno, the National Security Adviser who accused him of interfering with the National Security of Nigeria, and issued directives to the Service Chiefs to desist forthwith from meetings with the President’s Chief of Staff on National Security matters.

This very public row very remarkably elicited no public response from the president, either backing his National Security adviser or his Chief of Staff. It was almost as if he was not in the picture. Like he was photoshopped to stay very cool behind the fame where he had been preserved. One would also think that the Committee on National Security of the National Assembly, the oversight body of the House and the Senate on National Security issues, would have summarily investigated this serious breach of the rules of public governance in the Presidency. But no such thing happened. And it leads us only to the question: to what extent is the conspiracy, if indeed there is a conspiracy? That row nevertheless led to the speculation that a great crack had finally appeared in the finely wrought partnership that had allegedly hijacked the presidency, and which was keeping a very incapacitated president behind the screen while ventriloquizing directives in his name.

There is great speculation by Nigerians that President Buhari has not been in the picture since 2017 when he had his last major health crisis. Conspiracy theorists have even pushed the rumour that it is not Muhammadu Buhari that is there, but a double recruited from Sudan! This, of course, is only still the yarn of folk with feverish and mischievous imaginations. But the distance and serial absence of President Buhari in the public life; the larger-than-life image which the late Abba Kyari assumed in this presidency; the various gaffes and public policy contradictions associated with this presidency, feeds these dangerous speculations and makes Nigerians skeptical, and increasingly restless. This restlessness has increased, particularly with the shoddy response to the Coronavirus event, and the lack of leadership shown in prepping Nigerians for its effects.

There is no discussion even now about the Post-Coronavirus world, and preparations made to cushion its after effects, or even its current effects. Kano was long predicted to be the pandemic bomb. In the last week, we have seen reports, especially on Social Media of a deluge of the “Northern poor” or the “Almajirai” fleeing  Southwards, hiding in long trailers, breaking the Cordon Sanitaire erected to stave off the spread of the virus. The disruption of the national balance of the states is the first stage towards national implosion which many of us have been predicting as the result of the very poor institutional response to public health, poverty alleviation, and population management by the governments of Nigeria.

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, President Muhammadu Buhari has remained unnaturally remote and silent for the leader of any nation. He was slow in responding to the crisis. He has not been roused even now by the number of dying people in Kano. He was not even present at the burial of his closet aide, Abba. He only penned a short, very uncharacteristic eulogy, which every stylist could read, even with the most cursory glance, does not sound like Buhari, and then he went into hiding.

The serious question every serious Nigerian is asking is: where is President Buhari? Can the real Buhari stand up and be counted? Can he just get up and address Nigerians without the shield of bullish hide and seek swathed in the empty bloviations of the likes of Femi Adesina?

Adesina is the worst Media Secretary of any President of Nigeria that I have ever known. He has very little polish. He seems grumpy and poorly turned out. His elocution of the English language is very provincial and seems – well – more “Jebunglish” than Received Pronunciation. Yet he is constantly rude to Nigerians.

I’d watched Femi Adesina, the president’s media spokesman in a Question and Answer session moderated on Channels TV. Let me say up front, that Adesina is the worst Media Secretary of any President of Nigeria that I have ever known. He has very little polish. He seems grumpy and poorly turned out. His elocution of the English language is very provincial and seems – well – more “Jebunglish” than Received Pronunciation. Yet he is constantly rude to Nigerians. He uses his bully pulpit to really bully those who disagree with the government rather than rationalize and mediate the differences of perception. He calls the opposition, “wailers.” And he basically fudges the fact on behalf of the president. He says “presidential broadcasts are rarely live.” But all presidential address of the President with the media should be mostly live!

It is Buhari’s style to be remote, because “style” is “idiosyncratic.” That might well be. But as Mac Azuike drilled into my Sophomore English class on Stylistics in the ‘80s, “style” is also “content and form.”

It is just that President Buhari has rarely addressed a live media audience. He relies on the likes of Adesina and Garba Shehu to hide him. A president who avoids the media; who does not speak directly to the people on a weekly briefing particularly during a national emergency has something to hide. That is fact one. Buhari seems to be hiding something about himself and his ability to govern as a result of his health from Nigerians. What, we don’t frankly know. Adesina says it is a matter of style. It is Buhari’s style to be remote, because “style” is “idiosyncratic.” That might well be. But as Mac Azuike drilled into my Sophomore English class on Stylistics in the ‘80s, “style” is also “content and form.”

If it is the president’s style to stay silent and indecipherable, while Nigeria suppurates, then, of course, the question must be raised: of what use is he as president? This is what many Nigerians tried to ask Femi Adesina in that chat. And he bullied, insulted, and dismissed their concerns. He asked one caller to run for president in 2023 if he was dissatisfied and if he dared. This is what folk call, “bullcrap.” The National Assembly must take the necessary steps and find out if this president is still physically and mentally with us and fit to run Nigeria. There are too many National security issues at stake.

♦ Obi Nwakanma is Professor of English and Transatlantic Studies.

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