INSENSITIVE as ever, the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), jetted out to the United Kingdom for yet another ‘medical check-up’ amid a crippling petrol scarcity and other national crises. He had just returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where he had, ridiculously, gone to attend the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme! His insouciance contrasts sharply with the selfless leadership of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, whose bravery in the middle of a military invasion by Russian forces has riveted global attention.
Junketing abroad for minor engagements or personal comfort while millions suffer and the country is imperilled, as Buhari often does, is reprehensible.
In the seven years that he has superintended over Africa’s most populous country, he has left no one in doubt that his interests and comfort are paramount. He demonstrates this by frequently travelling abroad, even as the country slips further into state failure. His latest display of aloofness dismays many, but surprises very few. Apart from the escalating killings across the country and general insecurity, a debilitating petrol scarcity has for a month laid the country low. Businesses and normal social activities have been upturned. Worse is that the crisis was caused by the criminal importation and distribution of dirty petrol over which the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company has a monopoly.
Notably, he is, effectively, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, having retained the strategic portfolio. But on March 6, instead of staying home to take charge, Buhari took off for Kenya for a ceremony that could well have been graced on Nigeria’s behalf by his deputy, a minister, an adviser or the ambassador.
While Zelenskyy, 44, with Russian missiles raining down around him, is putting his life on the line to stand with, and rally Ukraine’s 44 million people to defend their country and liberty, Buhari, 79, remains detached from the people he leads.
According to reports, by the end of 2021, Buhari had combined, spent over 200 days on medical leave in the UK since coming to power. Yet, the Federal Ministry of Health has been allocated over N2.3 trillion from 2016 to date, while the State House Medical Centre has received over N6.2 billion, as stated on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation.
Currently, public universities have again been shut down by yet another strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities; the economy is tumultuous, wracked afresh by a sharp rise in oil prices, low crude production and record revenue shortages. Meanwhile, kidnappers and armed robbers everywhere, terrorists in the North and lately in the South-East, have rendered the country unsafe.
Buhari should demonstrate decisive leadership. Since early February when the negligent regulators confirmed the presence of petrol with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification in the supply chain, nobody has been suspended or fired. There are also acute shortages of gas and power.
For over a month, petrol has consequently been in short supply. The same NNPC executives under whose watch the scandal happened are the same persons grandstanding and purporting to be solving the gigantic problem they created. One report said NNPC requires N201 billion to clean up its mess. Heads should roll.
Celebrated Austrian-American management consultant, the late Peter Drucker, describes leadership as “a responsibility rather than as rank and privilege.” Buhari, by his actions and inaction, telegraphs the image of a condescending leader who lacks empathy for the people; one who would not take charge to improve their lives. He abdicates the responsibility of his office, allowing aides to run the government on his behalf. Often, the in-fighting and lack of synergy within the regime have spilled out into the open. The country is left almost rudderless.
In March 2021, he travelled to London for a two-week medical vacation amid a national strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors that paralysed public hospitals. He repeated this when he returned to the UK for medical follow-up checks in June and in July that year amid other doctors’ strikes. Seven years in power, he has not delivered a single world-class hospital that can attend to his routine medical check-up locally.
In December 2020 when bandits kidnapped over 300 schoolboys from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, hours after he arrived in Daura in the same state, Buhari did not immediately visit the community. Similarly, rampaging gunmen regularly slaughter Nigerians daily in the North, but rather than take decisive action or identify physically with the victims, he mostly remains Aso Rock while his spokesmen reel out ineffectual statements.
Leadership is made of better mettle. In April 2021, Chad’s President, Idriss Deby, personally led his army to battle rebels who had launched an incursion into the country and paid the supreme price on the battlefield. In July 2021, then-German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, visited flood victims in western Germany to coordinate emergency response and humanitarian aid. In January 2022, United States President, Joe Biden, raced to the scene of Colorado’s destructive wildfire where he condoled with the victims. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa; ex-US President Barack Obama, among other world leaders, demonstrated leadership during national crises by running back to their countries to lead from the front. American celebrity, Oprah Winfrey, emphasised the essence of empathy in leadership; “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.”
Sadly, there has been no serious pressure on Buhari from the Ninth National Assembly. Like other parliaments, they should be voicing public outrage at this penchant for being missing in action while the country bleeds. NASS should loudly crystallise public dismay at such insensitivity. Civil society groups should not give up in exposing and opposing the frivolous travels. With just over a year left before his tenure ends, Buhari should provide strong, hands-on leadership. He owes Nigerians no less.
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