Victoria Talks On The State Of The Nation

I am making a decision today to consciously avoid talking about Buhari again in the next 2 years or so.  I have spent the past few weeks reading the deluge of regret notes coming from his die-hard supporters, who were then determined to ruthlessly slander anyone with a dissenting view. Relationships, solid reputations, built over the years, they destroyed within seconds in defense of a man they sincerely believed in.

This is not the time to gloat. All my predictions about Buhari have come to pass, much sooner than I anticipated. My predictions were not products of unusual smartness or intelligent thinking. Nay, the hard facts about Buhari were already in the books, written long before Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999. The more I read these books, the scarier my findings. I recall starting the #IssuesforBuhari series, which then went viral on the social media. It was a failed attempt to draw attention to the key issues and hard questions that needed to be asked. A lost opportunity.

For daring to ask those questions, the flood of accusations, and the campaign of calumny started. I didn't mind. What is painful about it though is when people who really, really know you in and out, join the charade. I cannot forget when someone I loved deeply, and trusted too much, called and told me the story of a human rights lawyer of the 90s that started accepting "gifts" from the military government at the peak of the struggle against military rule. The said lawyer suddenly recanted and began to sing a different song from his compatriots. I knew the import of that story. It broke my heart to pieces.

As at the time the call came in, I was eating a home-made meal Akunna Njoku brought for me. I had less than $200 in my bank account. I had just declined an invitation from the then Goodluck Jonathan Government to come to Nigeria to take part in some meeting the President had with selected Nigerian youth. It was an all-expense paid trip to Nigeria and a sweet opportunity to see my kids after 8 consecutive months of absence. Which mother will decline an opportunity to see her own children? Of course, I wanted to come home, only if I could afford my ticket. I couldn't. And stayed back.

I cannot blame the teeming youth who gave their support to a man they did not really know. Most of us were infants and toddlers in 1984-85 when Buhari held sway as military dictator. I blame those who knew, kept quiet, and even helped push a narrative they knew was false. Its hard to forgive the so-called human rights leaders, the journalists of repute, the older generation of voters, who fought hard to restore democracy in the 90s, but changed gear in 2015. They knew the truth, but for some strange reason, withheld it.

In Nigerian parlance, Buhari has "showed his hand". No need to say anything further. Its time to sit back quietly and watch the drama continue to unfold as it is already doing. In the mean time, I will mind my business and talk about other things that catch my fancy, like the wahala in the natural resource and urban sectors. That's a handful already.

The hardship we are facing may be too much to bear in one year. My sincere wish is that Buhari succeeds despite the too many setbacks. Let him listen to his critics instead of hounding them. Let him reflect and retrace his steps if he can. All of us stand to benefit if this ends well.