By Okolo Chimennma
During the run up to the 2015 Presidential elections one of the qualities sold to Nigerians of Mr. Muhammedu Buhari, then APC Presidential candidate was his avowed integrity.
Mr. Buhari was sold to Nigerians as a man of integrity, spotless from corruption and untainted by the Nigerian system.
The entire narrative started with his claim that he lacks money to even procure his Party’s presidential form which was sold for #27m and had to borrow (without any evidence of collateral) the said sum from his bank.
Another narrative was to the effect that he was a poor man who had no buildings except for the one in Daura and another in Kaduna. In fact they told us he had no house in Abuja and that he was almost ejected from his Abuja rented apartment because he couldn’t pay his rents and had to be bailed out by a friend.
Then candidate Buhari couldn’t find his WAEC results and all attempts to get him to produce it has met a brick wall with intimidation and harassment thrown in for good measure! So far we have been treated to a comedy show on the matter!
Then Candidate Buhari promised to stop medical tourism amongst Nigerian elected officers and focus on building/equipping Nigerian hospitals to world standards. Today he is holed up somewhere in London for medical reasons, he is infact our chief medical tourist!
Then came the most selling aspect of his purported integrity; a promise to fight corruption because according to him we must “kill corruption before corruption kills us”.
The people hailed him and then stoned “corrupt” GEJ! A saviour was born!
However since after winning the elections can one in all honesty say that Gen. Buhari has lived up to his avowed “man of integrity” persona?
A quick look at his presidency shows Buhari up for what he truly is!
First, immediately after his nomination as APC Candidate, his wife suddenly gave out a whooping sum of #135m as charity! Wow wow!
Enter the BMC. We were told the wife has her own business and her own money! We asked them; so with all this money she couldn’t help out her husband with #27m to purchase his presidential form or rent money to avoid the embarrassment of eviction from his Abuja home?
Then the news came of his multi billion naira Abuja buildings/estate. How did he come to acquire such buildings? With his integrity of course!
Then we found out all his children not only schooled abroad (UK) but in prestigious (read expensive) schools! How does he pay their fees? With integrity obviously!
Since he found himself in Aso Rock, Buhari has severally condemned and demonised the GEJ government of being exclusively corrupt.
He had made a song and dance of some arrests and engaged in media trials and found them guilty, yet, almost two years after he was sworn in NOBODY has been successfully and conclusively prosecuted.
Accusations of corruption has been rife in Mr. Integrity’s government!
First his Chief of Army staff was found to have buildings in Dubai (way above his salary as an Army general) in flagrant disobedience to the rules of his service, still Mr. Buhari keeps him.
Then his SGF was embroiled in a corruption scandal; cutting of grass in one of IDPs camp with #270m, the same IDPs we are told are dying of hunger! What did Mr. Integrity do? He sent to the Senate a so long a letter exonerating him! He is now investigator, judge and prosecutor!
Corruption in Mr. Integrity’s government stinks to high heavens! His CoS had been fingered for corruptly collecting #500m from MTN. Mr. Integrity kept mute.
All the employments done under this government has been tainted with corruption! From CBN recruitment to FIRS etc employments! Nobody has been punished!
All the allegation of corruption against some of his ministers (Fayemi, Amaechi, Fashola etc) had been swept under the carpet. Hear Mr. Integrity – None of my minister is corrupt!
My only consolation in having Buhari in Aso Rock is he can’t claim what he is not any longer!
Buhari lacks integrity. And he is obviously a man lacking in truth.
Now we know the real man behind the mask!
Okolo Chimennma is a lawyer, political commentator and environmental rights campaigner
