NIGERIANS AS LAB RATS FOR BUHARI'S FUEL SCARCITY EXPERIMENTS

I haven't forgotten that vandalism was initially given as the reason for the fuel scarcity.We were meant to believe vandals and saboteurs plunged us into this mess.
I haven't forgotten that upon assumption of office, Mr President promised that our refineries would be fully up and running by the end of August 2015.
I have also not forgotten that in November last year, the sum of N413 Billion naira was approved as payments for oil marketers and the Group General Manager, Public Affairs division of the NNPC, Mr Ohi Alegbe told us it was in consonance with the zero tolerance policy of the government towards fuel queues nationwide.He also hoped at that time that the payment would ensure marketers joined hands with the NNPC to ensure the country stays wet with petroleum products all year long.
I haven't forgotten that the NNPC released a statement as recently as the 29th of February this year to the effect that it had secured the  commitment of the MOMAN (Major oil marketers of nigeria) leadership to help end the fuel scarcity.
I haven't forgotten that the government removed fuel subsidy in January 2016 and later reverted to subsidizing fuel for N13 per litre barely three months later.
And last but not least, i haven't forgotten that Mr President's 'deputy' Petroleum Minister, Ibe Kachikwu promised the scarcity would be over by May this year.These all add up to one thing-the President and his team are very confused. 
The entire approach of the federal government to the fuel scarcity issue can at best be refered to as trial and error.There was no definite plan of action, rather what it kept doing was experimenting at the expense of innocent nigerians who have more or less being turned into lab rats.
Now, the government has hiked fuel price to N145 and the junior petroleum minister is telling us the scarcity is due to the oil marketers' inability to source foreign exchange and to also open letters of credit and I ask: Which marketers?.
The ones who were allegedly paid their N413 billion debt as an incentive to further join hands with the NNPC to end the scarcity or the ones whose commitment the NNPC said it had secured?.
If the government was aware that the marketers had been unable to bring in fuel since October of 2015, what efforts then can it truly say was being made to end the scarcity knowing fully well that the refining capacity of our refineries is barely 50% of the quantity needed to service the nation?.From Lai's three week promise in November to Kachikwu's endless deadlines, it means we were being misled.Officially as regards cost, we had been told it was due to the vandalization of oil installations and unofficially, it had been attributed to everything from the PPRA, PPMC to of course, the PDP.The government could have just sorted out the forex issue and not led us on a long voyage to nowhere.Technically, what this means is that the government had been working towards ending the scarcity of NNPC's '50% fuel' while it was promising to rid us of the entire problem.
Knowing fully well the challenges the oil marketers were facing, concrete steps should have been taken very much earlier instead of shadow boxing and bringing untold hardship on nigerians.lf the price increase was going to make things right, then it should have happened much sooner.
The Petroleum Minister, President Muhamadu Buhari removed fuel subsidy at the start of the year and while some were singing his praises and showing off impressive figures of monies saved amidst a most biting fuel scarcity, he went on re-install the policy.This is confusion at its worst and that is certainly not the hallmark of a good leader.In dire times like these, it is imperative that the leader sits to view things rationally from every angle and be as decisive as possible after a thorough appraisal of the long and short run consequences of his actions.
No better way to illustrate our 'lab rats' status than with the removal/reversal/removal of fuel subsidy.We have been made to sit and watch as our government experiments different policies on us.One unique thing about experimentation is the absence of certainty as there are only varying degrees of hope for a certain outcome.
Now after endless months of being forced to live with the drastic consequences of its ineptitude, we are being told the government has struck a winning formula; only fuel will now cost N145 a litre.We have gone through three 'subsidy' phases that have the potential to define the destiny of a nation in just under 5 months.Someone is definitely confused.
And No, the President can't blame anyone other than himself because he walked us to this spot.
The government has compounded the misery of Nigerians with the recent increase in fuel price and it must cushion the ill-effects as much as possible.I salute the strength and tenacity of the average nigerian whenever I remember that the minimum wage is N18,000.I tell people only a Nigerian would pay all his bills with that and still live on.Buhari must yield to the demands of labour to increase the minimum wage if at least, he won't reduce fuel price not only to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians but to placate our feelings for his role in this mess.While I sincerely hope he gets it right this time, I think it is in the best interest of the government to know when to concede to certain arguments because attempting to rationalize its pathetic handling of the fuel crisis thus far will amount to insulting the intelligence of Nigerians.Its May and I don't remember Kachikwu withdrawing his promise to wipe out queues.
That and every other road that led to where we are now, I haven't forgotten.

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE APC AND THE PDP '16 YEAR RULE' ESCAPE ROUTE

"The best way to avoid becoming a scapegoat is to find one"-Warren Eyster

The latest version of the 'PDP massive 16 year damage' song was by the Special Assistant to President Buhari on political matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu.He disclosed in a recent interview how previous administrations doled out farewell gifts of $100,000 or $50,000 at the very least, to politicians and monarchs visiting the Presidential Villa.
While I admit I was intrigued by such a revelation that went as far as disclosing even the 'standard' tip pattern: driver-$500, PA-$1,000 & girlfriend-$200, it didn't have the effect it would have had over me about 7 months ago.
The APC in calling for patience, sings in high pitch about the maladministration of the PDP over the years and as a result, have started to bore a lot of us almost to the point of death.They forget we wouldn't have kicked out the PDP if we didn't already know just how badly led we were.The APC is so buried in its self-righteousness that it fails to notice just how similar it appears to be with the previous governments.Every administration from 1999 till date has asked for 'patience' and each with its own assessment of the damage on ground.
They have all failed to make a decent lemonade out of the lemons they were thrown as each is ever willing to take the convenient 'bad hand dealt' route where excuses and more excuses reign supreme.
While I agree with President Buhari when he says Nigeria has nothing to show for 16 years of oil boom, he has however, given me cause to doubt his competence severally from a very objective perspective.Times when It would be hypocritical and unjust of me to tag along with him to the 'PDP damage' escape route.
There was so much expectation of a drastic cut in the cost of governance primarily due to PMB's promise of doing so when he was elected. As it is, much hasn't been done in that regard if you ask me.
Those who called for an absorption of the Ministry of budget and national planning into the finance ministry were vindicated when the budget padding incident occurred.The Special duties and Niger-Delta ministries are ones we can live without and at worst, should have been integrated into other ministries and not left to gulp precious taxpayers' money.
The Presidential fleet still boasts 9 aircrafts at a time when some of our african brothers with far lesser numbers are selling off all that they have.
Though one must commend the Buhari administration for setting aside a most impressive 30% of the 2016 budget for capital expenditure, the president has failed to lead by example in ensuring the menace of excessive spending on recurrent expenditure is checked by putting a stop to unnecessary appointments in these dire times.
He has not only a special adviser but also a personal assistant on new media as well in addition to his two SAs on media.In line with the thoughts of people like Sen.Ben Murray Bruce, it is better to have a bloated team of economic advisers than of media.At least one or more would advise him to not cite the unsuccesful outcome of a devaluation excercise of the naira in the 70's or 80's as his reason for not considering the option in this time and age.The popular notion is that the quality of a leadership sells it and to worry excessively about public perception technically implies that the leader isn't too confident in his abilities hence the resort to an army of spin-doctors.
A lot of us are starting to laugh hard at our ignorance for daring to think the President  might even work with as little as 19 ministers when he assumed office.
16 years of PDP misrule has nothing to do with his inability to efficiently cut down costs neither is it responsible for all the bad calls that ultimately rub off on our destiny.
I received a message from a friend sometime in March detailing PMB's 'achievements' in less than a year in as president.He listed the huge amount being saved by the removal of fuel subsidy as one of them and I remember arguing that the viability or otherwise of such a move could only be tested when our filling stations had fuel.It would only amount to a good decision when we have an unhindered and sustainable supply of fuel in abundance without the payments because it might very well turn out to be an ill-advised move that would save government a lot of money at the detriment of innocent nigerians and that won't quite add up to a wise call.
Before we got to test the decision, the government started paying N5.84 subsidy on every litre of fuel in a measure that portrayed it not only as confused but also as rash.No one can say the removal wasn't a mistake after a careful look at the whole picture and No, I won't blame the PDP for that.
Its so ironic how one would rate Buhari low on security even after seeing the commendable manner in which he is tackling the nation's number one threat-the boko haram insurgency.Under him, we have watched a reinvigorated military gradually crush the insurgents.But it is sad that a few lamentable situations exist to wipe out every point he scores from the war against insurgency.For instance atrocities of the fulani herdsmen have been allowed to linger for too long unchecked.
After the killings in Agatu and a few others in Ondo and Ibadan, they massacred about 40 people in Enugu just days ago.The herdsmen have gone on a nationwide killing spree and if something is not done fast, we would have a much bigger war to contend with.Quite regrettably, the President hasn't really done much.
The mere fact that a member of his team had to come out to 'remind' us that a statement was issued in that regard all the more confirms that.If Buhari had been consistent in his condemnations and expression of sympathy towards the families of the victims, there would be no doubt as to whether he had ever spoken on the matter or not.
A crisis that has claimed numerous lives and properties and the question was whether the President of the Federal Republic had ever issued a statement regarding it or not?.Pathethic.
The Afenifere while expressing worries over the government's seeming indifference to the wanton killings by the fulani herdsmen across Nigeria in a meeting on Tuesday 26th, called on President Buhari to speak up on the matter and take urgent action.It also went on to reject the preposterous statement credited to the Minister of information, Lai Mohammed that 'government was working silently' towards ridding the country of the problem by demanding that all actions of government be open as people weren't being killed silently.I couldn't agree any more with these assertions. 
Not a few voices condemned the disclosure by the DSS that it had discovered the bodies of five slain herdsmen in the South East because of the weighty security implications accompanying such.The Enugu massacre seems a reprisal killing for those five.
There are reports that there was prior intel of an impending attack in Enugu by about 500 herdsmen yet the DSS could do nothing to prevent it.President Buhari travelled all the way to his village to drag the current DSS boss from retirement for reasons best known to him.Its Buhari's cross to bear, the PDP has nothing to do with these shortcomings.
The current fuel scarcity and poor power supply plaguing us is being attributed to the activities of vandals.Much like the previous administrations, this government has so far failed us on the issue of pipeline security and it is also noteworthy that never have Nigerians had to suffer this much as a result of of vandalized pipelines or installations.
This government is overseeing probably the longest and most hard biting fuel scarcity in our history while our Power generation is at a pitiful 2000+mw.We set a record for ourselves by hitting 0mw power generation at about 12:58 pm on March 31st 2016.
I would have to say the PDP governments appear more skilled in crisis management for the simple reason that they didn't subject us to this much hardship.Corrupt as they may be.
Its high time the President and his gang understand that we wouldn't have voted them in if we didn't know just how bad the PDP years were.Its high time they settle down into the business of 'changing' things rather than reminding us on a daily basis why we kicked out the PDP for them.

BAN ON BLACK MARKET: BETWEEN GOATS AND VAMPIRES

The Kaduna state government has recently banned the roadside selling of fuel in jerry cans popularly refered to as 'black market' in all the 23 local government areas of the state.This is coming on the heels of the ban in Plateau state as well and just before any more states jump on the bandwagon, it is imperative they give it a very hard thought.
If the governments cite legal,environmental or security reasons for doing so at a time when we are experiencing a most scathing fuel scarcity, the common man is ready to cite convenience,accessibility and the indispensability of the commodity in everyday living as his grounds for opposition. Such a move will do the average nigerian more harm than good.
I am talking about the nigerian who has to be at work early in the morning and can't afford a driver to queue up for days waiting to buy fuel.The nigerian who closes late from work and needs to fuel his generator for some respite this hot season.The nigerian who was already finding it difficult to transport himself to work before the already high fares doubled.No government with the best interests of its people at heart,would choose such a time to remember just how illegal or hazardous black market is.
The El Rufai government in particular has even before now displayed a total disregard for the plight of the down trodden by banning street begging for the one reason it seems to love so much-Security.
It was a move that highlighted the plutocratic tendencies of a government that seemed disconnected from the reality on ground.No beggar would choose to be on the streets if he could avoid it and their presence there serves more or less as an emblematization of the deplorable state we are in.El Rufai can appoint as many Special Advisers on persons with disability as he chooses but the one truth remains adequate provision for shelter and food must at least be made before they are taken off the streets.
While criticizing this policy at a time when the issue was still fresh, I ended with the words-"What if it was you and I?.It could be us some day".
And the world has spun to a point where the 'Yous and Is' are now the victims of El Rufai's anti-people policies and I hope to God no other governor subjects his people to this much suffering.
I had cause to be in Kaduna over the weekend and like every other place, most petrol stations in the metropolis don't have fuel while the few that do, barely have enough to sell to half the people waiting.The ban on black market has driven the price of a gallon of fuel to N2500 (at the time of writing this) and that is if you are lucky enough to find an operator willing to sell.
There are a lot lesser number of cars on the roads than i am used to seeing and it wouldn't surprise me if the state chapter of the NLC called a strike soon as workers are bound to find it difficult to resume at work because of the high cost of transportation.
The winds of change have indeed blown as things have changed for the worse.We now generate less than half the amount of electricity we were able to manage under Goodluck Jonathan and a tier of rice costs N750 at the moment.Nigerians are patient with the government more out of a sense of helplessness and than because it has earned it.
The conduct of some key members of the government has no doubt demonstrated a total lack of sincere remorse on their end.From Buhari's deafening silence at a time he needed to address us on the challenges we were facing to Kachikwu's broken promises and 'I am not a magician' declaration.
Not to forget Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on media telling those crying over poor power supply to 'go and fight the vandals' like we didn't vote his boss to do that for us.
It is the responsibility of the government to secure our installations and we deserve a lot of apologies for our present predicament.There wasn't a firmer believer in Buhari than El Rufai and by virtue of flocking with him, he earned the toga of a pro-people politician and shed the hypocritical activist perception people had of him.The people come first and as things stand, we seem to have chased goats out of our barns and allowed vampires into our bedrooms.
Black market may be illegal but you can't ban them when fuel is scarce.It is only right to do so when fuel has been made readily available to those who have no filling station managers to call when they need it.The common man has to admit today that he was living much better under the goats than he is doing presently under the vampires.Parents find it hard to get their kids to school and the retailers just bumped up the prices of goods.
It is very hot down north at this time of the year and with the entire country living on a meagre 2000MW, you couldn't appreciate your generator more.But that just became a luxury as well.The amount it takes to fuel an average family size generator for 4 hours use daily for a whole week is just a few hundreds shy of the minimum wage.
The Kaduna and Plateau state governments must reverse the ban on black market to ease the high cost of living for its people.I am sure Plateau's Operation Safe Haven and Kaduna's security Council wouldn't have recommended such to their state governments if they had fully considered the consequences of doing so.Such an ungodly policy is only justifiable in the three north
eastern states where perhaps it could serve as a strategy aimed at further incapacitating the insurgents.
President Buhari must move fast to ensure innocent nigerians aren't made to suffer more than they already have.He stands to gain a lot personally from doing so as I'm sure he understands just how well public discontent thrives in such places.The frustration ends at his table.
Only a few people complained when he banned the importation of small generator sets popularly refered to as 'I better pass my neighbour' because he seemed to be tackling the power problem head-on at that point in time and soon people will grow tired of the whole 'Patience' vibe and start to ask why our Commander-In-Chief didn't ensure our installations were protected from vandals in the first place.
It always wasn't going to be easy to fix our system, that we understand. But the president must ensure nigerians don't suffer any more than they already have to. 

OPEN LETTER TO THE ACTING APC NATIONAL PUBLICITY SECRETARY: SERIAL RANTS OF A BAD SPOKESPERSON

Dear Comrade Timi Frank,

First, I would like you to know I understand how hard it is for someone like you to hold your present position in the APC hierarchy.I would rather your party had made you deputy youth leader or youth leader than shrink you into an office that demands you speak more for the party than yourself-the activist,Comrade Timi Frank.In almost all cases, 'Poster boys' share a lot of similarities with showbiz stars.
While the stars have to worry about what they say or do in public so they don't hurt the marketability of their brand, you also watch what you do before us because you are acting on behalf of an entire party.Not just a party in some obscure place but the ruling party in the most populous black nation on earth.
I have had cause to share a joke or two about Alhaji Lai Mohammed wearing a bow tie to a press conference in broad day and when you assumed his position albeit in an interim capacity, I laughed over just how literally not picture-perfect for the job you were.A more well-fed man in agbada or suit would appear more cut-out for what they had in mind.You looked more a student union leader than an (Acting) National Publicity Secretary of the APC.
Perhaps i wasn't entirely wrong.I have come to doubt your competence over time.My main reason for writing you this letter is to draw your attention to some recent utterances of yours and just how unbecoming they are of someone of your calibre and who you represent.
I was very disappointed in the manner in which you reacted to your party chairman's comments about an impending congress to nominate a spokesperson for the APC.In paying tribute to your former superior turned Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party chairman described him as a man whose shoes would be hard to fill and that it was only a matter of getting someone capable of coming close.It was giving honour to a man who had served the party well.But you took offence with that and claimed it was meant to discredit your person and other capable hands in the party.Hard as I tried,I couldn't decipher any such message in his comments.You didn't stop there.You went on to label his comments baseless, reckless and unwarranted while staking a claim as the rightful National Publicity Secretary of the APC in waiting.
You neglected to tell us whether or not the constitution of your party stipulates automatic transition to the substantive role.However, what is not in doubt is the fact that Comrade Timi Frank gave imported meanings to a message we clearly understood and even tried to incite other party members by saying they were 'discredited' as well.
You remember what I said about spokespersons being like showbiz stars?.It is one thing for the face of the party to vilify the party chairman and it is another to manufacture sub-standard interpretations in so doing.That is suicide.
You not only hurt your reputation but that of the party as well.I don't know what may be happening behind the scenes but from the little I see and hear, you owe that man and other chieftains a whole lot of gratitude for not plotting your downfall after you publicly renounced your membership of Timipre Sylva's campaign organisation in the run-up to the Bayelsa gubernatorial elections.One would have expected you to do so quietly considering your standing in the party and not gone ahead to raise unnecessary dust.This was not too long after you had called for the Party Chairman's resignation; a move you still can't defend till date.Your best try was-"Well, it is politics".
Radicals don't always make good spokespersons.They tend to speak for what they believe in when they should be doing so for the people they represent.And in your case, you upgraded to fighting them right before us.
Just when I ruled out any more drama from your end,at least till the 'congress' was held, you made arguably your most preposterous comments ever.You berated the leadership of your party for not speaking out against the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki by the Code of conduct tribunal (CCT).You said Saraki was a good man who went to immense lengths to help kick out the Jonathan administration among other things and that he was being paid back with evil.Mr Frank, if you hadn't gone as far as citing laws and how the CCT acted on them in similar cases, I would have thought you didn't know what he was being accused of.He is being arraigned on a 13 count charge of false declaration of assets.Assets he was scared of disclosing to us because it would be obvious he had been stealing from us and there were also ones he listed as his even before he had bought them.And you blame your party leaders for 'keeping quiet in the face of evil?'.What would you ordinarily have them do?.Beg President Buhari to legitimize his criminality or pat Saraki on the back for a job well done?.
Just so I remind you, the change you claim to have fought for alongside Saraki isn't one that doesn't regard stealing as corruption.The anti-corruption card was very instrumental to your party's victory at the polls and an acting spokesperson of the APC publicly urging its leadership to kick against the prosecution of the Senate President because he worked hard for the party is despicable and totally unacceptable.Even if it is true the President declared war on him in retaliation for how the NASS elections went down, it doesn't in any way mean he was framed.
I voted for a government that promised to fight corruption to a stand still and not one that would overlook a man's sins because he helped put it in place.Need I remind you that a lot of people still feel the Senate President and his fellow decampees from the PDP rushed into the APC out of frustration and not out of a genuine love for what it represents?.If they had been granted their wish of having a northern flagbearer from their midst, they probably wouldn't have joined the APC till maybe it had won the elections.
Comrade, I don't envy you one bit.You once said anybody who knows you knows you always speak your mind and that is a good trait.We have that in common but unlike you I am not a spokesperson for the ruling party.I don't have to worry about its image while exercising my freedom of speech.As it is, you most likely won't get the job on a permanent basis because like my people would say: 'You don shit plenty for shrine'.Making you the substantive spokesperson would be kissing a hot stove.
Someone told me you were the Director of Outreach in an anti-corruption NGO and of course,I wouldn't be surprised if you still retain the office despite the Saraki outburst.This is Nigeria.
In a different setting, you would thrive and not have standards as burdensome as ones that accompany your Publicity Secretary role.Some of your statements would win you a lot of supporters if you were an activist still in school.I don't see you getting 'That Timi guy no dey hear word' compliments anywhere else for your comments.
For someone who can't help saying it as he sees it, I would advice you to resign even if you are made the substantive spokesperson.Your job demands you speak first for the APC and consider its best interests when doing so for yourself.
Be the best you can possibly be.
I hope you move on to a more conducive terrain and if you don't, then like your party's famous mantra, I hope you 'change'.                                                                                                                    Best Regards. 
                  
                 Umar Sa'ad Hassan Esq.

CBN ILLEGAL HIRES: THE RECRUITMENT POLICY OF 'TARGETING'

The CBN illegal hires scandal jolted everyone.Not that it was anything out of the ordinary to the ears of the average Nigerian but it had an angle never-before-seen.
The 'unofficially' official version had fingered one Mrs Chizoba Mojekwu, a former director of human resources at the bank now deployed to Capacity development and IT as the whistle blower.She reportedly got irked by the CBN governor's move to keep his job by employing the children of influential persons in the APC.Yet some felt the 91 name list had a 'Buhari' element to it.Northerners were favoured well ahead of everyone else thereby rubbishing the 'targeted recruitment of specialists' and from 'left out states' defence issued by the bank.
This 'school' believe the CBN governor couldn't be as daft as to court such unnecessary controversy following the attention the bank was getting from the whole Dasuki saga .Only a directive from above would grow him such balls.
However, the truth remains a privileged few were hand picked and handed jobs they didn't apply for.The recruitment 'targeted' the kids of a minister, a former speaker, a former Vice-President and a nephew of the President among others.This is nothing new if you didn't move down here recently but the thing is we voted to put an end to it almost a year ago.We voted for change.Change driven by a modest  anti-corruption crusader and man of the masses.
Even before his Vice-President's '1.5 million jobs in three years' pledge a mere few days ago, he had spoken so persuasively of his plan to tackle unemployment during the run-up to the March polls.Nothing has changed.
A good degree still can't guarantee you a job unless you are privileged to get a note from the President's nephew or lucky enough to get thrust a slot offered a minister by someone desperately trying to curry his favour.You get the feeling sometimes, the average Nigerian graduate is being saved the stress of applying for government jobs and waiting for interview dates.The most unfortunate part of this menace is that even if it is eventually curbed, it won't change the fact that a lot of undeserving and perhaps incompetent hands have been lined up to one day play pivotal roles in nation-building.After the present leaders finish recycling themselves, they will usher in 'targeted specialists' to be ably assisted by their likes in running this country down.In effect, we will still be screaming 'Change' many elections from now.
The Nigerian Youth voted for Buhari's 'Change' not because he wanted to receive a N5,000 stipend monthly but because he was going to be guaranteed a corruption-free atmosphere to tussle for the jobs available.Buhari was not only going to create them, he was going to ensure only the right people got them.Sadly, we are still here on the same spot.
The Apex bank's 'targeted specialists' recruitment policy has been on for about two years now according to its acting director of corporate communications and when asked about the 'very important appointees', he said he couldn't speak much but that any qualified Nigerian could work for the CBN.But if we have to adopt 'targeting' as a recruitment policy, then we must put it to the best use possible.
We must reward the gate man who slaved to put his child through school by 'targeting' that child.We must 'target' the child of the roadside mechanic that topped his class instead of a Minister's because it would encourage other parents to send their kids to school where he comes from.
They are lighter baggage who wouldn't put anyone through the stress of 'remixing' their names to deceive the public.Its really sad what we have become.

8 BUHARI GAFFES: THE BAD, THE VERY BAD AND THE UGLY

A lot of us had at least one people's 'Bros' around us while growing up.If he wasn't family, then he was a neighbour or family friend.'Bros' always greeted everyone with a smile and parted with the words-'bless you'.Every child was either his 'main man' or his 'wife'.One thing he had going for him above everything else was his understanding of the power of words.He knew a 'Well done ma' to your mother in the kitchen before sticking around could earn him a free meal and he understood how much an investment a bottle of soft drink on Christmas or Sallah could turn out to be.He didn't have much but 'you were too much of a great person' to not celebrate with.He was in everybody's good books because he always said the right thing and at the right time.
President Buhari is nothing like my 'Bros me'.He would have to be the generous type for you to love him back then for only generosity could mitigate any damage his 'okpata-leaking' mouth had already caused.For a man who has been depicted as Nigeria's number one fan long before he assumed office as President, PMB has spoken words that have more than suggested otherwise.Whether or not the words were improperly chewed or revealing what we all failed to notice won't change the fact that in less than a year in office, he has managed to rack up far more regrettable utterances than any President we have ever had.Walk with me as I highlight 8 of them.

1.  '...DASUKI CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO GO ABROAD TO SEE HIS DOCTOR WHILE THERE ARE OVER TWO MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED'-(Presidential Media Chat)

This may sound pleasant to the ears of the average Nigerian and even draw a few tears from the eyes of some but it is Buhari openly flaunting his disregard for the law.Dasuki would not be released despite being granted bail by the courts and by so stating, he lost every moral right to brag about respect for the rule of law like the leaders before him whenever the need presents itself.With the current bad state of the economy and the untold hardship occasioned by the fuel and power scarcity, most of the people cheering him back then have joined the 'math club'.There, they add up El-Zakzaky's continued detention and non-prosecution, the killing of his defenceless members and the demolition of his sect's structures with Buhari's Dasuki statement to arrive at a 'new' answer.Perhaps it wouldn't have this much tendency to burn him in the long-run if he made the comment in a roomful of 'aluta-charged' students but it was his maiden media chat which was being beamed live to the whole wide world on a night everyone wanted to hear just how much we had 'changed'.

2. ...'LET THE CHRISTIANS GO AND FIGHT THE TERRORISTS OR THE MILITANTS IN THE SOUTH'-(Al-Jazeera interview with Martine Dennis)

This was the President's controversial response to a question on concerns in some quarters that he was trying to islamatize Nigeria by joining forces with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Islamic states to combat terrorism.PMB obviously allowed his anger get the better of him.While his intentions are good as the nation stands to gain a lot from joining them, his remarks are capable of starting another war for him.
I sincerely doubt if majority of Christians have anything against such a good move and it was quite sad to watch the man attract unnecessary heat to himself.The perfect response would try to allay fears,highlight the benefits of a more secure Nigeria and just how much we stand to gain from the coalition.
But Mr.President had to go tell 'those christians' to go fight the war.And come to think of it, the 'few' concerns aren't entirely baseless.The ibos are yet to get an appointment asides the ones made mandatory by the constitution and his northern brothers far outnumber everyone on the non-ministerial appointment list.

3. ...'YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR BUDGET THAN I DO'-(Al Jazeera Interview with Martine Dennis)

The President first made this remark in a reply to a question on the huge funds allocated to the state clinic in the villa.And that was just after he had said he had to study the 'budget' before he could comment on the outrageous $25,000 allocation to the Vice-President's office for books in an earlier question.Study our budget?.Seriously?.
You knew he obviously didn't think it was wrong to pay Martine such a compliment after he told her for the second time she knew more about our budget than he did in justifying the retention of security votes.The lady like any smart journalist would, didn't probe him on the impropriety of a President knowing so little about his budget and instead settled for a huge score with her employers who will be so proud of her work.They will note the fact that a sitting President once admitted she knew more about his country's budget than he did but as a Nigerian, it sickened to watch my President tell a foreign journalist that.
Buhari can go on as many trips as he wants in his bid to re-brand our image in the international community but comments like these speak volumes to the outside world of the new man in charge.No President who wants to be taken seriously would tell an interviewer that.

4. ...'IS THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PETROLEUM NOT IBO?'-(Maiden Presidential Media Chat)

When asked why he hadn't been appointing Ibos (south-easterners)in compliance with the Federal Character provision during the Presidential media chat, he tried to dodge the question by saying there are restrictions placed by the constitution in an apparent bid to feign ignorance of the fact that the interviewer meant non-ministerial appointments.As fate would have it, Oga ran into a hold-up on his detour and asked if the Minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, wasn't ibo?.Kachikwu is from Delta state in the south-south region of Nigeria.

5. ...'I AM PLEASED THAT NIGERIANS WHEREVER THEY ARE, WHETHER SOUTH AFRICA, SAUDI ARABIA, EUROPE OR ALASKA FOR THAT MATTER,YOU WILL MAKE IMPACT BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE'-(While addressing Members of the Nigerian community in South Africa)

Yes, PMB said he was pleased even with those making negative impact in foreign countries.Mr anti-corruption and death-to-all-drug-peddlers did say that to Nigerians living in South Africa.I wonder how our 'exported' fraudsters, drug traffickers and prostitutes felt after he turned around to blame the criminal antecedents of Nigerians living abroad as the reason why foreign countries are wary of us.God help us.

6. ...'THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT CAN STILL AFFORD IT'-(Al Jazeera interview with Martine Dennis)

On the face of it, there is nothing actually wrong with the President saying this when asked if he would pull his kids from their schools abroad as a result of the high dollar exchange rate.He owes no one any explanation really but he came across as being quite insensitive.A more dignifying response would be-'If I can no longer afford it,I would have no other choice but to pull them out'.The parents who are forced to pull their kids only wanted the best for them and I dare say a better man would have even gone as far as sympathizing with them instead of a response no different from one an 'omata' trader would give to show off.

7. ...'I HAVE BEEN WITH THEM THROUGHOUT OUR TRYING TIMES, WHAT THEN IS THE REWARD OF SUCH DEDICATION AND SUFFERING?'-(BBC Hausa Interview)

This interview effectively shuts down all 'Competence over Ethnicity' theories the Buharists try to sell to us each time we decry his lopsided appointments. Mr President admitted to rewarding loyalty ahead of even competence and don't nobody tell me I didn't hear right.It is settled.The Chief 'Changist' is not scared of telling the world that government positions are for his 'day ones' and please its high time his handlers correct his understanding of our constitution.Here he opens his defence by telling us to do justice to him by resorting to the provisions of our constitution as regards appointment of his closest officials that don't require Senate ratification.Section 14 (3) states that the composition of the Federal government and its agencies must reflect Federal character.He can't possibly hide behind the grundnorm to legitimize his lopsided appointments.Well, he then went on to talk about loyalty.God help us.

8. ...'CONSTITUENCIES THAT GAVE ME 97% CANNOT BE TREATED ON SOME ISSUES WITH CONSTITUENCIES THAT GAVE ME 5%'-(Q&A Session at United States Institute of Peace)

Our leader chose the United States of all places to say those who voted en masse for him would be treated better than those who didn't on some issues and that there would be justice for all.I wondered if the President actually understood what justice meant.In even the most non-legal contexts, justice connotes impartiality,equity and fairness.Every Nigerian has a right to freedom of association and it is unconstitutional to discriminate against anyone based on their political affiliations.They have equal rights with those who voted in numbers for the APC and deserve to be treated equally.It would have been better if he had kept his plans close to his chest and not gone ahead to poo all over himself.

For the good of Nigeria and its good people, I sincerely hope I wouldn't have to write a second part any time in the future.

BUHARI:TWO STEPS FORWARD, THREE BACKWARDS

'History remembers most what you did last'-Mike Wallace

President Buhari's first 100 days in office were the most impressive in recent memory.Power generation hit an all-time high and he managed to salvage us from a scorching fuel and salary crisis.The much touted messiah had finally arrived and we seemed headed for the promise land.The previous President had once come out to say no leader could solve our problems in 4 years and not a few people stuck their tongues out to him and his gang of wailers.
Fast forward to March 2016.There are long queues at filling stations and power supply is once again nothing to write home about.The naira is now 310 to a dollar (at the time of writing this) and that is a tremendous leap from the all time low of N400 to a dollar just a few weeks ago.The exact opposite of what the President promised during his campaign-N1 to $1.
Two South African companies-Clover; the makers of Tropika fruit juice and Truworths, a fashion retailing company, have left Nigeria because of the harsh economic climate.
The fallen naira aside, the basic truth remains no economic transformation would occur if certain things aren't already in place-security, power and an abundant supply of petroleum products.The President himself emphasized on power during his maiden media chat.
It was always going to take a man of immense sagacity to change the status quo and the president had a lot of people's support because he had performed creditably well with the bad hand he was dealt by the Jonathan administration.But it appears we overrated Buhari's ability.
Some of his actions/inactions have totally negated every right he has to cling onto the 'Jonathan hangover' presumption of innocence.When Lai Mohammed promised that the fuel scarcity would be over in 3 weeks back in November last year, we swallowed his every word.No one would ordinarily take the words of a man who transited to minister from the job of selling his party too seriously but he was speaking for PMB; the messiah who had earned our patience.The scarcity has only gotten worse since then with no visible end in sight and quite astonishingly, the Buhari administration hasn't come out to state categorically, the reason for this problem.All we keep getting are whispers of assurances.For a man who has chosen to have 4 media aides despite the current financial state of the nation, he deserves more than they are giving him.Nigerians deserve to know not only the cause of the problem but also plans the  government has of tackling it and preventing a reoccurrence.It is called transparency; a word that featured prominently during his campaign. The crisis is biting really hard with fuel being sold for as much as N150 a litre in Lagos to people who have to give filling station attendants a N200 bribe after queuing up for the whole day.The depots are practically dry at the moment with the few private ones in service selling above the N77 depot price.These are dire times and our President has remained mute and insensitive to the plight of the people while embarking on one trip to another, forgetting that we need to stay alive to reap any fruit his globe-trotting yields.
The NLC is already threatening to issue a sit-at-home order if the scarcity persists as workers find it hard to resume at their work places in good time.Not to mention the high cost of transportation.Things need to 'Change'.
Like most nigerians, I have never based my assessment of power supply on the figures published as megawatts generated or utilized but rather on the actual hours the average nigerian has power made available to him a day.Interacting with friends from all over the country through phone calls, social media chats and e-mails is the best way to arrive at a healthy conclusion.After our best run ever following the inauguration of President Buhari, we are back where he met us.Power supply is at best; unstable with the sharp decline being attributed to vandalism of power installations.I choose to hold the President responsible for this predicament and my reason is quite simple-he hasn't taken adequate steps at ensuring their security.
Apart from the monumental corruption and incompetence of previous leaders, there are a plethora of other reasons why we are in the bad state we are in today.Prominent among them, vandalism of oil and power installations.It would be taking two steps forward and three backwards to enhance supply without safeguarding installations.In other words, nothing would 'change'.
The president being a distinguished ex-military officer who is not a novice in security matters, is expected to have taken measures at keeping our most vital assets safe after he was sworn-in if not for anything but for the threats by Asari Dokubo and his likes to wage war if Jonathan wasn't re-elected.
With the ibos only restricted to 'unavoidable' constitutional appointments, Kanu's movement is bound to gain more sympathizers who wouldn't kill their fellow ibo brothers.They could go to extreme lengths at sabotaging the efforts of his government in delivering the dividends of democracy.We needed them guarded from the very day Buhari became President even if we considered guarding to ensure growth too routine a measure.
We would be at the mercy of these vandals no matter how much progress the government makes if nothing is done urgently.If vandalized pipelines don't hinder gas supply to power stations, then vandalized power equipment are there to constitute a problem for us.The President has crossed the line and no amount of excuses on the bad hand he was dealt would absolve him of blame on certain issues.Yes, he started well but its not a sprint, its a marathon.