Alhaji (Sir) Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, was reportedly a proxy of the powerful Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. In the murky politics of the late 1950s when the NPC won elections to form Nigeria’s Post-Independence government, Bello who was leader of the party chose to “stay home” as Premier of the North and nominated Balewa to proceed to Lagos to represent the region. The calculation then was simple. The regions at the time had more real powers and clout than the central government; it was not expedient to give up the tangible grassroots influence at the region for the uncertainties of an evolving national arrangement. And should things go wrong in Lagos, the North was safer under the watchful eyes of the Sarduana. Balewa subsequently became Prime Minister.
Aliyu Shehu Shagari was a school teacher who only wanted to be a senator. That was until he was approached by party stalwarts and other power brokers to go for the top job. He subsequently spent over four years as president and Commander-in-Chief. MKO Abiola would have been different. A highly connected multi-millionaire, he strolled the corridors of power and soon developed an appetite for the inner chambers of power. When his chance came, he ran for and won the 1993 elections but was never sworn in as president. He died in detention.
Olusegun Obasanjo was cooling his feet in prison and contemplating life in the hereafter when he was rescued by a coalition of military politicians. Following mass discontent about the fate that befell Abiola, the retired general was fished out of jail, cleaned up and presented for the presidency as compensation to the South West region. He spent the next eight years as president. Umaru Yar’Adua was happy to be governor of Katsina State. He was packing his bags to go home, get some rest and nurse his ailing health when President Obasanjo by-passed several enthusiastic candidates to hand-pick him for the job. Goodluck Jonathan was similarly “chosen” to be Yar’Adua’s running mate. In two years, Yar’Adua was dead and Jonathan had taken over.
By contrast, Muhammadu Buhari first shot his way to power in late 1983. He subsequently ran for presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011. After failing in the latter bid, he tearfully announced he was done with the quest. But the itch was too much. In 2015 he ran again and won this time. That makes him Nigeria’s equivalent of Abraham Lincoln who lost eight elections before eventually becoming president.
Muhammadu Buhari at 72 plus, holds another record as the oldest democratically elected first-time president of Nigeria. Buhari is the most prepared for the role – mentally, emotionally at least. Few things, if any, prime a man for success like passion and waiting.
More than any other Nigeria leader before him, Buhari was expected to hit the ground running. For a 72 year old, this is somewhat of a paradox. Why would such athleticism be expected of a man at that age? Well, Buhari’s handlers said he was the special one. And Nigeria needs a special one to do a special job. With Boko Haram slaughtering people like cattle every day, global oil prices at its lowest in decades, the national economy on its knees and unemployment at its highest, Nigerians know that they need either a magician or a miracle worker to turn things around.
The retired army general is also the first Nigerian to run a government without the full complement of ministers for close to five months! Although this was reportedly to allow for a thorough search for fresh, clean talents, it has had the unintended consequence of demonstrating that “ministers” may actually be a luxury in governance; that the process of governance could even be simpler and less cumbersome without their constant jostle for public attention; and that, in any case, a nation does not necessarily grind to a halt without men and women who go by that title. These realizations should make the new set of ministers a little humbler than their predecessors.
• Anazonwu, a communication strategist and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos.
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