Buhari’s Integrity And Its Biggest Test Yet

Gen. Buhari

In Nigeria of today, integrity is just as rare to find as finding water in a desert. This search becomes more like an ultimate search in the Sahara desert when you take it amongst Nigerian politicians. The odds of finding it is as low as surviving a fall from a 10 storey building. As hard to find as integrity is amongst Nigerian politicians, one person has managed to convince Nigerians that he’s got loads of it. Am sure y’all can guess who this person is from the headline.

The Nigerian politician who has managed these feet is the record breaking, jinx defying President Muhammadu Buhari. His journey to that hallowed seat of power in Aso Villa saw him defy many jinx as well as break several undemocratic records like incumbent presidents and their party never losing an election. Buhari also became something close to a Nigerian Abraham Lincoln as he had to contest several times before he became successful in a presidential election after three tries spanning over a period of 12 years. If you won’t learn integrity from this man (obviously because it’s like the most difficult virtue to hold on to in Nigeria today), please make sure you learn his doggedness, perseverance and never say die spirit (it’s not as difficult to hold on to as integrity is).

One of the major things that got Nigerians cheering for Buhari (aside being tired of GEJ’s governance style) during the election was his proven integrity (they told us it was proven, we didn’t know for sure, it’s now we are having our first feel) which every Nigerian believe will go a long way in helping to put an end to or reduce corruption to the barest.

You won’t blame Nigerians for choosing the possibility of putting away this menace that has kept us running like Usain Bolt in the backward direction for decades over just the promise of eradicating it which was not backed by proven desire/will to do so (as seen from the time they spent in office).

This integrity fairytale has gotten Buhari this far, but the fairytale won’t get him very far if he doesn’t prove he’s actually got loads of it. The onus of proving this is now on him. He has to do it now or forever lose it. This is the biggest stage to prove his mettle. He’s just spent less than two months in office and his integrity has already been put through some very major tests (based on his election promises though).

For starters, how well has he done with the promises he made before his election and after he was elected. From the start of his campaign, transparency was a key word for him. He promised to affirm his transparency claims by declaring his asset immediately he assumes office. But the last time INFORMATION NIGERIA checked he is yet to do so. This is absolutely against the principle of integrity. When you say something, it has to be found exactly as said. His defense for not making it public has been that he has actually made it public (am as confused as you are right now). How could he have made it public and Nigerians do not know how much he and his vice have in their fat bank accounts and what their assets are worth? The simple way to make meaning of this is to assume his definition of public is different from Nigerians’. If it’s not different, how can declaring your asset to ‘an institution’ mean you’ve declared it publicly.

His administration is still very much young, so there are better days ahead for him to prove his mettle. All we as Nigerians need to do right now is sit back, relax and hope our hopes will not be cut short. We’ve put our hopes in Buhari by electing him, not we have to keep faith with our hope.