By Bamidele Ademola-Olateju
Sometimes, I do thank God we elected Buhari. If we hadn’t, I would have been one of those who would have turned him into a God. I would have believed he had the key to all our closed doors. His election cleared all doubt about who he is. He revealed himself.
No elected leader in the history of Nigeria has enjoyed tremendous support and long honeymoon like President Muhammadu Buhari. The last five years looked like squander to me. So much opportunity was frittered.
Those of us who want him to act with responsibility and accountability were labelled wailers. Some of us who worked hard to get him elected were shamed by his ineptitude and summary aloofness.
Obasanjo warts and all, gave us Mobile Telephony, paid our debt and gave us good banks. What will Buhari’s legacy be? Will it be a legacy of crippling debt? A legacy of uninterrupted electricity?
I watched Ajuri Ngelale’s 38 minutes smooth delivery on Buhari’s power sector plan on YouTube and I said; Amen! I wonder if it is morning in Aso Villa. Did Baba just wake up? I sincerely hope so because whenever you wake up is your morning. I hope he realizes how much ground he has lost and see if anything can be salvaged from the ruins of abdication and ethnic chauvinism.
On the Siemens deal, I have only one fear; single sourcing is unwise. For the record, I have recommended Siemens, GE and Marubeni many times in my column, as companies that could help us navigate our way out of the power conundrum. While unification and standardization is good, the supplier can take the customer hostage. I hope they tied all loose ends. That Abba Kyari was there to seal the deal, in itself is sinister. I hope I am wrong.
I hope the power jinx is broken and uninterrupted power becomes Buhari’s Legacy. On Ajaokuta and Russia, haven’t we been on this road before? I don’t want a legacy of 8 wasted years. Good morning President Buhari.
