HOW NOT TO BE A JIHADIST, MOHAMMADU BUHARI AS A METAPHOR

The reason behind people losing their senses at the instance of politics evades me. No matter how hard I try, I cannot still comprehend why someone will consider Buhari a religious jingoist… Without prodding deep enough to understand the noble personality of Buhari, someone will fall in the bandwagon of those un-informed Nigerians who at any slightest instance stereotype the entire North as violent, cantankerous...

and Islamic die-hard. Although such a horrible mischief can be excuse but not for an enlightened or suppose informed citizens of 21^st century – A century where information fill everywhere like air – where is the excuse for ignorance?!

It is noteworthy that Buhari’s running mate since he started contesting for presidency has always been a staunch Christian. In 2003, he ran with Chuba Okadigbo (a catholic adherent). In 2007 he did so with Edwin Ume-Ezeoke (also a thorough Christian). In 2011 it was the self-assertive general overseer of later rain assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare. From the foregoing, it is pertinent to ask the mischief makers what in clear terms makes Buhari a fundamentalist. Is it that, once one is a Muslim, he is automatically an extremist or that any Muslim that choose to contest for presidency is automatically a fundamentalist?

Extremist by oxford dictionary is somebody who holds extreme political or religious views. And in many respect, it is very evident that Buhari holds no extreme view about anything. If at all he holds for something that will be the desire to cleanse Nigeria of endemic rot and economic malaise! That will be to lift Nigeria from the doldrums we have been dragged into by 15years of PDP misrule. That for sure will be to entrench civil orderliness and create common prosperity for every Nigerian either Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw or Junkun.  Evidently, those bent on labeling him a jihadist find comfort in conjuring up a picture of him as one who has sentiments for BokoHaram activities but Buhari will let them down when on October 15 2014 he publicly impugn the sect and described them as ‘’Godless people, marauding murderers in communities and kidnappers’’.

Infact what can be non-sensical other than the idea of putting up as an extremist a person that goes to church at intervals, contribute from his humble, clean purse to the advancement of the gospel. To my mind nothing can be more laughable! To add salt to their injury, Buhari was at the recent redeem Christian church convention, rendering Amen to the prayer exhortations of Baba Adeboye. That is how not to be a jihadist!

A scenario unusual of Islamist extremist, this man has always been friend with the east, the east of which are predominantly Christians. I ask, can cat and rat be ever friend? Never. Anything that makes them friend suggest that the cat has become toothless and flexible. Well calling Buhari an extremist can be pardonable but not with a condition – and the condition is that such a person considering him as such must be naïve, ignorant, blind and deaf to activities of Buhari over the years. Such a person must be ignorant of the fact that Buhari’s first daughter is married to an Igbo man from Anambra. She must be unaware that Buhari in his years as head of state had the authority to register Nigeria as member of organization of Islamic countries but realizing that Nigeria is a secular nation, he refused. That is how not to be a jihadist!

Meanwhile be reminded of the following lines in Buhari’s APC primary election acceptance speech in 2014 ‘’what I say today is for all Nigerians: Christians and Muslims, southern and northern, rich and poor, young and old, man and woman. We are all citizens of Nigeria. There is no dividing line among us that I care to honor. Either we advance as one or fail altogether.  My choice and my colleague’s choice and wish is that we progress together’’… From the aforesaid, may I need to inform the propagandist of the weight of the above quote and also that an extremist ought to be divisive and inciting but Buhari instead was passionately calling for togetherness and unity of purpose among Nigerians irrespective of religion or tribe. That is how not to be a jihadist...! But why must we be unrepentantly desperate at the instance of politics? Why someone should be committed to dragging an innocent, passionate person into the mud just to discredit her hard-earned repute – reprehensible I say!

That Buhari is straight forward and incorruptible is no news, these traits he had shown by his awe antecedent in various position he held in the past. 

And according to Theodore Roosevelt "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Because of his penchant for a better Nigeria, Buhari after serving as petroleum minister with his might and pure heart appointed Professor Tam David West as the petroleum minister and today Tam David West by popular opinion still remains the best Petroleum minister Nigeria has ever produced.

Muhammadu Buhari a Muslim from Daura in Katsina State, has shown through his actions and inactions, speeches and lifestyle that he is a liberal, intelligent man that is open to modern perspective so long it is devoid of corruption and immorality. And that again is how not to be a jihadist!