Nigerians placing the blame of the country’s woes on President Buhari amounts to sheer detachment from realism and an unwillingness to face their own share in the problem, according to Philip Agbese in his piece published in Leadership News.
According to Philip, who is a UK-based human rights activist, due to the campaign promises made by the President and his party, Nigerians automatically believed that the President would wave the magic wand and all problems would disappear. He also opined that the blamed placed on the President for inefficiencies in several aspects of government were not his fault but rather a ‘fantasy’.
‘Nigerians erroneously thought Buhari is the man to do everything for them, while they slumber and wake up to wine because the President rode unto power on the highest puritan pedestal.’ Philip writes from the Middlesex University, London, as he accuses the average Nigerian for the problems Nigeria is facing currently.
He says the expectation Nigerians have for every wrong to be instantly corrected ‘while they slumber and wake up to wine because the President rode unto power on the highest puritan pedestal’ is another indication of how we refuse to acknowledge our roles in the problem.
From dry cleaners, to religious leaders and ineffective and corrupt government officials, Philip says we must take responsibility for our own faults and not blame the President, who according to him, has made ‘attestable success…in areas like insecurity, anti-corruption war, and fiscal discipline in government business, (Treasury Single Account), bailout funds to salary indebted states, rail and roads projects among others, despite dwindling national resources.’
We should rather be patriotic, patient and support his programs such as the ‘Change With Me’ which is trying to change the mindset of Nigerians. Most importantly, Nigerians should refrain from blaming a President, who according to him, has little influence over what happens as the fault lies with us.
Parts of this article originally appeared in Leadership News.
