It would be funny were it
not so tragic, but this New York Times story from 1984 when Buhari was military
head of state could very well be written about Buhari's government today.
Simply change the date and swap "military" with "civilian"
and it would fit our reality under Buhari today perfectly. A case of history
repeating itself or the man refusing to learn from history, or both. The same
critiques advanced by the NYT in 1984 are valid for today. Buhari is still
enamored with top-down, command-and-control styles of economic management; he
is as dogmatically rigid as he was in 1984; and he still believes, it appears,
that every problem can be solved by fiat and angry, self-righteous bluster. The
big difference perhaps is that today hypocrisy and deception are part of his
repertoire as he leaves a trail of broken promises and hypocritical conduct,
whereas you couldn't call him a deceiver or a hypocrite in 1984.
NIGERIAN
MILITARY IS SEEN AS LOSING SUPPORT
By CLIFFORD D. MAY
Published:
May 1, 1984
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 29— Four months after seizing
power, Nigeria's military leaders appear to be suffering an erosion of popular
support.
Last Dec. 31, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Buhari led a group of young
officers in a coup against the civilian Government of President Shehu Shagari,
saying the takeover was necessary to save Nigeria, Africa's richest and most
populous nation, from economic collapse.
The military intervention appeared at the time to enjoy
enthusiastic support from a broad range of Nigeria's population.
Many intellectuals argued that the corruption and incompetence of
the Shagari administration had made drastic action both necessary and
inevitable. Traders, merchants and people in the streets welcomed the soldiers
and looked forward to a quick improvement in their standard of living.
Growing Disappointment
Recently, however, there seems to be growing disappointment with
both the military Government's approach and pace.
''Since coming to power, this Government has not found a single
problem,'' said Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, a prominent lawyer and a longtime opponent
of the Shagari administration. ''But it has managed to alienate the judiciary,
the press, labor and students - all the groups that supported it just a few
months ago.''
Critics of the military Government point out that it has yet to
present its budget. Loan negotiations with the International Monetary Fund
continue but Western economists say that Nigeria and the I.M.F. appear to be
further apart now than during the final days of the Shagari administration.
Early indications that General Buhari would agree to devalue
Nigeria's currency, liberalize trade and reduce domestic petroleum subsidies
have so far not materialized. Prices Have Climbed
In addition, prices for food and other essential commodities,
which fell in the first weeks after the coup largely because of the presence of
soldiers in the marketplaces, have now returned to or exceeded their levels
before the coup. Unemployment has been rising, and many of the imported raw
materials and spare parts needed to keep factories running have been lacking.
Critics note further that political activity and even debate have
been banned and some students organizations have been outlawed. There has been
a clampdown on Nigeria's press, and the country's traditionally independent
judiciary has also seen its role sharply diminished.
''At the moment we're looking at a clear movement toward
authoritarian dictatorship,'' said Stanley N. Macebuh, executive editor of The
Guardian, an independent newspaper that had often taken the Shagari
administration to task. ''It's a trend that disturbs a lot of people, not least
those who welcomed the change of government.''
Spokesmen for the military leadership maintain that they know what
they are doing and refuse to be rushed. They deny the charges of inaction,
saying that steps have been taken. Trials Being Prepared
The Government, they say, has put much energy into investigating
the corruption of the Shagari administration and in preparing tribunals to try
the accused, close to 500 of whom are now under detention.
Officials say about 2,000 illegal aliens have been ejected from
the country and several thousand people have been detained in a crackdown on
suspected criminals and Moslem extremists.
They say Nigeria's bloated bureaucracy has been streamlined
through the dismissal of thousands of officials and civil servants.
Three weeks ago an agreement was reached in London on converting a
part of Nigeria's uninsured trade debts into loans.
The Government's critics respond that the economic initiatives
treat symptoms rather than causes and aid the larger issue of how to restructure
Nigeria's economy.
A Western diplomat said General Buhari ''could have accomplished
so much if he had moved quickly and boldly in the early days when his
popularity was still so high and when he could have credibly blamed everything
on Shagari.''
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