Former Sokoto state governor Alhaji Attahiru D. Bafarawa writes a powerful open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari. Bafarawa, who was the governor during the administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lists seven points the president must look into for the success of his government.
It is still my pleasure to write you once again. This is the fourth in my series of letters to you. I have, however, for some reason, chosen to make this one open. 1. In all my letters to His Excellency, I have always offered one piece of advice or another as part of my contribution to the success of your administration. I still crave the indulgence of His Excellency to offer some more advice especially at this critical time in our national life when such advice is sorely needed, what with the myriad of economic, social and political traumas that are plaguing the country. Indeed, the situation we have on our hands requires the attention of every Nigerian in order to see how best we can get out of the woods.
2. Mr President, it was not really my intention to make this letter open. I was, however, constrained by the fact that I have been writing letters to you and, at some point, sought audience with your good self without success. I had expected that meeting with you would afford me the opportunity to offer some more advice, even if they are considered insignificant. I must say with all sense of modesty that as a politician, two-time governor of Sokoto State, former National Chairman of ANPP, one of the strongest opposition parties at that time, and indeed the party which was the first to offer you the ticket to contest for the highest office under my watch, and a former presidential candidate in the 2007 elections, as well as a founding father of my former party, the ruling APC, I deserve to be welcomed to see Mr. President face to face. Unfortunately however, your tight schedule has hampered the appointment. As the last resort, I thought it wise to use this medium. At any rate, I wish to underline the fact that I am using this medium in good faith.
3. Let me begin by suggesting to His Excellency that you should adopt some of the strategies employed by your predecessors for purposes of achieving national unity and inclusiveness in governance. Mr. President should know that the country is so vast and therefore endowed with a lot of resourceful and highly talented people who could help you achieve maximum result in the management of the affairs of the country. One could imagine that for more than a year now, the previous government is still being accused of one wrong doing or another instead of you and your team to hit the ground running. But if that strategy of drawing qualified and experienced people even from the opposition parties was adopted, I am sure things would have been different and there would have been less bickering or politicking in the management of the economy and other social services.
4. A common example that could be cited here was how Obasanjo tried and succeeded in winning the hearts of the other opposition governors. He brought them so close to him that he even considered some of them as his sons. For instance, when the former governor of Zamfara state, Ahmed Sani Yarima, introduced Sharia in the state, religious interest groups including tribes and other ethnic minorities, felt threatened and called for all forms of penalties and condemnations of Yarima’s action. But somehow, in his wisdom, Obasanjo simply began to bring Yarima close to him and even regarded him as his political son. Meetings should continue to be organized from time to time so that all governors could relate very well with one another while Mr. President supretends over them. This will certainly go a long way in ensuring unity and bridge the gap created by elections and other highly sensitive issues related to region and religion.
5. It is of fundamental importance that Mr. President adopts an open-door policy so that people can meaningfully contribute to your success. Mr. President should remember that you contested for the office of President three times and failed. But the fourth time you contested, with the contributions of many people, coupled with various structures of parties, wisdom, advice, and a host of other resources and strategies, by the special grace of God, you have become the president. That is the beauty of people’s contributions which will ultimately lead to success. Reach out to as many people as you can, particularly to people who have at various times occupied positions of authority like Obasanjo. The man has a lot of wisdom and experience on how best to manage this country. His advice is vital and could help you greatly.
6. Another important area of great concern to many Nigerians is the fight against corruption. Since the EFCC as an organization is saddled with the all-important task of fighting financial crimes, there is the need for Mr. President to work diligently towards overhauling it in order for it to meet up with the modern day challenges of fighting crimes and corruption. You should remember that in spite of your zeal and commitment towards fighting crimes/corruption, there is nothing you have so far added to the commission in terms of operational or structural repositioning. Nothing! Everything about the EFCC is what you met as established by former President Obasanjo. The question on the lips of many Nigerians is: Are all these crimes committed only by those who remained in the PDP? Another question is: Is the APC as the ruling party shopping for new converts in order to shield them from arrest or investigation?
7. In conclusion therefore, I call on Mr. President to have the large heart to accept criticism no matter how bitter. As the President of Nigeria a country with a lot of complexities, you should accept different shades of opinion as well as constructive criticism so that the country will move forward. People should therefore be allowed to continue to contribute their quota as that will give them some sense of belonging which is the hallmark of participatory democracy.
It is still my pleasure to write you once again. This is the fourth in my series of letters to you. I have, however, for some reason, chosen to make this one open. 1. In all my letters to His Excellency, I have always offered one piece of advice or another as part of my contribution to the success of your administration. I still crave the indulgence of His Excellency to offer some more advice especially at this critical time in our national life when such advice is sorely needed, what with the myriad of economic, social and political traumas that are plaguing the country. Indeed, the situation we have on our hands requires the attention of every Nigerian in order to see how best we can get out of the woods.
2. Mr President, it was not really my intention to make this letter open. I was, however, constrained by the fact that I have been writing letters to you and, at some point, sought audience with your good self without success. I had expected that meeting with you would afford me the opportunity to offer some more advice, even if they are considered insignificant. I must say with all sense of modesty that as a politician, two-time governor of Sokoto State, former National Chairman of ANPP, one of the strongest opposition parties at that time, and indeed the party which was the first to offer you the ticket to contest for the highest office under my watch, and a former presidential candidate in the 2007 elections, as well as a founding father of my former party, the ruling APC, I deserve to be welcomed to see Mr. President face to face. Unfortunately however, your tight schedule has hampered the appointment. As the last resort, I thought it wise to use this medium. At any rate, I wish to underline the fact that I am using this medium in good faith.
3. Let me begin by suggesting to His Excellency that you should adopt some of the strategies employed by your predecessors for purposes of achieving national unity and inclusiveness in governance. Mr. President should know that the country is so vast and therefore endowed with a lot of resourceful and highly talented people who could help you achieve maximum result in the management of the affairs of the country. One could imagine that for more than a year now, the previous government is still being accused of one wrong doing or another instead of you and your team to hit the ground running. But if that strategy of drawing qualified and experienced people even from the opposition parties was adopted, I am sure things would have been different and there would have been less bickering or politicking in the management of the economy and other social services.
4. A common example that could be cited here was how Obasanjo tried and succeeded in winning the hearts of the other opposition governors. He brought them so close to him that he even considered some of them as his sons. For instance, when the former governor of Zamfara state, Ahmed Sani Yarima, introduced Sharia in the state, religious interest groups including tribes and other ethnic minorities, felt threatened and called for all forms of penalties and condemnations of Yarima’s action. But somehow, in his wisdom, Obasanjo simply began to bring Yarima close to him and even regarded him as his political son. Meetings should continue to be organized from time to time so that all governors could relate very well with one another while Mr. President supretends over them. This will certainly go a long way in ensuring unity and bridge the gap created by elections and other highly sensitive issues related to region and religion.
5. It is of fundamental importance that Mr. President adopts an open-door policy so that people can meaningfully contribute to your success. Mr. President should remember that you contested for the office of President three times and failed. But the fourth time you contested, with the contributions of many people, coupled with various structures of parties, wisdom, advice, and a host of other resources and strategies, by the special grace of God, you have become the president. That is the beauty of people’s contributions which will ultimately lead to success. Reach out to as many people as you can, particularly to people who have at various times occupied positions of authority like Obasanjo. The man has a lot of wisdom and experience on how best to manage this country. His advice is vital and could help you greatly.
6. Another important area of great concern to many Nigerians is the fight against corruption. Since the EFCC as an organization is saddled with the all-important task of fighting financial crimes, there is the need for Mr. President to work diligently towards overhauling it in order for it to meet up with the modern day challenges of fighting crimes and corruption. You should remember that in spite of your zeal and commitment towards fighting crimes/corruption, there is nothing you have so far added to the commission in terms of operational or structural repositioning. Nothing! Everything about the EFCC is what you met as established by former President Obasanjo. The question on the lips of many Nigerians is: Are all these crimes committed only by those who remained in the PDP? Another question is: Is the APC as the ruling party shopping for new converts in order to shield them from arrest or investigation?
7. In conclusion therefore, I call on Mr. President to have the large heart to accept criticism no matter how bitter. As the President of Nigeria a country with a lot of complexities, you should accept different shades of opinion as well as constructive criticism so that the country will move forward. People should therefore be allowed to continue to contribute their quota as that will give them some sense of belonging which is the hallmark of participatory democracy.
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