Muhammed Buhari's Albatross
April 15 2018 By Abiodun Giwa
President Muhammed Buhari of Nigeria
President Muhammed Buhari has not killed any bird. But he has a situation like that of a sailor in the killing of an Albatross, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Observers are saying that until the Nigerian government may have successfully brought Leah Sharibu back from Boko Haram’s captivity, Buhari’s situation will be perceived as worse than that of the sailor’s killing of an Albatross, in regard to Buhari’s aspiration for a second term in office.
Observers are saying there is nothing specifically wrong for any president to seek a second term in office. But they are equally saying political issues such as the refusal of Boko Haram to release Leah Sharibu because of her Christian status, while other girls seized along with her have been released, does not augur well for Buharis’ presidency and especially his reelection bid.
The equation of the calculus here is that just as the release of Leah Sharibu will boost Buhari’s chances at the polls, Boko Haram’s continued hold on Leah Sharibu may as well spell doom for Buhari and his second term aspiration. There are two stories here.
The first story is about Leah Sharibu’s captivity by an evil power in a country shared almost equally by two different major religions: Islam and Christianity. And there is the story of the sailor and killing of a harmless Albatross, the evil effect of the killing on everyone in the ship and the entire journey. Leah Sharibu is also a harmless young woman, who is experiencing a worse than death situation, all because of her refusal to denounce her Christian religion, and the Nigerian government or anyone for that matter should not expect that continuing hold of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram will not affect every aspect of the government's journey whatever becomes the present leadership in the forthcoming election.
Many Nigerian Christians will see failure by the country’s leadership to secure Leah Sharibu's release as an affront against themselves. Buhari's hurdles thus become three: Leah Sharibu, Aisha Buhari - President Buhari's wife who has repeated her vow not to support her husband for re-election, she says if the current situation in the country continues into 2019. It is possible the situation in the country may change in favor of Buhari, if Boko Haram releases Leah Sharibu and the special powers Mrs. Buhari had said are holding the government captive releases the government. If Leah Sharibu is released, the Nigerian Christian voting bloc will have no problem against Buhari and his reelection plans.
For now, there does not appear to be any formidable opposition against Buhari’s reelection bid other than that of the former army generals, who think it is their right to be king makers and wrongly in a democratic country. Although the open insincerity of the Buhari’s administration echoes the psalmist opening words in Psalm 36 about the wicked that says within his heart that there is no God and flatters himself until his iniquity is found to be hateful and deceitful, for hemming in the opposition with accusation of corruption, while there are many corrupt individuals in his ruling party untouched by the war against corruption. It does appear that the use of the war against corruption has become a sledge hammer against the opposition, and not necessarily an instrument to make Nigeria a better country. It is more about politicians become captive to the wrong use of politics to settling a scores and holding on to power, against truth and transparency.
Many observers who have watched politicians in their game across the globe say politics is evil. They say politicians cannot abhor evil - being part of the evil themselves that politics represent. Reports from Nigeria is proving this assertion to be correct, with politicians accusing one another of the evil of looting the treasury and abandoning the care of the people.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians are crying that the incumbent leadership has done little or nothing to positively affect their struggle for survival. In the middle of the confusion, news reports say that the Nigerian government has released a list of Nigerian treasury looters. And the opposition has also released a list of looters in the ruling party. Curious observers say that Buhari may be fortunate for God to answer prayers being said by Nigerian Christians for Leah’s freedom from captivity. And like the sailor in Coleridge’s story sincerely prayed and saw the Albatross dropped from his neck and normalcy returned into the ship and the journey, Buhari too can sincerely join millions of Christians praying for Leah Sharibu's release for the miracle he requires for a second term.
But they say if Buhari’s reliance is to play politics, relying on the war against the opposition that he calls the war against corruption, as observers have termed his war against corruption, they say Leah Sharibu’s captivity may likely be the equivalent of an Albatross and the test of Buhari’s sincerity. It is left to be seen whether Buhari will do like the sailor, pronounce blessing on his adversaries and remember the power above, whom no one can deceive with the evil of politics.
Buhari is in the middle of a war with Leah Sharibu still being held by Boko Haram. He is uncertain how that game will play out and cannot allow that to stand between him and his second term bid. If Sharibu is released, he will ride the wave and if she is not released, he will also ride the storm. He is proving to be a general not shying away from any war that has to be fought, just like he has not cared to inform his wife of his reelection plans, and yet he has made it public that he is running for the second term.
Observers are saying that until the Nigerian government may have successfully brought Leah Sharibu back from Boko Haram’s captivity, Buhari’s situation will be perceived as worse than that of the sailor’s killing of an Albatross, in regard to Buhari’s aspiration for a second term in office.
Observers are saying there is nothing specifically wrong for any president to seek a second term in office. But they are equally saying political issues such as the refusal of Boko Haram to release Leah Sharibu because of her Christian status, while other girls seized along with her have been released, does not augur well for Buharis’ presidency and especially his reelection bid.
The equation of the calculus here is that just as the release of Leah Sharibu will boost Buhari’s chances at the polls, Boko Haram’s continued hold on Leah Sharibu may as well spell doom for Buhari and his second term aspiration. There are two stories here.
The first story is about Leah Sharibu’s captivity by an evil power in a country shared almost equally by two different major religions: Islam and Christianity. And there is the story of the sailor and killing of a harmless Albatross, the evil effect of the killing on everyone in the ship and the entire journey. Leah Sharibu is also a harmless young woman, who is experiencing a worse than death situation, all because of her refusal to denounce her Christian religion, and the Nigerian government or anyone for that matter should not expect that continuing hold of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram will not affect every aspect of the government's journey whatever becomes the present leadership in the forthcoming election.
Many Nigerian Christians will see failure by the country’s leadership to secure Leah Sharibu's release as an affront against themselves. Buhari's hurdles thus become three: Leah Sharibu, Aisha Buhari - President Buhari's wife who has repeated her vow not to support her husband for re-election, she says if the current situation in the country continues into 2019. It is possible the situation in the country may change in favor of Buhari, if Boko Haram releases Leah Sharibu and the special powers Mrs. Buhari had said are holding the government captive releases the government. If Leah Sharibu is released, the Nigerian Christian voting bloc will have no problem against Buhari and his reelection plans.
For now, there does not appear to be any formidable opposition against Buhari’s reelection bid other than that of the former army generals, who think it is their right to be king makers and wrongly in a democratic country. Although the open insincerity of the Buhari’s administration echoes the psalmist opening words in Psalm 36 about the wicked that says within his heart that there is no God and flatters himself until his iniquity is found to be hateful and deceitful, for hemming in the opposition with accusation of corruption, while there are many corrupt individuals in his ruling party untouched by the war against corruption. It does appear that the use of the war against corruption has become a sledge hammer against the opposition, and not necessarily an instrument to make Nigeria a better country. It is more about politicians become captive to the wrong use of politics to settling a scores and holding on to power, against truth and transparency.
Many observers who have watched politicians in their game across the globe say politics is evil. They say politicians cannot abhor evil - being part of the evil themselves that politics represent. Reports from Nigeria is proving this assertion to be correct, with politicians accusing one another of the evil of looting the treasury and abandoning the care of the people.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians are crying that the incumbent leadership has done little or nothing to positively affect their struggle for survival. In the middle of the confusion, news reports say that the Nigerian government has released a list of Nigerian treasury looters. And the opposition has also released a list of looters in the ruling party. Curious observers say that Buhari may be fortunate for God to answer prayers being said by Nigerian Christians for Leah’s freedom from captivity. And like the sailor in Coleridge’s story sincerely prayed and saw the Albatross dropped from his neck and normalcy returned into the ship and the journey, Buhari too can sincerely join millions of Christians praying for Leah Sharibu's release for the miracle he requires for a second term.
But they say if Buhari’s reliance is to play politics, relying on the war against the opposition that he calls the war against corruption, as observers have termed his war against corruption, they say Leah Sharibu’s captivity may likely be the equivalent of an Albatross and the test of Buhari’s sincerity. It is left to be seen whether Buhari will do like the sailor, pronounce blessing on his adversaries and remember the power above, whom no one can deceive with the evil of politics.
Buhari is in the middle of a war with Leah Sharibu still being held by Boko Haram. He is uncertain how that game will play out and cannot allow that to stand between him and his second term bid. If Sharibu is released, he will ride the wave and if she is not released, he will also ride the storm. He is proving to be a general not shying away from any war that has to be fought, just like he has not cared to inform his wife of his reelection plans, and yet he has made it public that he is running for the second term.
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