Many who will read this will tend to go along with my analysis here. But those who are artificially hell bent that buhari has done well in his first outing as the President of this country would disagree in order to continue to satisfy the biddings of their pay masters or to justify their outer display but intern punishment of their conscience. No matter whatever position one takes in the assessment of PMB, one thing is certain, “truth does not have an alternative.”
Properly put in its true perspective, there are three classes of opinion in this country over the level of PMB’s performances. These could be divided into these broad categories.
The first are those who are transfixed to Buharism no matter whatever they may hear, read or learn of Buhari’s behaviour as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This category of persons comprises mostly by the uninformed, uneducated and deeply ignorant of the rubrics of functional politics in this country. Their longest and widest horizon of their knowledge of politics in this country is that no matter how illiterate, how old, how sick a person may be, as long as he his a Northerner, he his best for the country as the President. They are not prepared to listen to any other thing. These are mostly the generality of Northerners, young and old. They don’t understand the simplest English sentence or phrase. The totality of the influx of their communication is via Radio Kaduna or any other radio station in their state which broadcast all day long making sure that their transistor radio sets do not lack battery. This category is perhaps the largest supporters of PMB because that is the only figure they know. And given their cultural orientation, they cling to whatever or whomever is glorified in the North.
The second category are those who originally gave PMB benefits of doubts of “wait and see how he would perform.” These people initially were somehow skeptical. But as the regime lasts and a lot of political blunders continued to emanate from the presidency including those which came out from the mouth of the President, they gradually but steadily began to withdraw support from him. Furthermore, some of those things which he had said which had alienated him against majority of this category include his first statement when he went to the US after his election that he would give 98percent to those who voted for him and 5 percent to those who did not vote for him. Unfortunately, 98 % plus 5% is more than a 100 %. This was his first global blunder because he made the utterance in the heart of a democratic headquarters of the world USA. Although, a man, not given to diplomatic expressions of words, when he came back from his London treatment trip, he told Nigerians that “ my doctors have advised me to eat more, rest more and sleep more. I have never been so sick in my life.” Although he was very frank, that was when he should have quit the job as the President, particularly as it was clear to him that his Vice President has being doing well. He would not, because right from the Army Buhari by every consideration and analytical calculation was and still remains pure and simply, a politician in the Army. This category of Nigerians have continued to withdraw their support because majority of them were mostly disappointed when he announced that he would re-contest for the second term.
Another costly mistake which he made was when he described Nigeria Youths as lazy because “they expect the Government to provide for them Health Services, Economic Resources and other needs. They remain idle because of their belief that the country is rich. This is the group that has been more critical of PMB because, their hope and aspirations has not been met. It is from this group that Buhari has been loosing a greater number of supporters and admirers. This group perhaps would produce greater number of undecided voters because they have observed the abysmal failures of the President.
Then there comes the third category of Nigerians. These categories by nature are very objective but have the tendency to pose highly critical of the President. This category does not simply hate the President. Absolutely NO. They go by his performances and utterances. Their objective and critical consciousness tend to control their Political behavioural direction. Most of those in this group are educated, enlightened and have reasonable chunk of behavioural balancing. They appear to be gradually but steadily swinging to the negative because due to what they have been seeing, reading and observing, to them, the Government is running late. What appears to be holding some of them in this category is the colouration of constant lies and falsehood which Government has made its permanent culture and propaganda as an inevitable component of good governance. Certainly NO. Unfortunately both the handlers of the President and the Minister of Information have refused to learn what propagandists like Goebells, the Chief Hitler Propagandist had said that electioneering propaganda does not fit in good governance and has short life span.
For example after the president had described Nigeria Youths as Lazy, his handlers went on the escapade of trying to say that the president did not use the word “Lazy” but listening to the President and hearing what he said only morons will not see that same meaning “Lazy.” Perhaps the President meant to be smart not to use the word Lazy in order to give his team an escape root to liberate him. Afterall, if you refer to someone as one that each time he passes a place something must be missing. In other words, you are actually calling such person a thief.
Another blunder on the side of Presidential aides was for them to make a huge noise saying, that Buhari was the First African President to visit Trump since he became the American President. This lie did not last for a long time because as soon as the team was corrected that President Adbel Fattah El – Sisi of Egypt had visited months ago, they changed their story to be, “the first President of Africa Sub-Sahara.” Instead of concentrating on the diplomatic accomplishments during the visit, they were busy emphasizing on the first African President Sub-Sahara to visit Trump. Political, social, economic and diplomatic values of his trip were more dramatized than highlightened because they emphasize styles rather than substance. Afterall, Propaganda is not a component of good governance of attempting to deceive the public.
Reflectively, “Boko Harram has been technically defeated or degraded.” Yet, now, it is said that they are collecting taxes and rate in some parts of Borno, Yobe and Adawama State. Yet they have exploded bombs recently in that part of the country.
In conclusion, President Handlers in the Presidency must be advised to change their styles of Presidential Publicity. Today, Nigerians are no longer a bunch that would accept anything from the government as truth. Because from the beginning of this regime, they have fed Nigerians more lies (propaganda) than the reality on ground.
According to Ettol Ellias, “tell your citizenry the total truth even if there is a failure, they would appreciate the failure of the government than when they are been fed with falsehood.” Let me say it once again, today, their style of marketing the President is hurting rather than helping. Will they?
