Will Buhari’s ‘Rope-a-Dope’ Style Work for Him?

By Tayo Balogun

I started writing this piece on the 18th September last year which in essence is some six months ago when our President, Muhammadu Buhari, in the midst of all we are facing in the country left for the United Kingdom to see his doctors. I added the concluding paragraphs just yesterday.

President Muhammadu Buhari actually kept to his self approved schedule and came back home after a self indulging medical tourism to the UK . He, as expected, returned to meet the myriad of problems he left unattended to before he escaped our shores for a conference holding some four days after he left. His political party is still in crisis despite strident denials. Resident Doctors are no longer locked in an’I no go gree war’ of attrition with his administration . Their elder brothers, ASSU, have taken over. It is important to note that our President ignored their strike action to embark on his medical tour. Boko Haram, reportedly beaten into a retreat have morphed into individual bandit gangs raiding not only the poor people of Zamfara , Kaduna and Katsina but also the rich and not so powerful people who ply Kaduna, Kogi, Akure, Niger roads. As I write we are experiencing petrol scarcity compounded by incessant outages in power supply.

Add the sorry state of the country’s economy and you would understand why our President needs the frequent hibernation he seeks at every opportunity. The latest being the blitz to France, Scotland, UAE etc. The feeling of most people in the country is that we really can’t afford the drift into extreme poverty the Buhari administration is foisting on us . From almost every home comes the groan of deprivation . While the President and his men supervise all the wealth we have for themselves, the people won’t even be obliged with the crumbs from Pharaoh’s table. He gets annoyed easily with those who do not see him as God-sent to our country and would not mind what he destroys to show his ‘limitless’ power. In a fit of unjustifiable anger, he banned Twitter, not minding the negative economic and political implications of his action. That several thousands of jobs would be lost does not bother him. It is of no significance to him that our comatose economy would bleed further.

The President came back from London to see that the separatist movements he birthed by his union with nepotism and divisiveness are growing. True, Sunday Igboho is in some form of captivity, Nnamdi Kanu is restricted and Omoyele Sowore faces treasonable felony charges but the fire they started is not about to be quenched. Rather it has gained a life of its own fueled by the angry hunger of the people. The President has made our country much more divided than when he came to power.

Since our President went to and returned from the UK there has been some sort of disquiet. The type that reminds you of a heavy cloud before a storm. The type of silence that is loud in what it signifies.

Those who can read the signs would tell you that the citizenry are ready for a fight . A big one. Who will win is difficult to predict. This is mainly because we don’t have enough information to work on. There are also too many intervening variables to be taken into consideration.

With the signing of the Electoral Bill, the stage seems set for the epic clash: Muhammadu Buhari Vs The Nigerian Masses which is billed to be held on the 25th of February next year. Will our President succeed in winning a fight he is only qualified to lose? Or would we at last be able to secure a well-deserved win over him and his misgoverning band? The anticipated fight creates the sort of awe associated with the epic Mohammed Alli Vs George Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ boxing bout of 1974.

So who will win? A friend of mine who discussed this with me said whoever will win must adopt the ‘Rope-a-Dope’ style to get a knock down.

…HAPPY BIRTHDAY DURO

Last Sunday, one of those I have some profound respect for marked a milestone. Please join me in wishing Duro Ikhazuagbe a very happy birthday as he joins the ‘Elders Club’. May our LORD continues to bless you.