By Uche Diala

HOW I GO SHAME FOR SUPPORTING BUHARI?

For a man who was able to ensure that I did not run away from Abuja in 2014/15? Sadly it is my South East that I now run away from. Who caused it? Buhari?

How can I be ashamed of a man who met our armoury almost empty and our troops were being chased into Cameroon but today our armoury is full and our soldiers can now buga?

The insecurity he met on ground in 2014/15 was Boko Haram and then Herder/Farmer crisis. Which one of those two has he not sufficiently dealt with?

All Verified.

Yet there are new, emerging and evolving security challenges. We also know that some of those were/are deliberately engineered but he is dealing with them. I wish I could say ‘we are dealing’ with them, instead of ‘he is dealing’ with them. But that is the tragedy. We as citizens largely think it is Buhari’s problem and his to solve alone. When it suits us we say security is everyone’s business.

My simple answer to those who say Buhari has failed in insecurity is ‘go to the streets of Bama in Borno state and tell them that’.

How can I be ashamed of a man who built the 2nd Niger Bridge after ALL?

A man who has made sure that people can now live in Ibadan and work in Lagos and vice versa by rail?

A man who is doing Lagos – Kano, Lagos – Calabar, Port Harcourt – Maiduguri, Abuja – Kaduna – Kano – Maradi rail lines etc at the time Nigeria has earned less for year put together and the entire world is reeling?

All verified.

How can I be ashamed of proudly supporting a man who has given Airports around the nation a new and modern look; including my very own Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu?

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who had the uncommon common sense and the respect to get Angela Merkel of Germany to agree to send world class Siemens AG to revolutionize our power sector and it is ongoing.

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who is on record to have delivered the first thing that looked like social security in decades in Nigeria; from Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT); taking care our elderly and the poorest of the poor amongst us; including in my village, N-power, N-Teach and all other N-s which millions of Nigerian youths have benefitted from and still benefitting, Homegrown School Feeding Program etc. I do not want to talk about other SIPs and interventions, including Anchor Borrowers Program, numerous interventions for SMEs etc.

All Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who took Nigeria to the rank of Africa’s top Rice producing nation in a matter of years? Not audio.

How would we have survived the last 7 years without this man; in the face of historically low oil prices, COVID-19 and every other thing in-between without that visionary investment and deliberate focus on Agriculture?

All Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who has singlehandedly restored the pride of Nigeria before the international community inspite of efforts by many Nigerian citizens; within and without to rubbish it?

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who finally signed the Petroleum Industry Act after years of dilly dallying by past administrations and now our ubiquitous Petroleum sector is on the path of redemption?

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who has silently delivered thousands of affordable houses for Nigerians nationwide?

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of an honourable man who has refused to interfere in elections and electoral processes; instead signed a new electoral act which has now renewed faith in our electoral process and given new hope to Nigerians; ruling and opposition party members alike?

Verified.

How can I be ashamed of a man who as President never discriminated against any state or state Governor; no matter their party; including HE Wike, HE Fayose, HE Ortom and even HE Umahi as a PDP Governor.

A man who even tried to give autonomy to Local Government Areas through Executive Order 10 for ordinary Nigerians to enjoy the benefits from that neglected tier of government but the Governors kicked.

Verified.

I can go on and on but let me allow any interested person to GO and VERIFY these ones first.

Let Me Be Clear ….

Buhari is not perfect. It is by no means uhuru but it is not doom and gloom. Buhari did not fail, rather many of us Nigerians failed to be patriotic, to support and to be properly informed and it is them I am rather ashamed of.

My people say ‘how many lions will one man kill for his kinsmen to call him lion killer (ogbu agu)’? The answer is one.

If you say Buhari failed, show me your own result and that of those you supported, support, love and are proud of.

I am not ashamed of Buhari. I am neither naive, selfish, ignorant, wicked nor stupid. I am proud of Buhari, myself and my country.

I choose to see the glass as half full, not half empty. It can only get better and it will.

GodBlessBuhari

GodBlessNigeria

• Uche Diala