#FigureItOutWithObinna: President Buhari, I want to be like you when I grow up

By Obinna Chukwuezie

First published on August 19, 2018

By Obinna Chukwuezie

Let me warmly welcome you back to Nigeria. Wow! You've been away for a while, like 10 working days? You kept your words not to exceed 10 days; being a man of integrity, your words are bond. I'm happy that you are back. I never knew it is even upto 10 days, I thought it was only 2 days, until I logged into Twitter and saw "Baba Oyoyo" trending. Don't blame me sir, there was nothing that made me to miss your presence. The order to the Police Chief to overhaul the reckless SARS and the sack of lawless DSS chief, your kinsman, Lawal Daura by Osinbajo (after several moths of #ENDSARS campaign), who acted while you were away, made me feel you should extend your holiday.

I'm sorry that I could not make it to the VIP lounge of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to join others who usually welcome you. Do I really need to bid you welcome at the airport, when there are regular faces whose job it is (elected and appointed) to do so. The only time Nigerians see them is when they're waving at your departing airplane or lined up to receive you as you alighted from the airplane. I don't want to have issues with them, that's why I'm sending my welcome note right from the VIP lounge of my bedroom. I hope you understand, your excellency.

I missed the women group welcome dance, I miss the Scottish dressed presidential pipers and their beautiful tunes, I miss the long motorcade, I miss the paparazzi, I miss the presidential airplane which we see only when you're departing or arriving Nigeria, I miss the smiling faces of distinguished Nigerians who line up to receive a presidential handshake, I miss the favourite way you acknowledge cheers by raising your right hand with clenched fist, like a labour activist. They're beautiful sight to behold. It's a beautiful thing to be the president of Africa's most populated country.

From the images that I saw from the government television, the NTA, you looked refreshed and reinvigorated. Off course noone goes to holiday in London and return looking harassed and pale. It was a well deserved holiday. It's a beautiful place to be, and to holiday. The photos gives a glimpse of how beautiful London is. It's a place many Nigerians dream of holidaying. However, they're denied visa daily in Abuja, but the Abuja house in London is widely open to receive you without visa. Mr. President, I want to be like you when I grow up. I only need to transmit a few worded letter to Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives, notifying them that you'll be away as long as you wish, and repeating same whenever you arrive. You don't have a limit to the number of days you can holiday, like most Nigerians at the workplace.

One would naturally think that your frequency of London will afford you more insght to a working system, especially the tourism sector. I chose tourism, cos you holiday there. Sadly, you return and tourism remains a neglected subsector. Another sector that I always look up with expectations whenever your plane touches down in Nigeria from London, is the healthcare sector. I'm particularly interested there because your doctors are in London. Sadly, each time you return, my hope dims. Mr. President, who will fix the heathcare system? When will you fix the Aso Rock clinic? When will you get your treatment in Nigeria? When will Nigeria stop losing millions of dollars in medical tourism?

I dream of a Nigeria where every Nigeria will get treated for any ailments they suffer in Nigeria, a Nigeria where we have all medicine that patients need, a Nigeria where doctors and all health practitioners have the equipment to work, a Nigeria where the patients will not go to rat-infested hospital to acquire diseases and die. This is the Nigeria of my dream.

On your return from London yesterday, I heard you on NTA say, "I will have to jail more of these thieves making noise all over the place...I've come to realise that's what Nigerians want me to do more of, and I will do it...They voted for me to do it, I will do more of that." Mr. President, there are more pressing issues than jailing looters. If you have advisers, they should tell you that jailing looters is not in our priority. We just need our basic needs to be met -food, health, jobs, shelter, power, etc.

Even if you cannot do that, just do the 2 roles required of you in the constitution -the welfare and security of Nigerians. Jailing of looters is important but not priority. The billions of loot you have recovered is quite commendable, but can the loot be used for our welfare and security? Can the loot fix our hospitals so you get treatment in Nigeria? There are many traditional healers in Nigeria, there are many religious healers, these are areas that can be improved and become revenue earners to Nigeria. Just like you seek healing in London, some Presidents seek healing in Synagogue in Nigeria. Mr. President, patronise #MadeInNigeria, import London to Nigeria, that is when your London holiday will make sense, real sense to me. When our heart-renching maternal mortality and infant mortality figures are reversed.

Obinna Chukwuezie is a media and development practitioner based in Jos, Nigeria. He can reached via obinna@communitystories.ng or @obinnachukwuzie on Twitter.