Nigerians may have borne the embarrassment with admirable equanimity, even with stoicism. But let President Muhammadu Buhari and his handlers not be in any doubt that the country has been mightily insulted by the gaffes and bad jokes that seem to have become the trademark of this president. Last Monday in Washington DC, the President scored an unnecessary own goal, when he openly objected to the presence of Jim Ovia, former Zenith Bank Managing Director into his dinner party. In his remarks, Buhari jarred his audience by telling them he was surprised to see Mr. Ovia, and blame CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele for letting Mr. Ovia gate-crash his party. He also expressed surprise at the presence of Wale Tinubu, a close pal of APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu. A similar scenario played out with Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings, UBA Group and Transcorp Nigeria. As Head of State and President of the Federal Republic, Buhari’s utterances lacked the refinement expected of a man in his station and never again should this happen. Buhari needs to get his acts together; the country’s highest office cannot continue to be the butt of jokes and ridicule.
The event in Washington DC was organized by the US Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA). Given that the condescending remarks were not part of his written speech for the evening, it is safe to assume Buhari was joking. But the audience, comprising mostly US businessmen, could not fully grasp the President’s jokes. Even Nigerians who were present were taken aback by the president’s unguarded comments. For sure, Ovia and Elumelu were formidable supporters of the past regime, but the President ought to know; or should have been told that Ovia’s Zenith Bank was one of the main sponsors of the event, and so Mr. President should not take umbrage at his presence. The case of Elumelu who left before the dinner was over; ostensibly to catch a flight to Congo was even worse because Elumelu sits on the Board of the CCA which jointly organized the event.
It must be stated in no ambiguous terms that the president’s jokes were clearly in bad taste. In western culture, “gate-crashing” is a serious violation of protocol and social etiquette and not something to joke about. This was one gaffe that neither edified the President, nor the nation. It was insensitive, appalling, and too crude to be associated with the exalted office of President of the Federal Republic. It sullied Buhari’s image and cast aspersion on Nigeria before the global community as a country with highly dysfunctional institutions where bizarre things can happen. If truth must be said, the president’s failure to speak and act presidentially is a phenomenon Nigeria can do without. It should simply change!
Beyond the public embarrassment, the President’s shoddy treatment of his fellow compatriots in front of a foreign audience – whether out of design or omission – is unacceptable. But far more than anger or outrage over the disgrace in Washington, it is apparent the president cannot set a limit on his own eccentricities. If the public, including the media had paid scant regard to his impolitic utterances and bad jokes up till now, this is the time to watch him closely, and call him to order.
But this was not the first time Buhari will be in the news for the wrong reasons. After losing the 2011 presidential elections, his unguarded remarks contributed in no small way to the orgy of violence that engulfed parts of the north in which hundreds of Christians were massacred. He is also famous for his doomsday warning that if the 2015 elections were rigged, “the dog and the baboon will be soaked in blood.” Even after his historic win, he retained his belligerent streak. Before he settled down to his job, his aides briskly barred AIT from Aso Rock because the TV station had aired a documentary critical of Buhari during the campaigns. Eventually, they reversed course amid a hailstorm of public outcry against what was evidently a shameful attack on press freedom. But the damage was already done.
The President also takes latitude in making very cavalier statements on serious national issues. Upon taking office, he prematurely accused his predecessor of bequeathing an indebted country with an empty treasury. But just weeks later, the same Buhari ordered a financial bailout of the states with funds from reserves left by the Jonathan administration. Fielding questions at the Nigerian embassy in Washington during his visit, Buhari vowed to recover stolen oil money which he estimated at $150 billion. The President disclosed that some former ministers sold about one million barrels of oil per day and put the money into their private accounts. These are mind-boggling figures and given that there has been no formal audit of the past administration, the public has to be skeptical about these numbers. Besides, as Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria has a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million bpd. Is Buhari saying that a handful of corrupt officials could market almost half of the country’s oil without any trace?
Other notable embarrassing gaffes include the shoddy treatment that marked Buhari’s visit to Britain, which the president’s handlers initially said was to get him some rest before his inauguration. It was indeed a sorry sight to see the president-elect stranded for about 30 minutes in front of No. 10 Downing Street, waiting to see the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. After the 41st summit of G-7 nations in Germany, videos went viral on the internet showing Buhari referring to German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as President Michelle, unaware she is called “Chancellor” and that Joachim Gauck is the German president. In the same event, Buhari referred to Germany as “West Germany” even though such an entity ceased to exist 25 years ago after East and West Germany re-united in 1990.
Before becoming president, Buhari, at a rally in Owerri, Imo state, openly called his running mate and current vice president, Prof. Yemi “Osibande” instead of Osibanjo. Days later, in a live CNN interview with Christian Amanpour, Buhari referred to his own party as “All Progressive Confidence” instead of All Progressive Congress (APC). In that same interview, he referred to INEC as “Independent Nigeria Electoral Commission” instead of Independent National Electoral Commission. Ex-President Jonathan took the absurdities a step further saying Buhari was unable to remember his own phone number.
All these avoidable gaffes have caused Nigerians considerable embarrassment at home and abroad. Beyond the crass ineptitude of the President’s handlers, it advertises a certain violation of presidential protocol, and exposes a communication break in the leadership chain. More importantly, it exposes the helplessness of a President held hostage by incompetent aides who are consumed by their fixation on humbug, quixotic self-adulation and predilection to relish the ceremonial aspect of their jobs, than in actually doing the job for which the president hired them. It is not too early for the president to sack them. Indeed, the president would do his image and the country a lot of good by showing some respect for the Nigerian people who elected him. He should, on his personal integrity and honor, ensure that only the best hands get the call and save the country the odium of further embarrassment. Should he choose to do otherwise, we will be there to call him out.
