PRESIDENT BUHARI CAN LEARN FROM YESHUA

(MUSINGS FROM OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE)

Mr. President clearly has a very small “circle of trust.” This is not, altogether, a bad thing. Everybody has one, or should.

The greatest ever leader of men, Jesus the Nazarene, was entrusted with a mandate consisting of all nations on God’s earth – billions of souls. Although He was “followed” by multitudes, He commissioned only seventy disciples.

Then there were the twelve who ate, slept and walked with Him alongside the faithful women, Mary His mother and Mary of Magdala being the most prominent.

Yet again, amongst these disciples, there were the three … Peter, James and John.

And then there was the one … “The Beloved Disciple.”

While Judas, one of the twelve, was more than willing to conveniently shove Jesus into the jaws of death (for the right fee), contrarily, Mary the mother of Jesus, “The Beloved Disciple” and some other faithful women disciples proved that they were willing to follow Him, literally, into the jaws of death. These were the only ones found at the foot of the cross. The ultimate inner circle.

Jesus loved all his disciples (including Judas) but he was not blind to their failings. He reprimanded Peter sternly for attempting to dissuade him from a predestined course of action. He had been mandated by God to fulfil a purpose, and therefore He would not permit anyone, even members of His inner circle, to distract Him from his mandate. His words to Peter were particularly scathing, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For your thoughts are not of the things of God, but the things of men."

Peter was fiercely loyal but impetuous. At Gethsemane, when the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials came to arrest Jesus, Peter acted without orders and sliced off the ear of Malchus, the high Priest’s servant. Again, Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “Put your sword back in its sheath! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?” He then immediately remedied the situation by performing His final miracle. He healed the servant.

In both instances, Jesus did not allow Peter’s misplaced zeal to distract Him from his destiny. He had a mandate, and He was responsible, solely, to the One who had given Him that mandate. In the first instance, Jesus followed His rebuke of Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” with an even more profound statement. He told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.…” In the second instance, after commanding Peter to sheath his sword, Jesus added, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”

1.            “If anyone would come after Me…”:      

This indicates choice. In Nigerianese, “No be force I force you!”

2.            “…he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me…”:                              

“You must be ready to let go of everything you were or stood for, for the sake of this greater cause. Working with me is not going to be a leisurely stroll in the park. Get ready to serve!”

3.            “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?” :

This is supreme commitment. He is asking Peter, “Do you honestly believe I would, for any reason, abandon my primary assignment!?”

Where were the teeming crowds of supporters, at this point?

Many times earlier, the Jewish elders had wanted to arrest Jesus but were afraid of the multitude that believed in Him. What had changed?

For one, the conspirators had been able to conscript Judas, a member of Jesus’ inner circle. They must have been in touch with Judas for long enough to pick the right time and place to strike.

Ultimately, when push comes to shove, the only thing “faithful” crowds can be counted on to do is to fabulously disappoint you. They will “faithfully” disappear at the most crucial moments. It could even be worse. Mob opinion is fickle. Those very same crowds which fill the streets and rend the air with complimentary cries of, “Hail Him! Hail Him!” can and will, within the span of less than one week, rephrase their cries to a more condemnatory, “Nail him! Nail him!” Ask Jesus.

The advantage of a small circle of trust is that the likelihood of betrayal of trust is significantly reduced. The downside, however, is that the smaller the circle is, the higher the possibility of a “palace coup” arrangement, where a group within a group can organise to effectively bar all outsiders. They can furthermore work towards blacklisting any “stubborn” insiders who won’t play ball, and surreptitiously take over power without the “principal” ever fully realising it. Remember the Abacha quartet of Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, Alh. Ismaila Gwarzo, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Sabo and Col. Frank Omenka?

The people of Nigeria have given a mandate for change. The government must live up to the expectations of the people and fulfil their promises. How effectively are members of the President’s inner circle working with him to ensure that he delivers?

Let’s take a glimpse at Mr. President’s inner circle.

It is obvious that the triumvirate of Mamman Daura (kinsman to the President), Abba Kyari (Chief of Staff to the President), and Lawal Daura (Director General of the Nigerian State Security Service) are inside Mr. President’s circle of trust. They are like family … literally. Unfortunately, the newspapers and airwaves have been awash with all sorts of complaints and accusations of inappropriate conduct against this trio. True? Untrue? I’m too far outside the circle to know.

And, of course, there’s Babagana Kingibe (referred to by some as Nigeria’s defacto prime minister). How this is even possible, I do not know.

Then we also have Col. Hammed Ali (Comptroller General - Nigeria Customs Service) and Hajiya Amina Mohammed (former Environment Minister). These two have been thoroughly tried, tested and are trusted by Mr. President.

Col. Ali is undoubtedly the President’s man. Love him or loathe him, it is impossible to deny his impact on the Nigeria Customs Service – record-breaking revenue and a robust attempt at purging the Customs Service of corrupt elements. The worst accusation his detractors have brought against him is that he refuses to wear the uniform of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Hajiya Amina’s performance over time speaks volumes. Ask the United Nations. The worst her detractors could ever raise against her was that she hails from Gombe and not Kaduna (or is it the other way round?).

My opinion, however, is that both of these Buhari appointees should have been situated more appropriately. I feel that they should have been much closer to Mr. President. He clearly trusts them implicitly. Imagine what Col. Hammed Ali’s forthrightness, integrity and stubbornness tempered by Hajiya Amina’s administrative brilliance would have done for the Presidency. Much good, I say - a lion and a fox.  

What if Col. Hammed Ali had been appointed Chief of Staff to the President, while Hajiya Amina was Secretary to the Government of the Federation? What if?

One thing of which I’m certain is that there would have been NO corruption allegations around the seat of power … at least not involving the SGF or the President’s Chief of Staff. There would also have been less of a furore concerning nepotism, since neither of this dynamic duo are relatives of Mr. President.

Well, Hajiya Amina has since been called to other duties as United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (God, I miss her!), but we’ve still got the no-nonsense, squeaky clean Colonel. If he refuses to wear the customs uniform, would it be too much to ask for a minor cabinet reshuffle?