The Myth Of A Sudanese Jubril In Aso Rock

By Clem Aguiyi

The biggest gist in town today is the rumour of a supposed impostor named Jubril masquerading as the Nigerian president. While I sympathize with President Muhammadu Buhari on this, I will also quickly add that he is not and will not be the first victim of crazy conspiracy theory. There are always proponents and followers of dubious conspiratorial theories.

I grew up captivated by such theories concerning Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the great Sarduana. I recall my fascination of the story of the immortal Zik holding the key to the River Niger as handed over to him by the goddess and mermaid of the River Nigeria and how in his supernatural power he trapped the rival opponent in a bottle after a failed spiritual assassination.

Remember also the birth theory surrounding President Barak Obama where some people including current President Trump claimed he wasn’t born an American. They produced their own version of his birth certificate.
Even Obama’s later release of his authentic birth certificate did not dispel the rumour of his birth. This is the nature of democracy. The people have the right to demand for their president and it is the duty of the leader to come clean with the people.

On the issue of whether there is a clone of the President in Aso Rock, I do not believe such nonsense. No cabal in Nigeria is capable of engineering and imposing such a monstrosity. It is possible the president has a double but definitely not a clone. The notion of a Jubril from Sudan as president is much unfounded no matter how popular it might seem. I also admit this is not the kind of story that quickly goes away.

Unfortunately, the president’s handlers have not helped matters. If anything their management of issues surrounding the president’s health and activities helped in fuelling the conspiracy. When they say that the president is not aware of most of the evils that have befallen this country under his watch, I don’t know if they mean that as a complement?
How can Buhari be an efficient and effective leader if he is not aware of the corruption inside his own government? How come he is not aware that his politics and leadership style has further divided and polarized the country? Guess he is not aware of the Army University in Borno; he is not aware of the spate of killings across the country; he is not aware that the police and EFCC have become the official thugs of the ruling party.

I once had an encounter with someone very high up in the administration that was patriotic enough to admit that the president is a good man who meant well for the country but unfortunately he is not the one in charge of himself and the administration.

When the president’s men including close relatives claim that the President is not aware of what is happening around him, I don’t know whether to take them serious that the president we elected is truly not in charge. If the president is not in charge who then is steering the ship of state, and why must he continue in office for another four years?

Nigerians have every right to demand for the true fitness in body and spirit of their president. If he is incapacitated and unable to lead well, then in whose interest is this campaign for re-election and continuity being anchored upon?

Another aspect of the logic advanced by the president’s men that I find incomprehensible is the theory that bad people has taken over the government and that it is these bad people that are sabotaging the president’s good intentions. Again I don’t know if this logic is advanced as a complement or a fancy excuse for failure or they meant the president lacks the capacity and competence to perform his duties as president including the ability to hire good people and fire bad people?
I don’t know of any appointee the President has fired on account of corruption, insubordination or sabotage.

Instead, he and his men are desperately recruiting into their fold the bad and worse of the society, certified renegades. For a man who claims that bad people in his government are sabotaging his efforts, I challenge him to name one good saint in the opposition that he has attracted to his side in the current gale of defection? Rather as in the case of birds of the same feather flocking together we find him poaching and increasing his fold with certified sinners and societal renegades. Who is fooling who?

If the president is unaware of what is going on in his own government and party, and unable to take responsibilities then he has no business remaining in office beyond 2019 because to be president is to lead, take charge and take responsibility and not otherwise.

It has become obvious that those championing for continuity are doing so for their own selfish interest and not in the interest of the country, nor in the interest of the president who needs a quiet and peaceful retirement.

Their coordinated efforts to use the old Buhari effect to remain in power at all cost will not work. Their tactics to employ propaganda and raw persecution of opposition leaders will also fail if the opposition will remain brave and courageous. Buhari must be told that the arrest of opposition members will neither arrest the Nigeria’s problems nor will it arrest the will of the people to exchange their current misery for a better future.

The biggest problem facing Nigeria today is the worsening problem of disunity caused by this government. This is beside insecurity and corruption. If Nigeria must ever unite again we must do away with the old fashioned politics which is based on propaganda and division, and of little benefit to the people. We must bring up politics of issues.

The person who will rule Nigeria in 2019 shall not be someone who will be unaware of things happening in his government; he shall not be a hostage of any cabals; he shall not be someone with readymade excuses; he shall not be someone who can’t take responsibility.

For those who have ears let them hear. We shall have ourselves to blame if by our acts or omissions we elect someone again as president on the basis of empty and bogey promises of bringing N1 to $1 or on the basis of 4 being better than 8 or on the basis of any unsubstantiated integrity claim bandied to fool the people.

The person who will rule Nigeria in 2019 will be someone who in both his private and public life helped changed lives and touched lives through developmental policies. He must be someone capable of uniting Nigeria again.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Oriental Times