How do you mean?
I will only use one example and I wish Mamman Daura was alive…to deny it.
(Cut) You mean Mamman Daura?
Buhari has an elder brother, Mamman Daura, very few people ever heard of him and he was the best Mamman Daura I knew. I knew that one in 1970, he and President Buhari had the same father and the same mother. This other Mamman Daura is just a joke.
I said this Mamman never wanted Buhari’s presidency because a week after Buhari was sworn-in, on Friday, we met at a mosque here in Kaduna. I walked to Mamman to greet him; there was this confidence that had taken a better part of him like he is now Mr President.
Mamman told me that he and Mahmud didn’t like Buhari’s presidency. And I said ‘ranka ya dade’, you don’t like it’ and he said “yes”. I was surprised and he saw the surprise on my face. He just changed the topic and said “you know uncle (Buhari) does not like politicians and politicians don’t like him”.
I said sir, but election has been won. Whether politicians like it or not, whether Buhari likes it or not, he has to work with politicians and politicians have to work with him for the betterment of our country. For me, God has given me what I wanted.
When Mamman told me that, I offered suggestions on even the way to get finances for the party. I said the way they were going was not the way they should. Now there is no APC in a way and Buhari is ill. Luckily Buhari has a very good vice president.
Why do you think things are slow despite the fact that Buhari has given all powers to the acting president?
It is simple. I told many of my friends from the beginning, including many of Buhari’s associates but they did not believe me. I told Buhari even before the election was won that ‘evil people have possessed you’. When we started this project, I took Buhari to the Brookings Institute Washington D.C. After that I took him to Qatar and other places; he had so much faith in me and I had same in him. I have known this man since 1972.
At what point did you stop communicating with him?
I did not stop communicating with him. I communicated with him even before he travelled out; I do not want to communicate with him through anyone that Mamman has put there; it would never get to him. I don’t have any problem; they are the ones that have problems.
Late Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president, said that those in need of nothing are their own masters. I do not need anything from anybody except from Allah.
Are you disappointed?
I am disappointed but I am still hopeful. I have a problem really and as my late father used to tell me ‘there would always be change in one’s life, unless he is dead, so hopefully Buhari can change and do away with Dan Uncle.
What do you think the president should do now?
As long as Buhari cannot get Mamman away from his side, his problem will continue. And the most important one, if I were Muhammadu Buhari, in whatever way I can communicate is to tell Nigerians to please forgive me’. It is a very hard thing to do.
What do you think Buhari should apologize for?
It is not apology; this is what I have been telling people long ago. We made Buhari a super human, including myself. I kept asking God to make Buhari president; I never asked God to lead the presidency for him and God seems to have said ‘this is your Buhari now, if that is what you want, you got it.’
And what is the way out?
The way out is for Buhari to talk to the people. There is nothing wrong for me to say I have wronged you forgive me.
Most Nigerians believe no one can fight corruption except Buhari. The people who are corrupt believe that Buhari is their problem. But we are a country where the right becomes the wrong and the wrong becomes the right; meaning the corrupt believe they are right. Buhari as a person is fighting corruption because he believes he is not corrupt. But Buhari is the only one person; corruption should be fought by all Nigerians irrespective of their party, tribe, or religion. It is simple, the giver, the taker, are all guilty.
Among the people you started this journey with, who is still close to Buhari?
None at all.
What about the foreign allies?
They wanted to see a better Nigeria. We started on corruption in 2014, then later, Mamman and his group started saying insecurity and economy and corruption came third; but corruption is the cause of insecurity that destroys the economy.
How worried are you that Buhari is sick?
I am worried but there is nothing you can do and there is nothing I can do. There is nothing he (Buhari) can do. I am worried and I am hopeful and prayerful that Allah will see him through.
—
Would you like to be receiving ALL Elombah.com news links ‘On The Go’ on WhatsApp? If yes, please provide us your WhatsApp number via publisher@elombah.com or inbox +2349050382526 and you are ready to go!
© Copyright 2017 www.elombah.com; unless otherwise indicated, all images are courtesy of Twitter; send eyewitness accounts/reports/articles to publisher@elombah.com; follow us on twitter @Elombah; like our Facebook page: Elombah.com; join us on WhatsApp HERE
For advert placement call us on +447460770987, +2349050382526
