By Samuel Opeyemi Ajayi
In the first two to two and half years of his Presidency, no one defended Mohammadu Buhari more than my fellow Yorubas.
In fact, while the North was enjoying his Presidency in terms of patronage, the South-west was fighting his critics.
When we complained of his criminally lopsided appointments, it was the same my Yoruba people who were echoing up and down:
“HE COULD ONLY APPOINT THOSE HE COULD WORK WITH”.
They saw Buhari as their ‘Project’ which must be ‘defended’ and ‘protected’.
In fact, the first year of Buhari’s Presidency was ‘hell’ for those of us who chose to keep our heads and not follow the crowd.
We were denigrated, insulted and abused.
Some told us that we were bitter because Buhari had blocked out source of free money.
(Yet, till today, someone like me NEVER made a dime, directly or indirectly, under Jonathan).
But to them, a new sheriff was in town who would rein in the so-called ‘yam eaters’.
Some were even telling us that “never again” would we go back to the Jonathan years.
I truly and sincerely hoped Buhari would fight corruption.
I really, really did..
But all that ended the day he shook Akpabio’s hands in 2017 in his second home, London.
The meeting was facilitated by same people claiming those who stole Nigeria’s money were being dealt with by Buhari.
When he was seeking second term and we shouted that we should not reinforce failure, they came with another bizarre narrative:
“THINK OSIBAJO, VOTE BUHARI”.
We all knew what eventually happened.
Ironically, some of those abusing us over Buhari then are today saying he was the worst leader the nation has ever had.
Personally, I believed that no matter how terrible we thought Jonathan was, Buhari would NEVER be his upgrade.
Here we are today: lamenting over wasted EIGHT years.
May God guide Buhari as he starts his sojourn on the other side of the cosmic divide.
But stop blaming the dead.
But for my people, the Yorubas, Buhari would never have been President.
Never.
Those who wanted to ride on his back just latched on his popularity in the North to package a product that was out of tune with running a modern state.
While we lament today, let the dead rest.
Let him…
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