There is a famous quote that is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. The quote reads, “Well done is better than well said”. The accepted aspiration of the quote is to advance that, actions speak louder than words, and that it is more important to follow through on promises than simply talk about them. The media space in Nigeria is full of rhetoric, speaking or writing with the intent of persuading the public about the good intentions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, and the countless counters, questioning the sincerity of such submissions. Depending on where one stands, and whose side of the submission you see, one may be amused, or bemused.
By Bala Ibrahim
To say that Nigerians, in Nigeria, are going through a trying moment, is simply an understatement. Apart from the security challenges facing the country, such as Boko Haram terrorist attacks, militancy, armed robbery, banditry and kidnapping for ransom, Nigerians are complaining heavily about the excruciating pains of economic hardship, occasioned by the introduction of some reforms, since the coming of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Genuine as these complaints are, the innocence and ingenious intention of the Government needs to be understood also. President Tinubu campaigned with a promise to turn things around, including, sometimes, talking with excessive self-satisfaction, based on his antecedents in Lagos state, telling the electorate not to give him a second chance if he fails to perform in his first term. Nothing can illustrate more, than the demonstration of the intention to act, instead of talk. The critics are at liberty to call it egotism or euphuism, and in doing so, they have the right to disapprove of his methodology, but it is not a license for them to engage in denigration. That is unpatriotic and undemocratic.
In his article, published in Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday Column, 23rd, October 2024, titled, My Thoughts About Many Things, my friend, Professor Ussiju Medaner, the guy who actually kidnapped and compulsorily conscripted me into partisan politics, wrote and I quote,
“I must say that even though I am most times swayed towards doing the same thing, I have come to the utmost conclusion that fixating on everything that is not working with the country, while both ignoring the positives and doing absolutely nothing in our capacity to contribute to providing solutions to the problems is a major disaster for the country. Nigeria is not totally on its knees; our economy may seem not good at the moment, corruption may remain a challenge and insecurity deals a serious blow to the nation, yet, there are lots of great things happening that we can build on to change the narratives of our national fortune, even as we muscle efforts to correct the anomalies. There are industries that, despite the corruption and systemic decays, are still flourishing. We need to identify these and constitute them into a rallying point to rebuild our nation”.
Without any ambiguity, Professor Medaner is saying, that those who are casting aspersions on the President and by extension, the policies of the ruling party, are indirectly condemning the future of Nigeria, wrongly, harshly and unfairly. Actions like that fall under the definition of un-patriotism.
Indeed, the Bible talked about doubting Thomas, in explaining the meaning of sceptic people, who always refuse to believe things until they see proof. In the Bible, Thomas refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had been seen by the other apostles until he could see and feel the wounds Jesus received during his crucifixion. With what is happening today, particularly concerning the incessant interrogation of the President’s intention, I think, Nigeria is fast turning into a large reservoir of the residuum of doubting Thomas’s. Everyone is thinking of the contrary. No one is ready to make a concession, that the Government or the President’s statement should be taken as true and justifiable.
Prior to the 64th independence anniversary of Nigeria, protesters besieged some parts of the country, including the capital, Abuja, denouncing what they call, the government’s poor handling of the economy. In response, President Tinubu pleaded with them and the country, for patience, as the country continued to grapple with the tough economic situation. The President defended the controversial economic reforms, saying they are necessary and are beginning to bear results. Equally, President Tinubu insisted Nigeria is winning the war on insurgency and banditry.
Sometimes around the middle of last month, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, OPHD, announced the killing of Kachallah Buzu, the notorious bandit kingpin and several of his fighters, in the Mayanchi village of Zamfara state. This is after the President had directed the Minister of Defence, along with the top echelon of the military to relocate to the Zamfara/Sakkwato axis. Since then, the situation has been improving, with the military recording successes daily.
As Medaner mentioned, when Buhari was in charge, the insinuation was that he was executing a Fulani agenda. And his intention was queried, severally. With Tinubu now on the saddle, the interrogation narrative has changed, to the questioning of the intention to execute a Yoruba agenda. For God’s sake, when are we going to allow our actions to speak louder than words? Until then, may God help Nigeria, Ameen.
