The Most Deceitful Political Slogan Ever

Change

After a lengthy absence from the political scene in Nigeria,  Muhammadu Buhari returned in 2003. 

He went on to contested every single election that came under different political parties until he finally clinched power in 2015 under APC (All Progressive Congress). 

Every concerned Nigerian expected to see striking changes in the running of the nations affairs. That dream was murdered in 2016 when the Buhari administration began to chant the slogan ‘Change Begins With Me’. 

This slogan is helpful for personal motivation but, when politicians or public office holders begin to use it to challenge their followers, it simply opens the doors impunity and closes the door of accountability. 

The fundamental message in this slogan as used by politicians is ‘A country will not change until everyone in the country changes’. In other words, the task of changing the society lies more on the followers and not on the leadership. This is the mundane interpretation of this slogan. 

The deceit in this slogan becomes apparent when we consider the fact that Buhari himself always believed the onus was on the leadership to change the country and not the followers. That is why as a follower, he always insisted on a change of government. 

When did Buhari start believing in this slogan? Why did he not preach this slogan as a follower? 

Before you became president, the government was the problem. Now that you are president, the people are the problem. 

It has never happened in any country, nation or empire that the followers changed it while the leadership simply looked on. In all nations where the followers led the change process, the leadership did not survive. A typical example is Iran in 1979.

This slogan also means from 1985 when Buhari became a follower again to 2015, he was part of the problems of Nigeria. As far as style of leadership is concerned, nothing has changed under Buhari. Corruption has attained greater heights, impunity has been legalized and government insensitivity is the new order. 

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This slogan was coined to fashion a weapon against the masses. Whenever the masses complain of promises not being fulfilled, the government, backed by orators and religious leaders, can always tell them, “You are suffering because you are evil and you deserve it”. 

This will ultimate force the masses to turn their faces the other way in the midst of corruption and impunity to avoid being labeled ‘rebellious devils’ or for the Muslims; ‘Shiites’. The slogan was engineered to form a carapace for Buhari. 

Cartoon of Buhari

Buhari’s fanatical warriors have been doing their damnedest to give the slogan an Islamic tone to finagle the masses into seeing it as authentic however, those Muslims who are not carried away by cheap emotions are not moved in the slightest. 

Buharists bring to table this verse of the Qur’an: "...Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron."  Suratul Rad (13:11)

The first hypocrisy in this is the fact that the same Buhari supporters always accuse progress advocates of bringing religion into politics whenever Buhari is assessed using Islam as a scale. 

On the verse, the treachery in their argument is seen in how they make it seem like the verse is directed at only the followers, as if the leader or leadership are not part of "a people". This verse called on everyone in the society to change; it excludes no one. 

Whoever wants to be fair would agree that the followership in Nigeria have done their part of the change. If the masses in Nigeria did no change, Buhari and his party would not have been anywhere close to power. 

In the PDP era, it was a norm in Nigeria that from April 29^th when a President is sworn-in for a four year term, he and his pals simply go about their mismanagement, impunity and devilry only to come back to the doors of the masses four years later (a few weeks to fresh elections) with gifts and new fake promises. The impecunious masses are left to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. A heavily indebted man has a family to cater for; here is a bag of rice or a brown envelope which could settle his immediate needs. All he needs to give in exchange for this is his vote. He takes what he can get and gives his vote away. 

In 2015, the Nigerian masses surmounted bravery, courage and resilience and said ‘No more’. The money and gifts of PDP were rejected and the masses voted for a new government with high hopes. The masses changed and Buhari came in. 

It is left for Buhari and his cohorts to fulfill their side of the ‘Change’ bargain.