Whispering Drums With Maigani
by Musa Ibrahim
Coup bid abandoned
The argument put forward by Buhari and his friends to justify their midnight coup of 31st December, 1983 was that they have come to rescue the masses of Nigeria from the clutches of heartless politicians. Greed, jealousy and vindictiveness were never some of the things that made them come. It was an act of patriotism, they said. It is almost two years now and what has happened?Yes, the behaviour of the Buhari Military junta since assuming power has clearly demonstrated the fact that the coup was personally-aimed at settling certain personal scores and had nothing to do with trying to "ameliorate the degrading conditions under which our people are living" as the head of the military junta, Buhari, was quoted as saying. If anything at all, the "degrading conditions" of the ordinary Nigerian has multiplied ten-fold under the Buhari military regime. And while the people are suffering and quenching, the military leaders and a few of their civilian collaborators are busy making their hay while the sun now shines for them.
To be fair, not all the members of the Supreme Military junta in Lagos are part of the extreme excesses and sadistic rule of Buhari, Idiagbon and Rafin Dadi, the result of which have led to differences within the hierarchy of the military leadership. In time, a combination of policy and personality clashes began to mount in proportions large enough to split the cohesion hitherto presumed to have guided the supreme military junta. It was then that the idea of a palace coup began to rear its ugly head. In fact, up to the end of last month, the possibility of a coup in Nigeria was a foregone conclusion. But now, the bid to stage the coup has been effectively abandoned. Two factors are responsible for this.
The first is the lack of agreement or consensus among the coup plotters in terms of the distribution of the spoils from the coup - who is going to be appointed what? etc. There was no question about who would become head of state. Babangida, the chief of army staff was going to be crowned in spite of whether he participated in the coup or not. After all, junior and middle ranking officers had already called on him to take over from Buhari. The most contested seat was the position of Chief of Staff - the post presently occupied by Idiagbon. Two candidates were named Magoro the present Minister of Internal Affairs, and Abacha, the man that announced the termination of the Shagari administration. After several meetings, lobbying and even threats, no compromise could be reached. There were also disagreements on ministerial positions etc. Other factors such as the fear and the consequences of a failed coup attempt, and the reaction from the international community also contributed to the cold feet developed by the coup plotters.
The second factor has to do with Buhari, the head of the military junta. Buhari has indicated his willingness to quietly retire. To show that he really means business, Buhari recently bought a "retirement Mansion" in guess where? Niger Republic! Actually, I have heard it said that Buhari and the entire members of the Buhari clan are not Nigerians, that they are "BUZUS" from Niger. This fermenting suspicion now seems to have crystalised into certainty.
Anyway, so much for the digression. Buhari has told his colleagues that he wants out. So under normal circumstances, Idiagbon is supposed to take over from Buhari. That was how Obasanjo became head of state - he replaced the slain Murtala. But Idiagbon is likely not going to have that kind of luck. His colleagues have promised hell fire if Idiagbon dares accept to step into Buhari's shoes for the mere fact that during his almost two years of reign as the No 2 man, Idiagbon has become an amalgam of everything objectionable to the Nigerian populace and an embarrassment to the entire military profession. Such a man, it is reasoned, cannot be allowed to lead Nigeria.
Whatever happens, the damaging atrocities committed by the Buhari regime against the people of Nigeria, the humiliation, the desecration of the human spirit and pride will never let any of them see peace in their life again, and as things stand the country is headed once more for the headlines or is it the doldrums?
What ails Buhari?
Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari is said not to be feeling too well and is himself so concerned about his health, he has told his colleagues that he wants to be able to pay more attention to his health.As can be expected, everybody has a theory about what the matter is with him. The most popular thing is what is known as sickle-cell anaemia, the genetic blood disorder that seems to attack only blacks. But it is unlikely that the General would have been accepted in the army in the first place if he were a sickler since he couldn't have passed the physical entry requirements.
The particular rumour seems to have been sparked off by the recent presence in London of one of the Buhari children seeking medical help for a sickle-cell crisis. The fact that the General's child is a sickler does not mean he himself is one, and is possibly only a carrier.
But even more alarming ailments are being bandied about as to what is making the General feel unwell.
Since African governments, like their Soviet counterparts, are not inclined to tell their people about any medical difficulties that the leaders have, the likelihood is that speculation will continue about the General's health. It is quite true that the General does not have the constitution and appearance of a normal soldier and has always looked not as robust as his colleagues but in recent times, he has looked more haggard and strained than usual. Many people have blamed the overwhelming problems he has brought on himself, but the whisper is that the man is ill.
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