Let’s pray for Buhari

Death, that unwanted visitor and carrier of bad news, has done its worst again.
It visited TheNiche and claimed one of us; one of our best. Our friend, brother and colleague, Chuks Ehirim, passed on in the early hours of Thursday, June 16.
The last time I saw Chuks he did not look like someone about to die. When I learnt he was sick, I never knew it was onto death. His demise has brought pains and sorrow to all his friends.
I intend to pay him a proper tribute after visiting his family. Finally, he is resting in peace.
Seriously, we should all pray for President Muhammadu Buhari. He needs it. Forget about the economic hardship we are facing, which is a product of his mis-administration.
For those of us who still have faith in this nation, we believe that weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
Buhari seems to mean well as far as the moral cleanliness of this country is concerned. If he is going about it the wrong way, it simply means that he is human after all.
Yes, in carrying out the sanitation exercise, his broom has been tough and unfriendly. His demeanour has been pretty mean. He goes about it as though he is the only saint in town. That again, is his style.
I was alarmed last Thursday night when Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, informed the nation, in as casual a manner as possible, that Buhari will spend additional three days in the United Kingdom before returning to his beloved Nigeria.
Osinbajo, a professor of law and Pentecostal pastor, tried not to sound as serious as the issue demanded. He simply said that after about two weeks in the UK, it would do the nation no harm if the president spent another three days to rest.
That is allowed if it will make him recover fully from the ear infection when he finally returns. It is also a sign that in his absence, Osinbajo can handle the affairs of the country diligently in spite of the distraction called Niger Delta Avengers, a group that is blowing up everything that contains oil.
Wait a minute! Is Osinbajo still addressed as vice president? I thought he should be called acting president since his boss had informed the National Assembly (NASS) that the professor would be acting in his absence. Can he, in his present capacity, exhibit full presidential powers?
Sorry, as I was saying, Buhari needs our prayers. We do not want affliction to visit us again. We do not want him to be brought back (God forbid). We want him to come back smiling and bouncing.
History is full of presidents who got sick while in office. Some of them recovered. Others did not. A few of them, even in the United States of America, governed from the sick bed or even from a wheel chair; and they still governed well.
Our prayer is that Buhari recovers and returns home. We need him here.
Unfortunately, because he could not return on the original scheduled date, a lot of people started believing and spreading wicked rumours that his health condition had deteriorated.
It would surprise you to know that much of the speculations came from members of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some of them had already started strategising on what could happen; just in case. Their evil wish was based on the loud silence from the Presidential Villa.
At last, Osinbajo spoke. Whether we believe him or not, at least he spoke; and he is not a known spin doctor.
He said: “The president will be back on Sunday. I spoke with him yesterday evening and I think it is just the best that he takes the weekend off. He will certainly be back on Sunday.
“I think the most straightforward thing is when he will be back. He will be back on Sunday. There is no point rushing back on Friday or something like that. He will just take the weekend off and be back on Sunday.
“He is in perfect health and ready to resume work on Monday morning.
“Mr president is in good condition, he is fine, he is very well. He should take a day or two off in London and rest a bit and come back hale and hearty on Sunday and be ready for work on Monday. So we expect him back on Sunday.”
Buhari’s greatest problem, unknown to him, is not the opposition called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He has become what Tony Judt calls a perforce politician, a prisoner of his past pronouncements, a prisoner of his party, a prisoner of his constituents, and a prisoner of his colleagues.
His party members who thought that having enthroned him, they would have a stomach-full of godfather-luxuries are out to stab him in the back. They are the ones questioning why he should seek healthcare abroad, just as I have questioned; though I’m not one of them.
Let me answer them in the words of Herbert Hoover, former American president: “When we are sick, we want an uncommon doctor; when we have a construction job, we want uncommon engineer; and when we are at war, we want an uncommon general.
“It is only when we get into politics that we are satisfied with the common man.”