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Why Buhari Lost And It May Never Be Regained By Anymore

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5 years ago

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By Rudolf Okonkwo — Guest Columnist

This week, I went back to watch an April 12, 2015, interview that I had with the then-President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

After watching the interview, I arrived at a clear conclusion: It was all Olusegun Obasanjo’s fault.

Nigeria’s final chance to revive itself, to be a fair, decent, and just nation, came in 1999. Posterity called on Olusegun Obasanjo, who came out of prison with a new lease on life, to do Nigeria the honor. But Obasanjo failed.

On January 29, 2004, as Obasanjo was entering his fifth year in office, still pursuing shadows, I wrote an article on Nigeriaworld.com titled: Why Obasanjo Failed.

At that point, I had determined that Obasanjo was more interested in building a castle in the sand. There was Obasanjo, a president who had a rare chance to transform Nigeria permanently. But Obasanjo lived in Eldorado, interested in turning Nigeria into South Korea when Nigeria’s foundation is worse than Sudan’s. It wasn’t that Obasanjo was oblivious of the issues.

Being a major actor in Nigeria since independence and coming from the South West, he knew what the vexing matters were. But Obasanjo allowed his ego, massaged by budding oligarchs like Tony Elumelu, Cecelia Ibru, Aliko Dangote, Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Femi Otedola, Jim Ovia, Festus Odimegwu, Bernard Longe, Fola Adeola, and others, to blind him.

Obasanjo inherited a country that was like a vast piece of land with active gully erosion sites. His primary job was to stabilise the estate by channeling floodwater away from inhabited zones. In his messianic illusion, Obasanjo chose to use his 200 million shares in the mega-corporation, the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp), to transform Nigeria into a nation of skyscrapers and white elephant projects.

As his second term in office was ending, he was fully aware that he had failed. It made him seek a third term in office secretly with the help of his cohorts in the public and private sectors.* *When that mission failed, he decided to handpick a successor that would have no chance of overshadowing him.
*That was how Nigeria got President Umaru Yar’Adua as Obasanjo’s successor. And it was down the hill from there.

Yar’Adua begot Jonathan and Jonathan begot Buhari. And in each of these births, Olusegun Obasanjo was the midwife. If Obasanjo had done the right thing between 1999-2007, it wouldn’t have mattered much who came after him. Nigeria would not have been overtaken by erosion as it is today. Now houses, roads and farms are inside the gullies, and some swept away beyond the country’s shores.

Yar’Adua could not have saved Nigeria because he was not predisposed to tackle such weighty fundamental issues. Unluckily for him, ill-health sealed his fate by wiping out any chance that he could come to a new awareness.

Jonathan assumed power, totally lacking the skill sets needed to surgically extract Nigeria’s cancer cells that were fast metastasizing. Jonathan would spend five years leaving observers with no doubt that Nigeria’s problem outmatched his abilities. Jonathan’s ultimate failure set the stage for the far-reaching compromises that brought Buhari in.
Buhari did not just fail like others before him. He took it a notch up — he lost Nigeria. And that is Nigeria’s greatest tragedy.

Buhari lost Nigeria because he suffered from a bigger messianic complex than Obasanjo. His self-righteous indignation blinded him to the most obvious remedies capable of extending the life of Nigeria. Buhari’s allergy to diversity meant that he had only a narrow tunnel view of the country. It ultimately led him to the current end where the tunnel is collapsing in his face, burying him and the nation in its wake.

In ‘Why Obasanjo Failed,’ I wrote:

“Granted, Obasanjo inherited a fractured country that had been ravaged by years of military misrule. It was a country with so many structural flaws that cracks were visible along its walls, beams, and pillars. There was no sense of direction and no purpose for the nation and its citizens. The country lacked the institutions to support any democratic initiative. The Nigeria Obasanjo was handed over was a country on its stomach.”

“The recipe for failure was put in place when such a country was handed over to someone who had no knowledge and not enough courage to do things that were needed to be done to jump-start the failed nation. Obasanjo was like a partially blind, partially deaf, unskilled driver without any knowledge of the mechanics of machines, who was charged with the responsibility to drive a troubled car in rough weather from point A to point B. It did not take two years before it became clear to serious observers that the man was the wrong choice for that mission.”

If Obasanjo was the wrong person in 1999, Buhari was the ‘wrongest’ person in 2015. But in each case, the doctrine of desperation steeped deep into the fear of losing the country threw Obasanjo and Buhari up as the easiest of all viable options. For a country like Nigeria that loves the path of easy resistance, Obasanjo in 1999 and Buhari in 2015 became the default candidates.

In “Why Obasanjo failed,” I noted the following:
“Obasanjo’s job is not to give billions of naira to certified crooks for the maintenance of the refineries, only to spend more billions importing fuel to avoid the shortage we saw during Abacha’s time. His duty is not to spend billions of naira in Tony Anenih’s road contracts without having roads that lead to a brighter future. Obasanjo’s responsibility is not to scold us for expecting a lot and abuse us for being impatient; rather his task is to provide hope. Unfortunately, Obasanjo could not get over himself. He allowed his exaggerated sense of importance to prevent him from achieving a victory for the Nigerian-kind.

“The litany of crises we are witnessing is the product of the intentional decision by Obasanjo and his cohorts in the ruling PDP to ignore the fundamentals. Basically, they made a deliberate decision to continue from where the NPN of the early 80s stopped, as if all that transpired in the late 80s and all of the 90s were of no consequence. In a more sophisticated way, Obasanjo and his friends embarked on a mission to plunder what remained of Nigeria’s wealth, wellbeing, and welfare.”
The Buhari team has essentially followed the same path. They have plundered Nigeria just like all the successive governments before them.

“Any other PDP candidate of 1999 who fought to lead Nigeria might have spared the nation Obasanjo’s truckload of embarrassments, arrogance, pettiness, vindictiveness, and blatant ignorance, but working within the principles of PDP and with the certified criminals who fill its ranks and file would have also ended up a failure. As long as the fundamental problems of Nigeria, like the very nature of the union, resource control, judicial reform, relationship between the state and the federation, etc, are either ignored or shied away from, all efforts at reform, especially the half-hearted ones, would amount to nothing…

“The primary reason why Obasanjo has failed is his stubborn refusal to implement a deep-rooted structural reform of Nigeria. Obasanjo, full of himself and trusting in his military drill-sergeant mentality, thought he could order around a wounded country. Obasanjo’s resort to patching the wall, managing one crisis after another instead of tearing down the walls and rebuilding a nation has become his waterloo. His choice of actions, or inactions, is the style of cowards and men without vision.”

When it became obvious in 2004 that Obasanjo had failed, this was what we did.

“Interestingly, we have counted out Obasanjo and have plunged into a vigorous search for another personality on whom we shall hang our hope. We are once again refusing to insist on reforms that would guarantee progress irrespective of who occupies Aso Rocks. For some reason, we continue to have the hope that those unprincipled men and women in the National Assembly have in them the right mantle needed to chart a decent course for us. In our stupidity, we are once again betting our survival on some proven crooks, expired characters, and loudmouthed egoists. We are propping ourselves to be satisfied in the realization that any of them would be better than Obasanjo. Just like we once convinced ourselves that, come what may, Obasanjo would be better than Sani Abacha.”

We are already doing this again. We are looking up to the National Assembly to amend the constitution to take their mouth off Nigeria’s breast where they feed fat. We are looking up to the likes of Bola Tinubu, Nasir el-Rufai, David Umahi, Yemi Osinbajo, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Kayode Fayemi, Yahaya Bello, Orji Uzo Kalu, etc, to save us from the rut they created – the same rut that they still depend on for their sustenance. We are again sure that any of them would be better than Buhari. If that is not a form of mental illness on our part, then I do not know what is.
*The truth is that, unlike in 2015, something has fundamentally changed in Nigeria. Buhari did not just fail spectacularly, he also lost Nigeria in the process.

Nobody on the Nigerian stage today can save it. None. What will save Nigeria is no longer deep reforms, restructuring, repentance, and reconciliation.

Unfortunately, the window for that kind of intervention is closing up fast, if not closed entirely. Secrets that were once hidden are now revealed; irate giants that were once asleep are now awake; and barrels of blood that were shed on the altar of Nigeria for decades are now choking the life out of the country. It is no more Obasanjo’s or Buhari’s grandfather’s Nigeria. The hornets will sting those who disturbed their nest. No amount of prayers will stop it. Nigeria is beaten up, pushed down the hill, and the country is grudgingly marching down to Golgotha. Nobody can carry its cross. The only path out of this valley of death is via reincarnation.

In our own eyes, Buhari dragged Nigeria across the Rubicon. And as Julius Caesar said, “alea iacta est”— the die is cast. Not even Obasanjo can say that Nigeria still dey Kampe.

  • Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo is a Nigerian-American journalist and writer. He is the host of the satirical show, “Dr. Damages Show” on SaharaTV online. Dr. Damages has been featured in the New York Times, BBC and Guardian of London. Okonkwo also writes a weekly column, “Correct Me If I’m Right,” for Saharareporters.com.

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Houston

Membership Interest Soars After Sugar Land People’s Club’s Successful Induction

Published

19 hours ago

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September 8, 2026

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Branch considers annual induction as August celebration of prestige, culture and comradeship inspires growing community interest

HOUSTON, TEXAS — Membership requests to the Sugar Land Branch of People’s Club of Nigeria International (PCNI) have risen significantly following its successful August induction ceremony, prompting the organization to consider making the event an annual affair.

Group Chairman, Hon. Prof. Chris Ulasi, confirmed the surge in interest, saying the branch has received numerous inquiries from prospective members since the ceremony that formally admitted 16 new members to the organization.

“The response since the induction has been remarkable. We have seen a significant increase in people asking about membership and how they can become part of the People’s Club family,” Ulasi said. “Many of them attended the event or heard about it afterward and were impressed by the fellowship, dignity, cultural pride, and genuine comradeship they witnessed.”

Ulasi said the development, including a possible change from the current bi-annual induction arrangement to an annual ceremony, would be discussed at the branch’s September general meeting.

The renewed interest in membership comes on the heels of an elaborate induction that attracted national officers, patrons, branch chairmen, members, and guests from across the People’s Club family.

National President, Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke, who presided over the swearing-in of the 16 inductees, described the event as a total success and commended the Sugar Land Branch, PCNI’s First International Branch, for what he called an exceptional celebration of fellowship, culture, service, and unity.

During the formal ceremony, each inductee was invited to the podium to take the membership oath and receive a certificate from the national president, who was assisted by PCNI Attorney Chukwuka John Ukadike.

Beyond the admission of new members, however, the event offered guests a public display of the traditions that have historically defined the People’s Club: prestige, love, service, and comradeship. Those characteristics were reflected throughout the ceremony, from the reception of national officers and interaction among members to the formal induction, cultural presentation, and extended social celebration that followed.

Grand Patron, Ide Obinna Nnanyelugo Mbachu, said the growing interest in membership was an indication that the organization’s values resonated with guests who experienced the event.

“What people witnessed was the character of People’s Club—the love among members, respect for one another, willingness to serve, and the comradeship that brings us together,” Mbachu said. “Prestige is not simply about appearance; it is about how we conduct ourselves and how we treat people. When the community sees those values demonstrated, it is understandable that others would want to become part of the organization.”

The cultural presentation was among the most visible features of the evening. Women members and associates appeared in coordinated traditional attire featuring red-pinkish blouses with matching head ties and white wrappers bearing the PCNI logo. The men wore all-white outfits complemented by customized PCNI cap pins and distinctive PCNI sashes worn as neckpieces.

The coordinated appearance created a colorful expression of Nigerian cultural identity while reinforcing the sense of unity that characterized the gathering.

As the formal program concluded, the ceremony transitioned into an extended social celebration. Members, inductees, and guests shared food and drinks before taking to the dance floor, with music and festivities continuing into the early hours of Sunday.

The presence of members and officials from different branches also gave the ceremony broader significance for Sugar Land, whose status as the First International Branch places it prominently in PCNI’s history outside Nigeria.

For Ulasi, however, the strongest indication of the event’s impact came afterward, as inquiries from prospective members continued to reach the branch.

He said that while the organization welcomes the increased interest, prospective members would be expected to understand the responsibilities and traditions associated with belonging to the People’s Club. “Membership is about much more than attending social events,” Ulasi said. “It is about service, friendship, responsibility, and commitment to one another. Those are the values we intend to preserve as the branch continues to grow.”

The September meeting is expected to consider how the branch will respond to increased membership interest and whether the success of the August ceremony provides sufficient grounds to move to an annual induction schedule. For the Sugar Land Branch, the aftermath of the August induction may prove as significant as the ceremony itself: 16 members entered the People’s Club that evening, but the celebration appears to have inspired many more to seek a place within its ranks.

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Houston

People’s Club Sugar Land Celebrates Landmark Induction of 16 New Members

Published

2 weeks ago

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August 24, 2026

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National President Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke hails First International Branch for a spectacular celebration of culture, fellowship and service

HOUSTON, TEXAS — The Sugar Land People’s Club of Nigeria International (PCNI), the organization’s First International Branch, has been declared a total success following a spectacular bi-annual induction ceremony that brought together national leaders, branch chairmen, patrons, members, and guests from across the People’s Club family.

National President Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke, who presided over the swearing-in ceremony, commended the Houston branch for delivering an outstanding event that reflected the organization’s enduring traditions of friendship, fellowship, service, and community.

Hon. Prof. Chris Ulasi, SLPCNI Chairman, leads the grand entrance of the national leadership during the induction ceremony, followed by National President Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke and his wife.

“The Houston branch has once again demonstrated what People’s Club represents at its very best. This was a beautifully organized and highly successful event, rich in culture, fellowship, dignity, and unity. I commend the leadership, members, and entire Houston family for an exceptional celebration worthy of the First International Branch.”

The ceremony witnessed the formal swearing-in of 16 new members, each of whom was individually invited forward to receive a certificate of membership from the national president. Onyebueke was assisted in administering the oath by PCNI Attorney Chukwuka John Ukadike.

Group Photo: Women Members and Associates of SLPCNI

The inductees joined an impressive gathering that reflected the diversity and strength of the People’s Club community. Members and guests traveled from various branches across the United States and beyond, transforming the Houston ceremony into a truly international gathering.

The cultural elegance of the occasion was equally striking. Women appeared in colorful, coordinated traditional attire, featuring red-pinkish blouses and matching head ties paired with white wrappers prominently designed with the PCNI logo. The ensemble created a distinctive and dignified traditional look. Men complemented the occasion with elegant all-white outfits, customized PCNI cap pins, and special PCNI sashes worn as neckpieces.

Among those in attendance were Grand Patron Ide Obinna Nnanyelugo Mbachu; Hon. Prof. Chris Ulasi, Group Chairman; patrons and chairmen from various branches, and People’s Club members representing chapters across the globe.

The formal proceedings eventually gave way to an extended celebration of friendship and camaraderie. Food, drinks, music, and dancing carried the festivities well beyond the scheduled program, continuing for hours into the early morning of Sunday.

For the Houston branch, the celebration represented more than the admission of new members. It reaffirmed the historic importance of the First International Branch and demonstrated the continuing strength of People’s Club as a transnational fellowship rooted in Nigerian identity, friendship, service, and mutual support.

The successful ceremony also underscored the organization’s ability to bring generations and branches together while preserving the cultural traditions that have sustained its membership across continents.

By the end of the celebration, Houston had delivered more than an induction. It had delivered a memorable demonstration of unity, culture, friendship, and organizational excellence—an event that fully embodied the People’s Club spirit.

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Houston

Houston Ready as People’s Club National President Arrives for Historic Sugar Land Branch Induction

Published

3 weeks ago

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August 20, 2026

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Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke’s arrival signals final preparations for the August 22 ceremony as the First International Branch prepares to welcome 17 new members into the People’s Club family

HOUSTON, TEXAS — Final preparations are underway in Houston as the Sugar Land People’s Club of Nigeria International (SPCNI), the First International Branch, puts the finishing touches on what promises to be a landmark evening of fellowship, leadership, and community celebration.

The arrival of Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke, National President of the People’s Club of Nigeria International, has added renewed excitement to the event, underscoring the significance of the Sugar Land branch and its place within the wider People’s Club family.

Grand Patron Ide Obinna Nnanyelugo Mbachu addresses Sugar Land PCNI’s August Conference. Insert: Atty. Fidelis Onyebueke, National President of the People’s Club of Nigeria International.

The organization will hold its 2026 Bi-Annual Induction Ceremony on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. at the Igbo Catholic Community Hall, 8250 Creekbend Drive, Houston, Texas.

Seventeen distinguished men and women are expected to be formally inducted into the organization during the ceremony. The event is expected to bring together People’s Club members, community leaders, professionals, families, friends, and guests from Houston and beyond for an evening celebrating friendship, cultural identity, service, and community.

The arrival of Atty. Onyebueke is particularly significant because the Sugar Land organization is recognized as the First International Branch of People’s Club of Nigeria International.

Group photo during PCNI’s August Conference.

While People’s Club has grown into a broad network with branches in Nigeria, North America, and Europe, the Sugar Land branch occupies a unique place in that expansion. It represents the first international extension of the organization and continues to regard itself as a custodian of the principles established by the founders of People’s Club in Nigeria.

For the branch’s leadership, that history carries both pride and responsibility. Grand Patron Ide Obinna Nnanyelugo Mbachu said that the national leadership’s presence in Houston reinforces the importance of the occasion and the values the organization represents.

“This is more than an induction ceremony; it is a celebration of continuity, friendship, love, and service. The arrival of our National President makes this occasion even more meaningful because it connects our First International Branch directly with the larger People’s Club family. We are welcoming new members into a legacy that must be protected, strengthened, and passed forward.”

Mbachu said the organization’s enduring values remain relevant because they are rooted in the fundamental needs of society: friendship, mutual respect, fellowship, responsibility, and service.

 

From left: Inductee, Hon. Evangelist Philomena Umoh, Chief Executive Officer of BlessedComfort Home; New member, Hon. Shanteria Onyemem, Houston-based entrepreneur.

Among the seventeen inductees is Evangelist Philomena Umoh, Chief Executive Officer of BlessedComfort Home, a philanthropist and titled chief whose work and personal commitment to helping others have touched numerous lives. For Umoh, the forthcoming induction represents both a personal honor and an opportunity to join a community whose values closely align with her commitment to service.

“I am deeply honored and genuinely excited to become part of the People’s Club family. For me, this is not simply about receiving a title or joining a social organization. It is about belonging to a community that values friendship, service, love, compassion, and giving back. I look forward to contributing meaningfully and building lasting relationships.” Her induction adds another dimension to an occasion already defined by diversity of professional experience, community involvement, and public service.

From Left: Hon. Ike Nwokoye; Hon. Prof. Emmanuel Opara; Hon. Basil Mbuba; and Hon. Udoji Achebe.

 

Left: Hon. Sir Charles Eloka Ikebuaku, wife, and Hon. Dr. Chris Ulasi.

Hon. Prof. Chris Ulasi, the Group’s Chairman, said that the ceremony will represent an important moment for both the inductees and the organization. Ulasi said the branch is prepared to receive its new members and celebrate the enduring relationships that have sustained the organization.

“Everything is coming together for what we expect to be a memorable evening. We are excited to welcome our National President and our distinguished inductees. This ceremony is about strengthening the bonds that make our organization a true family.”

The chairman emphasized that membership is not merely ceremonial. According to him, those joining the organization become part of an established fellowship with expectations to participate, contribute, and help strengthen the community.

The August 22 event is expected to combine the formal traditions of induction with the warmth and conviviality for which the Sugar Land branch is known. For an organization rooted in Nigerian cultural traditions but operating in one of America’s most diverse metropolitan areas, the ceremony also represents the continuing evolution of the Nigerian-American community in Houston.

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