Dissecting Buhari’s leadership role in Africa

BY CHUKWUDI ENEKWECHI JP

Once again President Muhammadu Buhari had, in anticipation of the imminent fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban after the United States’ withdrawal after a 20-year sojourn, used his article published in the Financial Times of London on August 16th, 2021 to calibrate the after-effects of the Taliban take-over of the reins of power in Afghanistan on Africa.

In making a case for attention to be paid to Africa where terrorism is ravaging, the President used the article to draw attention to the urgent need for the World, particularly America which has spent a fortune in Afghanistan, to pay more than a passing attention in the incipient terrorism challenges in Nigeria’s North East, and more recently, the North West.

In expressing fears about the aftermath of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan on Africa, President Buhari sees Africa as the new frontline for global terrorism, hence his clarion call for adequate international attention on the continent. Of course he went down memory lane with the mention of Al-Shabab incursion into Somalia and the rampaging impact of Boko-Haram on Nigeria’s North East region.
So there is a litany of President Buhari’s proactive, visionary and leadership roles across Africa which have resonated well across the globe.  As President of the most populous country in Africa, as well as the continent’s largest economy, President Muhammadu Buhari had at critical moments stepped up the plate to ensure stability and peace in some African countries. Some countries that readily come to mind are Chad, Mali, Niger and Gambia. His interventions in these countries helped to restore calm, rule of law and order when they could have snowballed into a monumental crisis.

So with his recent article drawing the world’s attention to the need to pay commensurate attention to the dangers posed by terrorists in some parts of Africa, including Nigeria, it is easy to assert that President Buhari is consciously providing leadership, not just as Nigerian president but a global leader who understands the nuances of visionary leadership and continental politics. It is not only in the area of advocating solutions to the handling of problems posed by insurgency in the continent that President Buhari has gained acclaim, but his leadership in tackling corruption has also been praised and acknowledged by the African Union and ECOWAS.

In the area of infrastructure, President Muhammadu Buhari’s single-minded determination to use his tenure of office to revive the country’s infrastructure has sent the positive signal that indeed government can work for the general good, and not for the narrow interests of people who are connected to the powers that be.

Even the presidents of Benin Republic and Ghana had at intervals expressed satisfaction to the leadership being provided by Nigeria in Africa and globally under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, and this bodes well for Nigeria as it continues to gain recognition in the comity of nations.

President Muhammadu Buhari had also in recognition of the pivotal role expected of Nigeria as the “giant of Africa” continued to play a leadership role by fostering unity and peace among the peoples of Africa and their leaders. As a former Head of State, he was placed in a vantage position to understand the nuances of statecraft, and through the African Union and ECOWAS ensured that leaders in the region use their positions to foster peaceful co-existence and economic development of their various countries.

By calling the attention of the international community to the foreseeable dangers which the resurgence of Taliban in Afghanistan after the Americans’ withdrawal posed to Africa as the next destination of terrorism, President Buhari was saving Africa and Nigeria in particular from falling victims to the catastrophic consequences of global terrorism. By doing so he displayed visionary leadership, proactiveness and an element of trouble-shooting for all the peace-loving people of the continent.

As the global community strives to contain the activities of terrorists, it is important to appreciate the concerns of President Buhari as it affects Africa, as, from all indications, ISIS and its affiliates are gradually shifting their nefarious trade to some parts of Africa including Nigeria, Somalia, Burkina-Faso, Mali and Chad to mention but a few. As much as this poses imminent danger to African countries the point must be made that it should be nipped in the bud, or else we will inadvertently lay the foundation for the same scenario that manifested on September 11, 2001 in the United States.

ISIS, Boko Haram, or Al-Qaeda must never be allowed to have a foothold in any part of Africa and to achieve this, the United States and the entire international community must pay heed to President Buhari’s epistle as published in the Financial Times of London.
Furthermore, the western world and indeed the global community ought to confront the dangers posed by the terrorists with the same single-minded commitment like President Muhammadu Buhari who has within a period of six years, and despite lack of adequate military equipment, decimated the Boko Haram that today they are scampering to safety, and surrendering with their families to the Nigerian authorities.

Such hydra-headed monsters must be crushed with every available power of the Nigerian state and with the help of the international community.

Chukwudi Enekwechi, JP, can be reached via [email protected]