Our hypocritical political class

It seems some former appointees and friends of former President Muhammadu Buhari are falling over themselves to knock his administration in recent times.

The former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, who was a regular visitor to the villa then, said President Bola Tinubu’s government inherited a terrible economic situation.

Quick translation: Buhari left behind a terrible economic situation.

Another bombshell came from Anambra Governor Charles Soludo, who was a member of Buhari’s economic management team. He said the administration of President Tinubu took over a “dead economy” bequeathed by its predecessors.

Soludo said that Tinubu’s administration inherited a dead economy before it assumed office. He blamed this on past violations of the apex bank’s establishment law, which bars deficit financing above five percent of prior year revenues.

Another translation: Buhari left a dead economy.

Also recently, the chief whip of the 10th Senate, Ali Ndume, said that former President Buhari was not in charge of his administration like the incumbent President Tinubu. Ndume stated that Buhari, during his eight-year tenure, failed to take control of and oversee the activities of his appointees.

Also, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, recently faulted the agreement the country signed with Ethiopian Airlines on the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air. He is faulting an agreement that was made in the last administration in which he was a member of the federal executive council and lost his voice then. He was observing table manners then.

This brings me to my commentary. What is with Nigerian politicians who are afraid to tell the truth to their principals when they are in power? Most of the people criticising the former president now were singing his hallelujahs back then. Why didn’t they point out to the former president that the economy was derailing?

When appointees of the president can’t tell him the truth at all times, then something is wrong. If you are a leader or a president and you are surrounded by yes men, then you are in trouble. I don’t buy all the sudden criticisms by people who could have pointed out to him where he was derailing.

I remember when the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Father Mathew Kukah, said he was shocked to hear what former President Buhari’s ministers were saying about him and his government.

This goes to show that many government appointees and ministers are just hypocrites and sycophants who are more interested in praise singing than the progress of the president and the country.

I was reading a story of former Pakistani President and General Pervez Musharraf on why he failed. According to the report, “L’etat, c’est moi” comes easily enough to leaders after a few years in charge. But a reason it comes so easily to them is because of the sycophants who tend to surround them. Musharraf had his share of them. They told him what he wanted to hear.

This happens to leaders around the world. Most of the yes men and sycophants around President Tinubu will start singing different tunes when he leaves office. I think President Tinubu should learn from Buhari and surround himself with people who tell him the truth even if it costs them their jobs.

People who surround leaders at all levels often tell them they are the best thing since sliced bread and such praises tend to derail the leaders and give them a messianic complex. This nonsense must stop.