The saying “the buck stops here” derives from the expression “pass the buck” which means passing the responsibility on to someone else. The sign “The Buck Stops Here” was on President Harry Truman’s desk in his White House office to announce he is responsible for everything.
The latter expression is said to have originated from the game of poker, in which a marker or counter, frequently in days a knife with a buckhorn handle, was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the “buck,” as the counter came to be called, to the next player.
President Truman, saw a sign “passing the buck” while visiting a reformatory and asked the warden if a sign like it could be made for him. The sign was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945. His intention is to remind himself and Americans that the buck indeed stops at his table. He must deal with it at all times – inherited or circumstantial.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) must do better than wrapping cloak of blame around the past Peoples Democratic Party led administration. The best they can do is far beyond throwing blames around. Already they should know that Nigerians can write an encyclopaedia on the maladministration that characterized the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan government.
It is indeed on record that the immediate past administration, amnesty international had to move their personnel from other countries to Nigeria to monitor the abysmal financial recklessness in the country. But we must not be bugged down by the loathful, wasteful past to score points. That approach only obliquely belittles strides of the incumbent president.
The point therefore is for a marshal plan to be unveiled alongside the giant strides of recovering looted funds, consolidation of workable initiatives and projections into areas where gaps are evident. The public image managers of the present administration should therefore stop living in the past where they were in trenches as politicians in the opposition. They are now in charge.
Buhari may be adjudged slow, may be bandied about as a junketer, may be seen as ethno-religious based leader, but the truth is, the task of patching the country battered by gluttonous politicians cannot be done hastily, cannot be seen free of sentiments and must be executed by building broken international relations.
It therefore means Buhari is the custodian of the “buck”, where players in the past couldn’t manage the game to a win. Now insurgency/security malaise, economic back-turn, secessionist agitations are his inheritance, which we all know are estates left behind by systemic leadership failure in the past.
The implication of passing the buck for those managing Buhari’s image is to tell the world he is struggling to get beyond the mire of past rottenness. Soon, the past will fight back once Nigerians realize the much needed change government is hiding behind a curtain of blame game.
Fight against corruption is people based and pro-economic recovery but too much attention must not be showered at it. Meaning, those involved shouldn’t be honored with media spotlight. It is important to note that any publicity is good publicity. There is no telling which person or group of persons are sympathetic even to the most insane thief based on the unnecessary attention.
The war against corruption must however be total no matter whose ox is gored. The result of the entire process, the monetary value of recovered loot, quantum of punishment dished out and the effective economic utilization of recovered funds should be systemically handled to give credence to the whole exercise.
The incumbent must move carefully on the planned invitation of former president Goodluck Jonathan to answer to allegations regarding arms deal. If Halliburtongate others are not going to be probed, then it is an octane loaded case that awaits a match to explode.
Many Nigerians are already claiming there are gaps in the fight against corruption, many are waiting for wrong moves like perceived selective probe. It is indeed instructive to state that the ongoing secessionist agitation is partly fuelled by the defeat of former president Jonathan, others. Those known as the wailing wailers will leverage on any identified gap to cause trouble.
The emerging statement that corruption will soon fight back shouldn’t be seen from its humour point of view. It is indeed pertinent to intimate that once reckless buck passing continues, perceived selective fight against corruption persists, then regardless of what has been looted, the change mantra will be misconstrued.
Seven months after taking power in a very popular and most democratic process, the Buhari administration should be harping on projections that will cover the gaps created by the constant fall in crude pricing. Finding alternative to our present ‘oily economy’ and preparing for a better future for Nigerians.
Now is the time to take responsibility, no more frivolous blames. If there must be probe, then its must extend beyond Jonathans administration. Leadership ineptitude in the past has been a baton passed on to the immediate past president. If past leaders must account for their mistakes, the dragnet must be wide enough to pick many before Jonathan.
It is also time to constantly announce to Nigerians positive economic projections, prescriptions against negative economic adventure and solutions to all forms of insecurity. It is indeed instructive to intimate that very soon, passing the buck indiscriminately will backfire abysmally.
. Ebije was spokesman of former Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.
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