THE FEAST ON GENERAL TUKUR BURATAI.... By Sharon Faliya Cham

Oops! Woops! I haven't missed the sardonic relish on the faces and voices of Failing Wailers aka Wailing Wailers as they feasted on the non-story of the so called story of the ownership of two houses in Dubai by our Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai. From some followers of the man in Zaria city who felt General Buratai should have allowed them to punch the chests and faces of military officers without repercussion to the bulk of the followers of the man who famously said stealing is not corruption, the feast over the General's ownership of those two houses in Dubai was huge, and till now, wherever and whenever you see them, the glint of mirth on their foreheads over the deliciousness of this "tasty meal" is as bright as the brightness of a policeman's torch!

But wait a minute! While it is understandable to pardon the followers of the Zaria man for being so naive to expect the country's army to allow them ride roughshod over their troops, which even Iran itself can never ever allow, it is utterly unpardonable for Failing Wailers to mock or deride or accuse General Buratai of any wrongdoing over his ownership of two landed properties in Dubai! Why so? All the news stories about the General's Dubai properties have stated that the man has duly declared them in his assets declaration forms at the Code of Conduct Bureau, and that they are available for the scrutiny of the media and the public, which then clearly gives him a clear moral edge over ALL his accusers. First impression is, if those two properties were proceeds of some shady deals then the General wouldn't have had the audacity to include them in his assets declaration forms; he would have considered the option of that famous Senator who is battling so many cases of fraud even up to Panama!
It is on record that immediately General Buratai was made the Chief of Army Staff, he immediately directed all army officers to declare their assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau, and this is a novelty in Nigeria if my recollection of history is correct. So, why should the followers of the man who ruled this country for six solid years without honoring the demands of the public for him to declare his assets now turn round to mock an Army General who "gave a damn" about declaration of assets?

To all the morally bankrupt people who felt no qualms in supporting a President who also felt no qualms in promoting all forms of moral bankruptcy and then looted our country blind, and who also was shameless and qualms-less enough to declare on national television that he didn't give a damn about listening to the calls of his citizens to publicly declare his assets, you have no scintilla of right to attack or mock General Buratai; not until you prevail on your gutless hero to get the guts to declare his assets to Nigerians. That will be the time you can demand accountability from anyone, for you all are on record to have consistently warred against the war on corruption, and if your attacks on General Buratai is born out of a sudden love and admiration for the war against graft, then do yourselves the favor of publicly denouncing the corrupt practices promoted by your mischievous hero and thereafter sign a petition calling for his arrest and prosecution!

In the meantime, President Buhari and Nigeria cannot afford to sacrifice a disciplined and competent military general like General Tukur Buratai on the altar of needless wailings from hypocrites. The President cannot afford to let those who have never ever believed in him, and who are also not patriotic, to determine or influence his choices and decisions. On this matter, the only people competent to "wail" over any perceived infraction by General Buratai are those who have consistently supported and promoted the ideals of CHANGE. They have the moral right to do so.

Sharon Faliya Cham