Buhari’s Successor Will Inherit 3 ‘Diseases’ – Gumi

Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has highlighted what he called three ‘diseases’ that whoever succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 would be faced with.

According to him, only an intelligent successor who can hire good hands would be able to solve “the great mess” the country has been plunged into.

Gumi, a retired Nigerian Army captain, likened the poverty and insecurity challenges facing the country to leprosy, diabetes, and HIV AIDs, which a novice cannot fix.

“In leprosy, a disease that attacks the sensory nervous system, the brain is unaware, of the suffering of the extremities. The presidency which represents the brain is not getting the true picture of the grassroots suffering and the excruciating poverty breaking the masses because the feedback system is attacked by corruption, wickedness, and immorality.

“In diabetes, there is abundant sugar produced in the body but it’s not getting into the body tissues for metabolism and its excess is left in the bloodstream destroying vital organs.

“With HIV, the defense system is weakened to the extent that a small group of ragtag criminals can kill the nation and brings it to a halt,” he said.

Gumi, who spoke in a Facebook post, stressed that unless a leader with national appeal is enthroned in 2023, the myriad of challenges facing the country would continue to degenerate.

He advised that the next president must also be wary of dishonest clergies who like “mosquitoes” feed on “every system without adding any values except polarizing the nation more on the religious divide.

“I cannot imagine a nation facing insurgencies left, right, and center, yet the clergy would fold their arms without intermediating to see for conflict resolutions. Rather they are busy fueling religious polarization.”

On insecurity, Gumi advised that the next president must avoid using brute force in dealing with terrorists and bandits.

“If the next president also follows the same trajectory thinking that the present government was only dealing with the criminals with kid-glove, then a greater insurgency will definitely ensue. It’s taking almost twelve years to fight Boko Haram in the North East, with their leader only killed during a factional fight, not by our military action. And now, many BH (Boko Haram) are fortunately surrendering as a result of the genuine efforts of reconciliation and rehabilitation by the federal and state government as demonstrated by action, not rhetoric. This unfortunately is irking some especially the elites as cajoling criminals. To them, anything short of annihilating them is no solution,” he said.

Gumi added, “there is a need for a general overhaul to reflect the security challenges the nation is facing. The nation needs state and county police, and a national guard with forest rangers also drawn largely from the dwellers of the forest. No Nigerian should be marginalized in development and participation in nation-building.

“The Nation needs a robust educational reform. No child should be left behind. In a ten-year generation, must Nigerians should be educated somehow and the nation will then rise to great heights. Without education all said will go with the wind.”