Shehu in a statement via his social media on Wednesday described the publications as literary exercises that cannot erase the experiences of Nigerians under his administration.
A Kaduna-based activist and public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has said that books written about late President Muhammadu Buhari cannot change the public perception of his presidency.
Shehu in a statement via his social media on Wednesday described the publications as literary exercises that cannot erase the experiences of Nigerians under his administration.
Shehu noted that authors, sponsors, and organisers of book launches may present their own views of Buhari’s legacy, but these accounts do not necessarily reflect the experiences of the people who lived during his tenure.
“The painful memories of lost opportunities will not go away. Because such a jamboree can never erase the memories of millions of Nigeria's on what Muhammadu Buhari means to them President Buhari can mean anything to the authors, their sponsors and to the launchers, but millions of Nigerians, dead and alive had and still have a permanent indelible memory and impression about him.”
According to Shehu, Buhari’s leadership style and management of power shaped public perception of his presidency.
“A pretender who cried in public for power fully aware he was not competent to manage it effectively and efficiently. An inept, colossal failure, a mistake, wicked, sadistic & daftly who was unaware of how power is to be deployed in improving the quality of lives of people and building a country. A man who delegates power with zero capacity for supervision, lacking reward and punishment techniques. A helpless spectator with power at hand, who cherished watching when some of his appointees were rampaging the polity and economy. An Architect of failure, quantity surveyor of pains, structural engineer that supervised the collapse of Nigeria's economy, commerce, politics and cohesion”
Shehu also referred to the commercial aspect of the books, noting that some authors and sponsors have benefited financially from publications on Buhari.
“When he was alive they rushed to write books on him and they went to the banks laughing. After his death they have begun to write books about him and they will surely laugh to the banks as usual”
He cited several notable books on Buhari, including Muhammadu Buhari The Nigerian Legacy 2015–2023 by Udu Yakubu and others, Working With Buhari Reflections by Femi Adesina, and Buhari The Making of a President by Jimi Adebisi Lawal. On the content of these works, he said
“What featured and is common in all the books are flawed delivery techniques, well articulated ego messaging languages and kowtowing of those who had the best of life in their association with him. They said all those flowery, heart soothing statements, over blown habits and attitudes misleading them into painting a picture of a ‘HERO’ that he never was”
Shehu added that book launches often focus on the achievements highlighted by authors rather than the experiences of Nigerians during Buhari’s administration.
“Several launching and public presentations of all books written about Buhari are nothing short of celebrating decimal failure, institutionalisation of fraud, protecting ineptness, breach of trust, entrenching nepotism as a tool & accepting deception as a requirement for appointment into public offices.
“The supervision of the destruction of the credibility of electoral processes through and using Inec as a willing vehicle of shortchanging Nigerians is one of the biggest disservice late Muhammad Buhari has done to Nigerians whose confidence in the electoral processes remains impaired forever. There is nothing to celebrate about him but decimal failure.”