#AMUSTREAD Buhari military government Major-General Buhari was selected to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup detat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983. At the time, Buhari was head of the Third Armored Division of Jos.[8] Buhari was appointed Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Tunde Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General Staff (the de facto No. 2 in the administration). Buhari justified the militarys seizure of power by castigating the civilian government as hopelessly corrupt, and his administration subsequently initiated a public campaign against indiscipline known as War Against Indiscipline (WAI). Aspects of this campaign included public humiliation of civil servants who arrived late for work whilst guards were armed with whips to ensure orderly queues at bus stops.[9] He also moved to silence critics of his administration, passing decrees curbing press freedoms and allowing for opponents to be detained up to three months without formal charges.[10] He also banned strikes and lockouts by workers[10] and founded Nigerias first secret police force, the National Security Organization.[11] His government sentenced popular musician and political critic Fela Kuti to ten years in prison on charges that Amnesty International denounced as fabricated and politically motivated;[12] Kuti was later pardoned and released by Buharis successor.[13] In another high-profile incident that sparked a diplomatic incident with Britain, British officials found Umaru Dikko, Shehu Shagaris former transportation minister drugged in a crate marked for shipment to Lagos.[14] According to the BBC, Buharis attempts to re-balance public finances by curbing imports led to many job losses and the closure of businesses.[15] These losses were accompanied by a rise in prices and a decline in living standards.[15] Some may hold contrary view to this assertion and call it mischievous though,[16] because Buhari is admired by many for his uprightness and stand against corruption. His government is revered for its ability to keep the country afloat by making progress through sheer economic ingenuity even when it rejected IMF loan and refused to adopt IMF conditionalities to devalue the Naira.[17] His government is praised for its gain in reducing inflation by refusing to devalue the nations currency, the Nigerian Naira, curbing imports of needless goods, curtailing oil theft and using counter trade policy to barter seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful goods like machineries, enabling it to export above its OPEC quota.[2] The economic principles and political ideology of the Buhari military government is called Buharism by some political and economic writers and speakers.[4][5] Cabinet Ministers AgricultureBukar Shuaib1984–1985 TradeMahmud Tukur1984–1985 CommunicationsA Abdullahi, Lt Col1984–1985 EducationYarima Ibrahim1984–1985 HealthEmmanuel Nsan1984–1985 Internal AffairsMohammed Magoro1984–1985 WorksPatrick Koshoni1984–1985 1985 coup and detentionEdit In the face of the austerity measures, worsening economic conditions, and continued widespread corruption (this is questionable as corruption was said to have been at its lowest ebb in the Buhari/Idiagbon regime), Buhari was himself overthrown in a coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida and other members of the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC) on August 27, 1985.[18] Babangida brought many of Buharis most vocal critics into his administration, including Fela Kutis brother Olukoye Ransome-Kuti, a doctor who had led a strike against Buhari to protest declining health care services.[13] Buhari was then detained in Benin City until 1988.[13] Buharis admirers believe that he was overthrown by corrupt elements in his government who were afraid of being brought to justice as his policies were beginning to yield tangible dividends in terms of public discipline, curbing corruption, lowering inflation, enhancing workforce and improving productivity.[19]
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 14:02:18 +0000
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