From the twinkling of an eye, a guy elected President of an entire nation turns into a sectional pioneer, championing only the origin of his own Fulani ethnic group amid bloodbath and mounting poverty in his country. This sums up President Muhammadu Buhari’s six years of clannishness, ineptitude and mismanagement, leading to boundless killings and pains across the country.
From Buhari’s reaction to southern governors’ ban on open grazing, an individual can safely say his support for offender herders and Fulani militias is no more in doubt. He mischievously explained the ban and other resolutions reached by the governors as”acts of politicking made by its signatories to show power,” adding: “it’s very obvious that there was no solution offered in their resolutions into the herder-farmer clashes. It’s equally true that their announcement consists of questionable legality, given the Constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy exactly the same rights and freedoms within each of our 36 states (and FCT) -no matter the condition of the birth or residence.”
For six years, our supposed President unleashed Fulani herders on the rest of the country, turning our beloved Nigeria into a killing field. He persistently clears the way for herders trapped in anachronism and cares about produce farmers and lovers of all serene coexistence. Guerrillas shielding herdsmen roam freely plagued by safety agents. Because of this, blood has been flowing freely in communities in Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Niger and Plateau states. Kids have been turned into orphans and women turned into widows.
Clips from the assault on Shikaan Mbagena Kpav community, at Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of the exact same Benue State last Thursday, during which many people were murdered, reflect the chilling insecurity in our territory. Tse Ancha and Agan communities in Makurdi Local Government Area of the same Benue State were also recently invaded by Fulani militias. Eight people, including a neighbourhood head, were murdered. This occurred barely 12 hours after dozens of victims of this Abegana IDP camp killings by the exact same Fulani militias were buried.
The blood-spattered story is identical to the South-west and South-east. Even in his North-west, Nigeria’s Chief Security Officer turns a blind eye as offender herders butcher Hausa farmers. Only last Monday, Fulani militias entered Damage village at Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, murdering dozens of farmers in their farmlands.
Buhari came into power in 2015 with an avowal to tame insecurity but Nigeria has been degenerate along this line. Aside from the problem of criminal herders, bandits and kidnappers continue to maul Nigerians. Boko Haram terrorists also have become emboldened under the Buhari government, enlarging territories with extreme carnage. In Borno State, the epicentre of Boko Haram, 20 of the 27 local governments are unsafe. It is depressing for a government to persistently make promises of degrading Boko Haram, nevertheless, IDPs can not return to their homes. They struggle to get a meal per day while scores die each day of hunger, disease and malnutrition. After six years of Buhari, you will find near one million troubled people in these IDP camps in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The big question is: Why would a guy, his wives and children stay in a squalid IDP camp if his community had been recovered from Boko Haram? These folks can not return to their houses because Boko Haran controls those towns and villages.
President Buhari saying persistently he has technically defeated Boko Haram is heartless. Under Buhari’s view, Boko Haram became the deadliest terror group in the world, with thousands of Nigerians killed in the last six years. Even in IDP camps, these traumatised Nigerians are assaulted and killed by Boko Haram.
Our gallant soldiers are struggling to finish the Boko Haram war as they’re poorly equipped and poorly motivated. They frequently fight for adjustments and gear on the war front. Many of them have over-stayed about the war, in contrast to the principles of engagement, nevertheless, they are not rotated. The previous six years of Buhari have been dreadful for the army.
Let us change to the flagging Nigerian economy, which will be in the three-point schedule of the Buhari government. Our President inherited a robust economy that has been the largest in Africa, while Nigerians did their businesses with little encumbrances. Six years later, this country’s market is in shreds and continues to suffer, with no hope in sight. Thousands of businesses are gasping for breath. Many have closed shop. At some time, inflation has been almost at an unparalleled 18.72%. Note that Buhari, in 2015, inherited an inflation rate that oscillated between 7.7 per cent and 8.7 per cent. Daily, the waning market forces thousands of Nigerians below the poverty line. The sad news is that Nigeria has surpassed India as the country with the largest number of people living in life-threatening poverty on the planet. That is an insignia of disgrace which should work Buhari. Regrettably, he is untroubled.
As of last Friday, it had been trading in N490/$ at the real market. This is the same Naira Buhari inherited at about N220/$. Industrial estates across the country are under-utilised due to infrastructural challenges and inclement functioning environment. The likes of Kakuri, Sharada, Bompai, Ogba and Ikeja industrial estates are panting for breath. Producers are puffing for survival, while supplying their own electricity, water, road, safety, in addition to stifling multiple-taxation by all levels of authorities. The power supply remains one big mess. Buhari promised to increase creation to 10,000MW in his first semester. Six years after, this remains a mirage.
In Buhari’s six years, Nigeria’s joblessness rate worsened. The employment rate is a vital measurement of any market’s health. The most recent figures reveal that unemployment increased to 33.3% in Q4 2020 from 27.1percent in Q2 2020. Most of us now have an army of jobless youths in our houses. Unfortunately, this government lacks a pragmatic job development strategy. Buhari is still jumbling in his direction of the market, surrounded by eaglet economists.
Beneath Buhari, this country is seeing unprecedented infrastructure corrosion. Only check out decaying federal health institutions, roads and schools across the nation. As for health, the President and his family members are frequently flown overseas to enjoy foreign medicals.
What about Buhari’s scam known as a war against corruption? The United States’ 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published a couple of weeks back gives a ready reply to this incongruity called war against corruption. The report confirmed enormous corruption in Nigeria in 2020, under Buhari’s watch. The United States report simply emphasised what lots of people have always known about Buhari’s unsuccessful war against corruption. I persistently point out the defects, with a very long list of untamed sleazes — NNPCgate, Maihajagate, Mainagate, Bargate, Yusufgate, Babachirgate and the remainder of them.
Yes, corruption at MDAs predates the Buhari government, but he told us that it won’t be business as normal under him. Under Buhari, corruption in almost all the MDAs is a bigger monster, depriving Nigeria of huge earnings. Security agents are dropping grounds to terrorists, even nevertheless, cash for equipment to help reverse the tendency is obstinately mismanaged. The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno pointed out this early this season but recanted under stress. In this country, a serving army chief under Buhari bought a $2 million land in Dubai and shamelessly defended it with impunity.
Certainly, Buhari’s much talked about the war against corruption remains a fantasy. Beneath Buhari’s view, rent-seekers are collecting the profits of petroleum earnings. That is the reason why refineries are still not working; nonetheless, this administration spends billions of Naira on turnaround upkeep.
Despite the outcry, suspicious fees amounting to $17 million were supposedly paid to lawyers for the recovery of $321 million stolen by the former military ruler, Sani Abacha.
The largest sin Buhari committed from this nation within his six years as President is the branch created with his terrifying clannishness. Buhari has spent six years stoking our fault traces without regard for Federal Character in his appointments. The military, para-military and essential departments/agencies are mainly headed by people from a part of this nation. This is largely responsible for hatred and bloodshed across our country. Ethnic and religious divides have supposed an unprecedented dimension, together with our fault lines consistently stoked. This is certainly not the Nigeria of the fantasy.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s opinion about Buhari’s clannishness from the first days of his government is instructive here. He explained: “At no time in our history, except likely during the civil war, has Nigeria been so fractured from the sensation of oneness by the citizenry.” The ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, agreed, saying”Nigeria hasn’t been divided as presently, because it has amalgamation over 100 years back.”
The cleric commented that Buhari was running the”many nepotistic and narcissistic authorities in history,” and concluded that the President had not just relegated the national interest to the backdrop, but had introduced nepotism into the military.
After six decades, can Buhari, in all honesty, say he has delivered on his promises of constructing a new and united Nigeria? Can he honestly state that Nigerians are better than they were under his predecessor? Can he say that he has positively impacted the lives of those masses of the country in the last six decades? Could he honestly say that Nigerians are secure? Could he honestly state he is fighting corruption? The frank answers could be negative. Power supply, federal roads, hospitals and schools are in tatters. In six decades of Buhari, this nation’s unity has been ruined and diversity persistently mismanaged. The first step would be to discharge the legions of sycophants around you and surround yourself with unpretentious and selfless patriots. You must also consistently keep in mind that you were elected President of the whole nation, not of a part of the country, and begin acting as a dad to all. This is the way forwards for our beloved Nigeria.
Partying After General Attahiru’s Departure
Clips from the wedding of Rahman Malami, son of the Minister of Justice/Attorney-General of this Federation, Abubakar Malami at Sokoto State, hours after the death of Army Chief, General Ibrahim Attahiru, were disgusting. Yes, the union was proposed long before the plane crash which claimed Attahiru along with 10 others, but it should have been scaled down, even following the plane tragedy, with no razzmatazz at all. This is called common sense. It had been so depressing seeing five governors — Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Mohammed Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and Yahaya Inuwa of Gombe State — clinking glasses and posing for photos at the event, amid the calamity.
This should not occur hours after losing a military chief and many generals. Humanity has evidently gone bunkers among Nigerian politicians.
