Nigeria sitting on a time bomb – Delegates

Debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s inauguration speech continued at the National Conference yesterday with delegates noting that Nigeria sat on a time bomb factored by high level unemployment, insecurity, corruption, and religious intolerance.



Also yesterday, the military constituency at the conference again sharply rebuffed insinuations of military incursion as a drawback to the country’s development. However, the flow of commendation for the president was cut short yesterday after two delegates including former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Gambo criticized what they dubbed as the praise singing of the president.

Besides Gambo, political associate of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and one time head of The Buhari Organisation, TBO Engr. Buba Galadima, said that there was nothing exceptional about the speech to rate it above speeches given by former Nigerian leaders.

Bode Goerge pleads with Nigerians

Retired naval officer and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Chief Olabode George while appraising the president’s speech had poured encomiums on the president for his foresight in organizing the conference even as he strongly rejected blames cast on the military for its past interventions in government.
“I want to plead with our people that as we come here, when you are bringing out your facts, please do your research; the military incursion into the Nigeria politics is not the problem that we are facing today; some have been half truth.
“Let us tell the younger generation what happened. I think it was the deputy chairman of the Senate at that time who decided to invite the military, the military did not just wake up from their barracks and ended out to take power, please let us tell ourselves the truth, the bane of our problem has been intolerance,” George said.

Also defending the military’s role in governance was the first military governor of former North Western State from 1967-1975, Alhaji Usman Farouk, a retired commissioner of police who is representing Gombe State.

Asserting that he could not in any way apologise for the military role in governance, he said: “The only person who should be called to apologize are the military heads of state, those who plotted the coups.”

Also contributing, the Emir of Gummi, Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi who attributed cases of insurgency in North East, Kidnapping in the South South and ritual killings in South West to poverty in the land, said, “we know the reason why there is insurgency in the Northeast and why there is cattle rustling in Northeast, North-Central, kidnapping in the South-South and ritual killing in the Southwest. All these are caused by poverty.

“Injustice is responsible for cattle rustling. When I was appointed an Emir, almost every part of Zamfara was vulnerable to attacks by Fulani marauders. I asked the Fulanis why is this happening?

They said they had good reasons for the attack but since I came I engaged them constructively. Today, Gumi Emirate is free from such attacks.

“The reason they gave me for the attacks was that: They said, over 100 years ago, we had cattle routes. These were places that were kept for the use of the Fulanis. But the politicians came and promised their people that they will give them some lands to farm. Even in Kogi and Benue states, there are clearly designated routes if you check the colonial papers.”

In his contribution, the Chief Priest of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosakhare Isekhure who identified unemployment as one of the major problems in the country asked the administration to be more proactive in job creation.

In his contribution yesterday, Alhaji Buba Galadima said that there was no need for the conference to sit and ponder the problems of Nigeria as he said that all Nigerians were familiar with the problems of the country.
Commenting on the president’s address, he said: “The address of Mr. President as laudable as many people have said, to me it is one of the speeches of leaders. I have been one of the critics of this conference, maybe that was why when my state submitted my name, the federal government found it expedient to remove it. Well, we are here. We all know the problem of Nigeria. We don’t need to assemble here, spend so much for such a gathering. Where is the power of the people?,” he asked.
Don’t praise Jonathan — Gambo

Also taking the critical view, Gambo, a former Inspector General of Police said that Dr. Jonathan’s inauguration address like any other president’s speech was a conversation between a president of a country and the rest of the citizens.

Submitting that most presidents do have their speeches written by exceptional speech writers to make it sound interesting, Gambo said the speech did not necessarily reflect Dr. Jonathan’s mind. He charged the delegates to show courage in telling leaders the home truth especially when they do wrong.

“One of the greatest disservice you can do to your head of state is to praise him when you should tell him what he has done. The president’s speech particularly in this case is just ordinary interaction with the citizens.”