Human rights activist, Ebun-olu
Adegboruwa, says the nationwide broadcast by President Muhammadu
Buhari is a “disappointment”.
The lawyer said all the president
did was to condemn Nigerians and attack issues, instead of using words to
soften the minds of agitators and the entire citizenry.
A statement Adegboruwa sent out
reads: “This is a president who virtually sneaked out of Nigeria, who breached
his own self declaration of transparency, by keeping Nigerians in the dark for
over 100 days, and in that process grinding the wheel of progress of the
nation.
“Notwithstanding that the
president took Nigerians for granted, he was not impeached, but rather
Nigerians were offering prayers for his recovery, daily, only for him to return
with a language of combat and insult, describing his own citizens as
“irresponsible elements!
“There must just be something
about the APC ruling govt that detests truth and consistency. Whist the
president was away, his Vice President translated our freedom of expression
into hate speeches and terrorism and here is the president, few days
thereafter, piling up hatred and animosity upon Nigerians, who are simply
demanding restructuring, true federalism and dialogue, asking the president and
his party, to fulfill their campaign promises.
“This should not be language of a
president that has benefited from the goodwill and magnanimity of his people,
this cannot be the message of gratitude that Nigerians deserve from the
president, who has been absent from duty.
“The president has not addressed
the questions on the lips of all Nigerians, as to make full and frank
disclosures, on the nature of his ailment, that took him out of Nigeria for 103
days, the state of his health presently, and the nature of his treatment, so as
to engender hope in this regime and bring certainty to governance.
“I had thought that the aides of
the president were being unduly diplomatic, all the while, by keeping the
sealed lip over his health status, but it is clear now from the president’s
speech, that they were only acting out his script of secrecy, contrary to his
oath of office.
“The greatest disappointment in
the presidential broadcast is the act of buck passing, on the issue of
restructuring, true federalism and devolution of powers, which were the main
campaign slogans of the president, as encapsulated in the APC manifesto. So, I
now ask: what was it that the president was discussing with the senate
president and the speaker of the House of Representatives when they all visited
him in London?
“Did they not tell the president
that members of his ruling APC party killed the demand for restructuring,
devolution of powers, true federalism, state police, etc, while he was away?
“Did they not tell him that
Nigerians are hungry? Did they not tell him that infrastructure has virtually
collapsed all over the nation? Did they not tell him that Boko Haram has
resurrected? Did they not tell the president of the latest report that corruption
is festering under his regime?
“The president admitted much in
his speech that he had been following developments back home. So he was well
aware of the current atmosphere of the Nigerian nation, but he chose to
transfer his own responsibility back to the same National Assembly that
scuttled the yearnings and expectations of our people.
“While we pray that his healing
should be permanent, I believe very much that the president owes Nigerians a
sacred duty to be open, transparent and forthright with his state of health and
medical treatment.
“Above all, we don’t need a
language of war, that will increase the tensions all over the land, we don’t
need the language of combat, we don’t need the language of division, and surely
we don’t need abuses.
“The president should be a man of
peace and he should restore hope and confidence in all our people.
“If the president has admitted so
much in his broadcast that he and his government have failed Nigerians, then he
cannot in the same speech be throwing insults and threats to the same people
that he has failed.”
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com