Olubunmi Okogie, archbishop
emeritus of the Catholic archdiocese of Lagos, has asked President Muhammadu
Buhari to “seriously consider” resigning his position.
Okogie, in an open letter titled
‘Dear Mr. President, Call a Spade a Spade’, said the killings recorded in the
country since Buhari assumed office shows that his government has failed in the
area of security, one of his core campaign points.
He said neither Nigeria nor
Nigerians are protected under the watch of the Buhari administration.
According to PUNCH, the cleric
said a factor responsible for the president’s failure is that he surrounds
himself with “men and women who fail to tell you the truth about Nigeria and
who shield you from seeing what is happening to the ordinary Nigerians”.
Okogie was quoted as saying:
“Dear Mr. President, we must call a spade a spade. You were elected to protect
the land and its people but neither is being protected under your watch.
“You therefore have the most
important decision of your career to make. And that decision is this: Are you
for Nigerians or not?”
“The number (of Nigerians) killed
under your watch, Mr. President, provides more than convincing evidence that
the government you lead has failed to secure our lives. You are the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“If more than three years into
your administration, you have been unable to stop these killings, why don’t you
seriously consider the option of an honourable renunciation of the presidential
seat?
“One of the major factors behind
the patent failure of your government is the fact that you are surrounded by
men and women who fail to tell you the truth about Nigeria and who shield you
from seeing what is happening to the ordinary Nigerians.
“Instead of assisting you in the
governance of this country, they insult those whose dissenting opinions you
need if you are to succeed.”
Okogie further called on Buhari
to take drastic measures in ensuring that those found culpable in relation to
the killings are made to face justice.
“That is why the point must also
be made that those who contravene the laws of Nigeria be brought to book,
irrespective of their political, regional, ethnic or religious affiliation. But
the sad reality is: under your watch, that is not what is happening.”
“Dear President Buhari, I am
compelled to write to you again because, since the bloodshed of the first day
of this year, there has been more bloodshed in Zamfara State and in the Middle
Belt.
“The latest killings in Plateau
State make us wonder: where were you, Mr. President, while innocent lives were
being wasted in Plateau State? Where were your service chiefs when babies were
being ripped out of their mothers’ wombs by men who claim to do so because of
their cows?
“You described what is going on
as a clash between herdsmen and farmers. If the identities of these criminals
are not hidden, why has the Nigerian intelligence community, under your watch,
failed to prevent them from shedding blood?”
This is not the first time Okogie
is calling for the president’s renunciation of his position.
In January, the archbishop,
reacting to hints that Buhari would contest the 2019 elections, advised him to
respect himself and resign.
“What has he done in the years he
had been in the saddle? He has performed woefully; that’s the verdict of
Nigerians,” Okogie had said.
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