BY TIMOTHY AGBORAND AGNES NWORIE
Some analysts have scored the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari low in all sectors of the economy, stating that Nigerians deserve an apology from him.
Oluyemi Omotosho, Dean, Students Affairs, Federal Polytechnic, Ede; Wale Adebisi and Moses Obaditan, advised the federal government against pampering the Boko Haram insurgents and other terrorists groups by negotiating with them.
Speaking in Osogbo, Osun State, the trio described Nigeria as a failed state, saying that President Buhari’s assertion that he would not end up as a failure was an attestation to the fact that his administration had disappointed the citizens, hence the need for him to tender an unreserved apology.
According to Adebisi, Buhari is the most tolerated president Nigeria ever had, and unlike the experience with his predecessors, Nigerians continue to persevere despite the hardships being faced due to bad policy implementation.
He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari is a very lucky man, because despite the hardship that his policies brought on Nigerians, people didn’t protest against him. He is very lucky. Recently, there was an increase in the price of domestic gas, but nobody talked. The pump price of the premium motor spirit had been increased several times, but nobody talked.
“Electricity tariff had been increased, nobody talked. He is the most tolerated president in this country. He made that history because Nigerians never tolerated any of their leaders like this before. I think that is what is giving him the opportunity to say that he will not end as a failure.”
Advising the government against dialoguing with terrorists, Adebisi said that experience had shown that those who were granted amnesty in the past abused the privilege by rising up in arms against the state.
Therefore, he said that leniency towards insurgents would embolden graver crimes in the country.
“This is not the first time that Boko Haram insurgents will be surrendering; they had surrendered before. They gave them money and amnesty but they went back to join terrorist gangs. It’s clear that everything that Aisha Buhari complained about the style of Buhari’s governance is manifesting now. She is the first person in the presidency to speak up against Buhari’s governance style.
“Buhari has lost grip of governance. All that they promised Nigerians on security, health, economy, oil and gas and many more have not been fulfilled.
And now, he (Buhari) is promising to do what he failed to do in the last six years. He should just apologise to Nigerians because he failed woefully.”
Omotosho said that Buhari appeared detached from the pains and misery of Nigerians.
“His administration had disappointed the citizens, hence the need for him to tender an unreserved apology”
“The president is totally detached from the people. Buhari’s will be quoted everywhere in the world as one of the governments that failed abysmally.
Instead of telling more lies to justify his failed government, he should apologise to Nigerians for his failures. If he does that, maybe, some Nigerians would forgive him. He should sack the members of his cabinet and take fresh hands because they did not perform well,” he said.
Obaditan suggested that the repentant terrorists should be prosecuted and convicted, saying that “I don’t support the rehabilitation of repentant bandits or terrorists. The President doesn’t know the heat that the governors and people are feeling. Buhari has been so lethargic, mute and unperturbed towards fighting insecurity. His leadership is incompetent and oftentimes acts against the constitution of Nigeria.
“I will advise him to immediately call for a conference of all the ethnic nationalities in the country. There should be dialogue. There is need for review. Nigeria needs a review of the configuration of this country.”
In the same vein, a lecturer at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nkwede Friday, warned that dialoguing with terrorists would amount to legitimising banditry.
Calling for the prosecution of the arrested bandits as a deterrent for others, Nkwede said, “To me, it is not the best idea to be dialoguing with terrorists and bandits. It is not the best.
“By dialoguing with bandits, the federal government is legitimising banditry. Dialoguing with them means that they are known. If they are known, they should be prosecuted. Those who brought them for dialogue are the ones using them to extort the nation. Remember what happened in 2015. Remember how banditry came about. They were brought in to destabilise election. At the end of the election, former President Goodluck Jonathan surrendered and accepted defeat for the sake of peace and progress.
“Those boys were not settled to return to their countries and now they devised means of making money off the federal government and the people. Now, they have done more damage. Negotiating with them is adding more salt to injury.
“If the federal government is honest with the plan to end banditry, it will end. Just imagine the invasion of the Nigerian Defence Academy irrespective of the sophisticated equipment, the terrain and checks, they attacked and killed top officials. After this, you begin to negotiate with them? Let’s be honest with ourselves, does it mean that Nigerian security cannot deal with these people? There is no need for negotiations; it will not help the matter at all,” he warned.
