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PRESIDENT MUHAMADU BUHARI’S NATIONAL BROADCAST TO NIGERIANS AFTER OVER 100 DAYS OF MEDICAL TRIP TO ENGLAND

 

PRESIDENTIAL BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS;

1. I was distressed by comments, especially on social media.
2. Social media comments have crossed our national red lines.
3. Nigeria’s unity is none negotiable
4. Every Nigerian has the right to live anywhere

Mr president used his speach to thank Nigerians for their prayers during his trip to England to seek medical help for an undisclosed illness;

The president in his national broadcast, emphasised on how distressed he was at some of the comments, especially on social media. According to him, those comments have “crossed our national red lines” by daring to question “our collective existence” referring to the Nigerian project, which ofcourse involves the diverse ethnic groups that make up the country.

After the said highlights of the speech, the president immediately proceeded to talk about his meeting in 2003 with Late Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in his home town of Daura. In which he tells Nigerians, that he agreed, with the then late Biafran leader, that Nigeria should remain as one country and united. He further stressed that the unity of Nigeria is settled and none negotiable.

Furthermore, he stated, that he was not going to allow some irresponsible elements, to start troubles and when things get bad they will run away and task others with the responsibility of bringing back order “if necessary with their bloods “  This is an analogy that arguably could be referred to the action of the said Biafran late leader, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, when he fled the country at the end of the Biafra and Nigeria’s civil war.

It might help, to suggest that this administration should take it’s guide from Mr Wole Soyinka’s educated position on these issues of co-existence “the unity of Nigeria is none negotiable phrase” is an authoritarian position, which is not applicable in a democracy.

Mr president also stated that every Nigerian has the right to live wherever they choose without let or hindrance. Unfortunately, the government of Nigeria has never shown its strength in the protection of Nigerians,especially, none northerners living in the north ern part of Nigeria.

It is important to mention that the northern part of Nigeria is historically, the part of the country where none indigenes are killed more than any other part of the country. killings of none indigeons is a rare occurrence in the southern part of the country.

The Fulani herdsmen have decimated many communities in the south east, by killing and displacing so many,with there AK47 Riffles, the president remained mute and did not see that as part of the threat to the coexistence of the Nigerian project. That might be one of the reasons,the president did not find any analogy he could have used to describe their continued barbaric actions!

To this end as some may argue, the president only confirmed what already existed without giving any strategic plans with which to assure those none Muslims, living in the north, of their security as well as the actions that the government would take if that happens. To deter those that have gotten away with these murderous and barbaric acts over many years.

It has been the common practice of this present administration to send its law enforcement agencies heavy handily to kill peaceful demonstrators in the south east.

But in Abuja recently, some northern pro Buhari youths attacked a charley boy led protest (RESUME OR RESIGNE group) with all sorts of weapons under the nose of the Nigerian police and none of them were shot at manhandled or killed. Another demonstration of nepotism and favouritism by the same administration that is preaching the unity of Nigeria is none negotiable!

The president talks about Nigerian constitution, he ought to have also explained how the presidency would use the said constitutional powers to punish and “bring to book”, those that are killing none Muslim Nigerians living in the north, for excuses as little as urinating on the street, near a mosque or even preaching their faith on the streets of some northern states!

The president in his address, described, the reckless and barbaric killings being perpetuated across the country by Fulani herdsmen as “herdsmen versus farmers clash” it might be reasonable at this juncture to suggest, that the president appears to be bias and soft with the barbaric act being pepetuated by these Fulani herdsmen. These killings, have cost family’s their loved one’s and communities their home and villages.

He also missed to address the one key issue that was a threat by violence and designed to facilitate the division of the country and by the Nigerian constitution, should be treasonable offence. The threat issued to the Igbos living in the North by the Northern youth coalition (AREWA) seem not to have made Mr presidents list of priority and may have not been on social media to the attention of Mr president.

The AREWA youths must have been speaking from the (BAR) when in their statements, they dared anyone to arrest them. And truth to their words, no one, not even those of the operation dancing sun of the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria has dared to do so, not even the president in his speech could say that. But “the unity of Nigeria, is none negotiable”, is the message, designed to intimidate the less privileged, less powerful and other conquered Nigerians!

Hence Mr president did not task his law enforcement agencies, to see that all those involved are arrested and “brought to book”. But it must be said, that before anybody in Nigeria, would talk about the Nigerian unity that is none negotiable. They, must firstly, address the core issues that is fuelling the need for division in the Nigerian project!

The president talked about the legitimate concerns that exist in the country and that different groups have the rights to air their grievances, whatever that means. But he further stressed that the National assembly and the council of states are the two legitimate channels for this discourse.  

In summary, the president’s speech would have succeeded in fuelling the already tensed situation to critical. The broadcast lacks direction, substance and strategy to solving the current challenges facing the country.

It is obvious, that the president’s speech was not about how to rescue the dwindling economy of the country, nor how to create jobs and infrastructures. But one that is tended to warn the people of the south east and remind them of how they were killed during the Biafra and Nigeria civil war, which only amounts to intimidation that will create more anger and outburst in the eastern region of Nigeria.

These people already feel marginalized and the president’s speech, could not have been structured in a better way to buttress the feelings that already exist among over 70% of the Igbo’s. it was these same types of stance by this same government that helped to galvanize support for the IPOB and today you cannot ignore the numbers in support of the agitation to secede.

The question is, will the Nigerian government ever learn from the past. Threats and heavy handedness is never the right tool to solve the problem of ideology.

No nation on the surface of the earth has ever defeated an ideology and Nigeria has not even attained nationhood to even attempt to defeat it.

The slogan during the Biafra versus Nigeria civil war was;

“TO KEEP NIGERIA ONE IS A TASK THAT MUST BE DON” 

BUT TODAY IT IS DIFFERENT; TODAY ‘S SLOGAN SHOULD BE,TO KEEP NIGERIA AS ONE, JUSTICE, MUST, BE DONE!