New Telegraph

Buhari: OBJ, Jonathan led Nigeria to ‘near destruction’

…admits country needs healing, boasts of performance

President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed his predecessors in office for the current challenges confronting Nigeria. Specifically, the President accused leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were at the helm of affairs from 1999 – 2015 of presiding over the near destruction of the country.

Buhari, who stated this in a nationwide broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary, accused leaders of that era of acting in bad faith by trying to criticise the current administration over numerous issues that ought to have been resolved during their era.

Although, he did not mention the names of his predecessors directly, the veiled reference was to former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umar Musa Yar’Adua (late) and Goodluck Jonathan who were in office during the said period. He acknowledged that his government has been grappling with the dual challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in the face of drastically reduced resources, but said that no previous government was able to do as much as the present government under difficult circumstances.

In the last three years, he said, his administration has introduced unprecedented measures in support of the economy and to the weakest members of our society through programmes such as Tradermoni, Farmermoni, School Feeding Programme, job creation efforts and agricultural intervention programmes.

“In addition to public health challenges of working to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, we have suffered a significant drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal revenues due to 40 per cent drop in oil prices and steep drop in economic activities, leading to a 60 per cent drop in government revenue. “No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources.

We have managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security. Those in the previous governments from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts,” he said.

Apparently ruling out any hope of a reversal in the recent increase in the price of petrol, the President said that sustaining the previous level of petroleum prices was no longer possible. Buhari hinted about a further hike in the present price of petrol, stating that there was no basis for Nigeria to be selling fuel lower than Saudi Arabia. According to the President, petrol sells for an equivalent of N168 per litre in Saudi Arabia while the same product sells for N161 per litre in Nigeria. “The government, since coming into office, has recognized the economic argument for adjusting the price of petroleum.

But the social argument about the knockon effect of any adjustment weighed heavily with the government. “In the circumstances, a responsible government must face realities and take tough decisions. Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be adjusted. We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point; Chad which is an oil producing country charges N362 per litre. Niger, also an oil producing country, sells one litre at N346.

In Ghana, another oil producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre. “Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia,” he said Buhari reminded Nigerians that to achieve the great country they all desire, they need to increase their commitment and encourage themselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one was watching.

He pointed out that the main challenge facing the nation’s electoral process was human induced and reiterated his commitment to bequeathing processes and procedures that would guarantee that people’s votes count. According to him, the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, generally adjudged to be free and fair, attested to his commitment to the conduct of transparent polls across the country.

“The problems with our electoral process are mainly human induced as desperate desire for power leads to desperate attempts to gain power and office. “Democracy, the world over and as I am pursuing in Nigeria, recognizes the power of the people. However, if some constituencies choose to bargain off their power, they should be prepared for denial of their rights. “This call is made more urgent if we realise that even after a transparent, free, fair and credible election, desperation leads to compromising the judiciary to upturn legitimate decisions of the people.

It is necessary to, therefore, support the enthronement of the rule of law by avoiding actions which compromise the judiciary,” he said. The President stressed that Nigerians have the capacity and capability to live peacefully with one another and urged the people to always provide the necessary community intelligence to security agencies for the government to manage the nation’s security.

He also reflected on the country’s political development since independence in 1960 when Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa received the constitutional instruments symbolizing Nigeria’s independence with a promise of building an enduring nation.

He said that the founding fathers understood the imperative of structuring a national identity using the power of the state and worked towards unification of Nigerians as a politically stable and viable entity. “That philosophy guided the foundation that was laid for our young nation of 45 million people with an urban population of approximately seven million occupying an area of 910,768 square kilometres.

These demographics led to development challenges for which major efforts were made to overcome. “Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200 million occupying the same landmass, but 52% residing in urban areas,” he said.

Buhari identified the consistent harp on inaccurately contrived fault-lines that has been haboured and allowed unnecessarily for so long as the bane of the nation’s development even as he stressed that institutions such as the civil service, police, the judiciary and the military all suffered from a general decline.

The President listed measures to be taken for the nation to surmount the challenges facing it to include the evolution and sustenance of a democratic culture that leaves power in the hands of the people and supporting the enthronement of the rule of law, demanding accountability of elected representatives and contributing to good governance.

He canvassed that Nigerians must raise the commitment to peaceful co-existence in a secure and united Nigeria, and harnessing and optimizing the tremendous human and natural resources to attain the goal of being in the top 20 economies of the world. He also restated his vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years and strengthening institutions to make them stronger in protecting national interests and imbibing tolerance in diversity.

The president also stressed the need for the country to begin a sincere process of national healing, saying that the current anniversary presented genuine opportunity to eliminate divisive tendencies among the people. He advised citizens to always discard acts capable of dividing the nation or promoting primordial sentiments. “We need to begin sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and out-worn perceptions.

“The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution and integration.

“To start this healing process, we are already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such – our people – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in many fields.

“It has been demonstrated time and time again that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology, medicine,sports, arts and many other fields. “Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home have resulted to a global recognition of our endeavours.” The President was later at the Eagle Square where he inspected a colourful parade mounted by the Nigeria Armed Forces, the Nigerian Legion and a host of other paramilitary organisations.

The ceremony also featured acrobatic displays and cultural dances. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; former President Goodluck Jonathan and other personalities were in attendance.

The low-key event was held strictly in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols. Buhari, who appeared in white traditional attires of babbariga with a white cap, was accompanied by his wife, Hajiya Aisha.

The president inspected the quarter guards before marching to the state box to receive national salute. The national salute was followed by rendition of the National Anthem. The colourful Independence Parade was performed by the Armed Forces and the para-military agencies while the Nigerian Air Force organised fly-past displays to commemorate 60th anniversary. The parade was led by Lt- Col. Muktar Haruna. Buhari, accompanied by Osinbajo and other personalities, signed the anniversary register. Other dignitaries at the event included the Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Tanko Mohammed, and some top dignitaries. Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Service Chiefs, top government functionaries and members of the diplomatic corps were also at the event.

Read Previous

Nigeria’s active mobile subscriptions hit 203m

Read Next

Visionless leaders, cause of Nigeria’s woes – ACF

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *