New Telegraph

UN Speech: Practice what you preach, Afenifere tells Buhari

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put into practice what he said about justice, fairness and equity on the floor of the United Nations when he addressed the world body last Friday.

In a release signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, and made available to New Telegraph in Ibadan on Monday, the group said: “Buhari, while calling for the reform of the UN had said that: ‘without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our organisation is called to question.’ He also called for dialogue between Israel and Palestine to resolve their differences, adding that the skirmish between the duo borders on “the question of justice, fairness and equity.”

The group also said that “elsewhere in his speech, the Nigerian president also talked about the commitment of his administration to the respect of human rights.”

But picking holes in the president’s speech, Afenifere, stated that ethnic nationalities and other concerned stakeholders in Nigeria have been calling for dialogue to resolve ‘Nigeria issues’ for long. But the Federal Government under President Buhari has not only been ignoring them but hounding those calling for such dialogue.

“It is interesting, perhaps comforting that the Nigerian authority realizes that dialogue is the way to go in resolving knotty issues. It is, however, hypocrisy of the highest order for this same authority to be prescribing this to foreign authorities while describing those calling for the same thing at home as ‘hate speech makers’ and separatists”.

On internal security, Afenifere spokesman asserted that the reality on ground belies the president’s claim. The president, in his speech, had given the impression that terrorists have more or less surrendered to the Nigerian army.

Finally, Afenifere said that the kid gloves with which the government has been handling the issue of kidnapping was what has emboldened the perpetrators to continue in their dastardly acts, stressing that: “We call on the government to immediately allow states to transform their respective security networks into state police with all the powers appertaining thereto.”

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