Again, Nigerian Leaders, Elders Knock Buhari over Poor Performance

Segun James

The Nigerian Leaders and Elders Forum (NLEF) has said that it was totally embarrassed that President Muhammadu Buhari went to the global stage to restate his position that terrorism and insurgency in the Sahel region and Lake Chad Basin area were fuelled by runaway fighters from Iraq and Syria with arms from the disintegration of Libya.

The NLEF in a statement signed by Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere; Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Northern Elders Forum; Chief John Nwodo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Pogu Bitrus, Middle Belt Forum and Chief Edwin Clark, PANDEF, said that “President spoke in New York where he unfolded Nigeria’s positions on international matters before the global audience during the opening of the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA73).

“The position of the President is obviously a disingenuous way of explaining the failure of leadership of Nigeria under him to fulfill the elementary obligation of any constituted authority -protecting the lives of its citizens.

The NLEF lamented that in the last three-and-half years, “thousands of lives have been lost to bandits and terrorists with our government failing to apprehend any suspect except giving one excuse or the other for its inability to secure our country.

“The palpable failure of the administration has led many citizens including Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma to conclude that there could be some complicity between the terrorists and some members of our security forces.

“This is why it is so scandalous that the President would still be offering this jaded line a few months to the end of his tenure. Does he expect Nigerians to hold an appreciation rally that he is telling them that he knows where those killing them are from and he cannot do anything about it?

“It is more appalling that one of the major planks of campaign by the President in 2015 was to secure Nigeria. Is this how to secure a country? If a group of foreign gangsters decide to take over the government of Nigeria today, is it this kind of lamentations we would see?

“It is pretty clear that Nigerians cannot have security under a President that admits this kind of abysmal failure and incapacity at a global stage. It is a confirmation of our position that Nigeria needs a new leadership from next year that understands what the duties of a responsible and responsive government is.

“We cannot continue to die daily as a people unprotected under this type of leadership for another four years after the first unfortunate four of this administration.”