Afenifere flays Buhari over interviews, says President not acting in best interest of Nigerians

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere has described the recent public pronouncements of President Muhammadu Buhari on several issues facing the country as far short of what was expected of the president just as they exposed Buhari led administration as one bent on taking steps that are not in the best interests of the majority of Nigerians.

As it challenged Buhari to, as a matter of urgency; send a bill to the National Assembly on restructuring and devolution of power if he wants Nigerians to believe that he meant what he says.

Afenifere was reacting to the speech made by the President to mark 2021 June 12 Democracy Day and the interviews he granted on Thursday and Friday on Arise Television and the NTA respectively.

In a press statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere expressed its disappointment on the disclosure by the President that he had directed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to ‘re-open’ grazing routes throughout the country.

According to the statement, “We have some questions for Mr. President and the Attorney General in this respect. One, who created the so-called grazing routes? At what time in our history did our founding fathers gather to designate specific routes from the North to the South as ‘grazing routes?’ 

“Two, assuming without conceding, that there were so-called grazing routes, what would now happen to structures that have been built in areas where the so-called routes are to be re-opened? Would such structures, including residences and factories, be pulled down so that cows would have places to graze? Compared to what would be lost economically, socially, politically and in security terms if these structures are to be pulled down, is it not better to encourage the building of ranches? We can go on and on.

“The President’s pronouncement on this issue as well as his confession on how he determines who occupy positions at the national level seems to indicate that Buhari’s government is operating a constitution that is different from the one that we all are aware of, i.e. the 1999 Constitution.

“For instance, Section 2 of the Land Use Act, the law governing land matters in the country, vests the administration and control of lands in a given state in the hands of the governor of the state.

The Yoruba group recalled the President’s speech in which he said that he was a firm believer in devolving power to the people and that it was the National Assembly that can deal with the issue of restructuring and devolution of power.

It, therefore, challenged Buhari to, as a matter of urgency; send a bill to the National Assembly on restructuring and devolution of power if he wants Nigerians to believe that he meant what he says.

On the president’s claim that his administration has not done badly as he challenged Nigerians to compare what is obtainable now with that of 2015 when he took over, Afenifere declared that “Nigerians were far better off in virtually everything in 2015 than they are presently. For the President to claim that the country is better now than in 2015 clearly shows that he is not in touch with reality or that he has a different measurement when comparing the two eras.”

The body regretted that the President confessed the seeming helplessness of his administration in combating the insecurity that was about to consume the country presently.

“President Buhari needs not tell us all these as we are already aware and are feeling it. What is expected of him is to take concrete steps to tackle the challenges he enumerated so perfectly,” Afenifere noted.

It also accused Buhari of being insensitive going by what he (the President) confessed that he told Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State when the latter came to him with pictures of the destruction during the EndSars protest in Lagos.

“That type of attitude is unpresidential and revealed the depth of how insensitive the president is to the plight of Nigerians.To Afenifere, President Buhari seems to derive pleasure in shifting blames and responsibilities when pressed on what his government ought to do.

“Were this not be so, he would not have hidden his inability to confront insecurity problem on the excuse that state governors are allegedly pocketing allocations meant for the local government councils in their respective states.

“Also, he would not have sent Governors Seyi Makinde and Rotimi Akeredolu of Oyo and Ondo States back to go and face the insecurity problems in their states when he knew perfectly well that the tools to tackle the problem are not within the control of these governors.

“The governors ran to him in his capacity as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. His sending them back empty handed can be likened to a father to whom children ran in the face of danger and the thoughtless father sent the children back to go and face the danger without providing them the weapon or tool with which to confront the danger.

“Especially since the governors are not in control of any force that they could use to tackle the insecurity challenges,” Afenifere maintained.

The press statement added that few of these governors that came up with innovative security apparati were inhibited by the actions of the Federal Government-controlled police who usually undermine the activities of the state security agencies like Amotekun in the South West.

“Afenifere insisted that President Buhari’s recent pronouncements, rather than smooth the pains of Nigerians and give assurance on making Nigeria better, exposed his administration as one that is not in tune with the people’s aspirations.”