Pascal Oparada
Again, President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement on the raging insecurity in the Southeast has drawn angry reactions from Nigerians, many of whom say he is calling for more anarchy in the region.
Buhari tweeted on Tuesday night threatening youths of the region with violence if they continue attacking state assets.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand” Buhari wrote on Twitter.
Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) June 1, 2021
He was referring to the Nigerian civil war in which over three million Nigerians died, most of whom from the Southeast.
Buhari, whose Twitter handle disabled the comments section, infuriated Nigerians who asked Twitter to suspend his account for inciting violence.
“Operation report this account until @jack take it down,” @SirFreshSemi said.
Others said his statement lacks presidential empathy at a time the country is spinning from insecurity.
“Screenshotting this thread for when they ask me “why do you want to leave the country?” at the embassy,” @Alex_Houseof308 said.
Buhari was a Lieutenant during the Nigerian civil war and has not missed an opportunity to remind people of the southeast that he fought in the civil war.
In 2016, Buhari asked members of the National Youth Service Corp from the southeast, who paid him a courtesy visit in Daura to tell their kinsmen to stop agitating for a separate country.
“I asked for those from the other extreme of Nigeria because I very much appreciate the NYSC scheme and whenever I see Gen. Gowon, I always thank him for that,’’ President Buhari said
Speaking specifically to corps members from the southeast states, he said: “Tell your colleagues who want Biafra to forget about it.
“As a military commander, I walked from Degem, a border town between the north and the east, to the border between Cameroon and Nigeria.
“I walked on my foot for most of the 30 months that we fought the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, in which at least two million Nigerians were killed.
“We were made by our leaders to go and fight Biafra not because of money or oil, because oil was not critical factor then, but because of one Nigeria.
“So if leaderships at various levels failed, it was not the fault of the rest of Nigerians who have no quarrel with one another.
“So please tell your colleagues that we must be together to build this country. It is big enough for us and potentially big enough in terms of resources.
”Those who work hard will earn a respectable living. I have seen this country, I fought for this country and I will continue to work for the unity of this country,” he said.
