Amid Buhari’s optimism, Osinbajo tells why delivering promised change won’t be possible

Despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s insistence on delivering the change his government promised Nigerians, his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, has given reasons why the administration may not be able to deliver the promised change.

Buhari had during his remarks at the induction of the Nigerian Air Force’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Tsaigumi, in Kaduna State on Thursday said, “Let me again reiterate our commitment and firm resolve to take this nation to the next level. We remain determined to overcome all challenges to our security and development as a nation”.

On his party’s promised change, he said that his administration “remains determined, despite numerous challenges to bring about the much-needed change”.

However, speaking same day at a public lecture organised by The Kukah Centre in Abuja, with the theme: “How to make Democracy Work for Africa,” Vice President Osinbajo blamed government’s inability to deliver on its promises on socio-political inequality, weak justice system, absence of rule of law and lack of state capacity to maintain law and order.

He said, “That is the Africa story; democracy, yes; election yes. These are issues that remain very prominent everywhere in Africa. It is often threatened because we simply have not invested enough in the institutions that make this possible. So, ensuring security, problems of weak policing are some of the issues that we experience.

“The perception of people on the efficiency and fairness of the justice system is affected always by the slow pace of trials and manipulation of the system by those who can afford superior legal representation.

“Many of the ethnic and other parochial tensions that tended to create insecurity and outright conflict, time and time again, are largely on account of failure to deliberately undertake nation-building efforts.

“But the question of the capacity of the state to deliver on its most important role of security, justice and rule of law is often threatened because we have not invested enough in institutions that make it possible.”

Meanwhile, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Revd Fr. Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, has said that the problems plaguing Nigeria’s democracy will not disappear with the removal of President Buhari from office.

READ ALSO: With less than one and half yrs to go, Buhari still promises to deliver change to Nigerians

Kukah, who also spoke at the event by his centre in Abuja argued, “Third Force’ coalition to merely produce a replacement for President Buhari in 2019 will not fix the inefficiencies of government unless the entire political class see power as a trust given to them by the people.

“Since 1999, when we returned to democracy, we had prayerfully hoped that by now, we would have covered a lot of mileage but almost 20 years later, it seems to be quite a bit of tragedy. Building a nation is like staying in marriage or pursuing any vocation in life that requires lots and lots of patience and hard work.

“On the issue of 2019 and the third force coalition, I reiterate that if every time you have problem in your marriage, you go ahead to marry a new wife, how many wives will you end up marrying? The solution to bad marriage is not a new marriage. I am talking as a Catholic priest. The problem with the APC is that it is a coalition and that is why it is falling apart.

 

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