Why Buhari is silent over killings in states

At last, the reason President Muhammadu Buhari often keeps sealed lips over killings by suspected herdsmen and other killings across the states of the federation may have been revealed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

Nigerians have continued to wonder why President Buhari will often comment on killings in other parts of the world, but find it difficult to comment on the ones in the states of the country.

According to Adesina, the reason the President has not reacted is because the onus of the matter is the primary concern of the chief security officer of the state, the governor.

Recently, the president had refused to comment when over 300 people were massacred and several villages razed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Agatu, Benue State this year.

It took the President several days after that brutality, and criticisms from different quarters to finally comment on the activities of the marauding herdsmen in Benue State.

And in the current case of southern part of Kaduna State, several weeks running into the continued maiming of children, women and innocent Nigerians by these killers whom Governor El-Rufai once said were foreign Fulanis, President Buhari is yet to speak on the situation.

However, his media aide said on the matter, “You don’t have to hear from the President on that matter. When it pays us, we talk about federalism and true federalism; yet you want the president and presidency to talk about everything.

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“When a thing like this happens in a state, there is a chief security officer and he is supposed to be on top of the matter. So, why should the President then be talking about it? True federalism means the governor should be in charge and he is in charge of it.”

According to Adesina, local authorities must play a crucial role in stopping the violence. He added that state and local governments have a major role to play in dealing with the herdsmen crisis.

While he said that Buhari was always in constant touch with governors, whenever an attack occurred to get timely updates, Adesina argued that the best way to stop the killings was through collaboration between the states and the grassroots leaders in local governments.

He said, “The Federal Government has roles to play, but not as much as the state and local governments.”

 

 

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