Chidi Mokeme bemoans Buhari’s ‘dictatorial tone’, calls for a look into Nigeria’s structure

Nollywood actor Chidi Mokeme has decried what he described as the dictatorial tone of President Muhammadu Buhari during his last address to the nation.

Mokeme said in an open letter that Buhari’s tone negates his fatherly factor as he does not see Nigeria surviving under the present circumstances while also calling on the president to kick start the process of restructuring without delay.

He wrote; “MR PRESIDENT YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE UNITY OF NIGERIA BUT……. My major concern about Mr. President’s speech is the dictatorial tone applied, negating your fatherly factor and the concerns of dissenting voices in a democracy, especially as it relates to the restructuring of Nigeria.

“These dissenting voices in my estimation do not include IPOB. Mr President I agree with you that it is good to keep Nigeria united. But to say that the type of unity we currently have is non-negotiable smacks of dictatorship.

“In case you have forgotten the so called unity was actually discussed by our fathers and the terms of unity Nigerians wanted was agreed upon. But the military boys came in with violent disorder and destroyed what was negotiated prior to independence and in 1963, and gave us what you now describe as non-negotiable, called 1999 constitution.

Read also: Mokeme mocks newly emerged photo of Buhari

“What the military led by one man gave us is unanimity and not unity. They took away the content of what was negotiated that was supposed to be non-negotiable and gave us inequality, a stifled system that undermines Nigeria’s progress, development and prosperity. Indeed our fathers had a detailed discussion and negotiation with the British in the 50’s about the kind of union that was acceptable to us.

“They all agreed on real federalism whereby each zone maintained its own economy, peculiar political structure and institutions. These included resource control, regional/state police and prisons and many other creative structures that made Nigeria progressive pre-independence to 1967.

“Any document decided by Adulsalam Abubakar and his junta called the 1999 constitution is without our general contribution and it is largely not acceptable. And the change required cannot be made by only a council of state populated by retired generals from one region or national assembly without equal representation from across the states and zones.”

Recall a month ago that Chidi joined scores of his colleagues who dug into the furore caused by a proposed move by the Federal Government of Nigeria to ban the shooting and production of videos outside the shores of the country.

The thespian lashed out at the proposed move by the FG when he posted a hilarious video of African hunters trying to destroy a drone with arrows with the caption; “APC “Travel Ban” police when they see @peterpsquare and @donjazzy shooting music video for their collabo….????? #ChidiSense.”

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now