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Obasanjo writes another letter on Buhari

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Obasanjo writes another letter on Buhari

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again expressed his misgivings about the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He spoke on what he felt is the government’s failures to address issues of killings and poverty in Nigeria.

Obasanjo said the obvious indication is that the government is seemingly confused, and regretted that rather than proffering solutions to the problems in the country, Buhari’s government continues “giving one unrighteous and unacceptable justification after the other”.

The former president’s latest attack on the current administration was contained in a letter read on his behalf at a one-day national summit on insecurity and killings in Nigeria convened by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Yoruba socio- cultural group, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum on Wednesday in Abuja.

He was represented at the event by a former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

In the letter which was addressed to NEF chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Obasanjo recalled issues he recently deliberated with the northern elders when he (Abdullahi) visited him in Abeokuta.

He said, “When you kindly paid me a visit a couple of weeks ago, we deliberated on the danger to our democracy, our common identity, our commonality of purpose, our dream and our unity in diversity .

“We lamented the harm that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, by his action and inaction, has done and is doing to our commonwealth and our common heritage.”

Lamenting the state of the country under the Buhari government he said, “The obvious indication is that the government is seemingly confused and has got to the end of its tether and the nation is being left divisively and perilously to drift.

“Earlier last week, I noted in a speech some undesirable elements being allowed and being introduced to our democracy by this administration. If these are not stopped, they could be the death knell of our democracy.”

Obasanjo however noted that his joy was that “people are not ready to give up in despair and leave their fate and their present and future in the hands of inept leadership for their lives to be ruined. I see common concern across the nation irrespective of tribe, religion, language and social standing that the situation should be retrieved and the nation should be saved.”

He therefore called on the leaders to continue with their deliberation.

Others who were present and also spoke at the summit included Abdullahi, Ohanaeze President, Chief John Nwodo, PANDEF leader, Chief Edwin Clark and the Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

In the communique the leaders issued following the summit, they said that their objective was to forge a national consensus on the key pillars required for building national security, unity and survival in a just and democratic society.

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They expressed worries that Nigeria is going through “unprecedented incompetence and enthronement of mediocrity in dealing with the horrendous spate of killings and general insecurity across the country.”

The communique signed by Clark, Abdullahi, Adebanjo and Nwodo read in part, “In the eyes of many affected communities, there appears to be palpable government complicity in the killings. These killings claimed 3,500 lives in 2017, a figure that could be much higher in 2018.”

Other issues raised in the communique were demands for the revamping of the security architecture, removal of killers from the communities they had occupied and return of same to their rightful owners who now live in camps.

Noting that they would strive to reach a consensus on the positions of the various Nigerian communities and arrive at an agreed template on the issue of federalism and restructuring, the elders added that they will insist on “the emergence of a visionary and dynamic leadership which will deal with our security and economic challenges and ensure good governance in the country.”

 

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