President Mohammadu Buhari, is becoming a failed and divided country.
In a statement by Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu, the presidency
described former President Obasanjo as a “Divider-in-Chief”, who is
dividing the nation while Buhari is striving to build a united country.
Shehu’s statement reads:
“In his most recent statement, former President Olusegun Obasanjo
attempts to divide the nation while President Muhammadu Buhari continues
to promote nation-building and the unity of Nigeria.
“The difference is clear. From the lofty heights of Commander-in-Chief,
General Obasanjo has descended to the lowly level of Divider-in-Chief
(to adapt the coinage of Time).
“Before responding further to the unfair attacks on President Buhari and
his administration by the former President, it is important that we
categorically state that contrary to the assertions by a few analysts,
the recent speech in which President Buhari advised West African
Presidents against tenure elongation beyond constitutional limits has
been consistent with his long held views on the need to adhere to the
rule of law.
“Even though he tried it and failed, the recent uptick in the number of
such leaders proposing to do, or actually carrying on in office beyond
term limits is sufficient to cause concern among democrats in the
sub-region given its prospects of destabilizing the states and the
region.
“President Buhari’s advocacy is consistent with his principles and in
line with the current policies of his administration and indeed that of
the ECOWAS Charter which is that term limits must be respected and that
the change of government is only permissible through the ballot box.
“Having cleared this misperception, we hope that Chief Obasanjo would
once again sheath the sword and rest the pretentiousness about the
Messiah that has (mis)led him to pronounce often wrongly, as he
disastrously did in the 2019 elections, about the life and death of
Nigerian governments.
“As some commentators are already suggesting, Chief Obasanjo should, in
accordance with his mantra as a statesman, get involved with problems
solving, when and where they exist instead of helping the mushrooming of
a poisonous atmosphere of ethnic and religious nationalism.
“Surely, he must have disappointed many of his local and foreign
admirers by showering commendations on a few extremist groups who have
vowed to shun the invitation to the National Assembly to participate in
the process of a constitutional amendment.
No doubt, he must have left those admirers confused in announcing the
support for the boycott of a democratic process of changing the
constitution, at the same time calling for dialogue and engagement.
“The fact that the process he ushered in under his administration with
the dubious intention of amendments that sought tenure elongation
failed-as did two other attempts by the successor administrations of the
same political party- does not in any way justify his dismissal of the
exercise by the 9th Assembly as another waste of time and resources.
“To the credit of the All Progressives Congress-led 8th Assembly, the
process of the constitutional amendment was kickstarted and carried
through, paving the way for, among other benefits, the financial
independence of local government councils, States Houses of Assembly and
the country’s Judiciary. These changes have already been signed into
laws by the President as mandated by the constitution.
“The recent decisions by the administration as they relate to subsidy
withdrawal, helping to plug some of the most horrendous notorious holes
and release of scarce resources for the more pressing needs of the
people has also not escaped the ire of the former president.
“It’s a known fact that the withdrawal of subsidies had been on the wish
list of the Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. They failed in
achieving these measures because there was shared greed. They plundered
the treasury as much as anyone could in the name of either subsidy or
waiver with reckless impunity.
“Two is to say it takes courage and rare statesmanship on the part of a
leader to do as President Buhari to shun populism and seek the best
interest of the people and the state, providing the kind of reform and
development that Nigeria urgently needs.
“This President has run an administration focused on infrastructure and
development. He has repaired our damaged relations with neighbours and
our traditional allies such as the UK, US, China, Russia, France,
Germany, Saudi Arabia and the others with lots of benefits to the
country.
“It is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock
bilateral trade and investment.
“He leads a government that has liberalized the investment climate and
market access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the
list of the world’s top reforming economies.
“Nigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many
things that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its
size and potential.
“With so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that
President Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges
by politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of
delighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn.”
