If President Muhammadu Buhari had expected his nationwide broadcast last week to receive national acclaim, he made a big mistake. In place of commendation, he and, indeed, the federal government got condemnation.
The lack-lustre pronouncements in the president’s speech have made the economy bleed with properties worth millions of Naira destroyed in addition to loss of lives.
Nigerians have witnessed killings, massive looting and wanton destruction of properties across the country.
From Kano, to Lagos, Imo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Abia, Abuja, Plateau, Kaduna, and other states, the story is the same. By the last count, more than 20 police stations and several public and private buildings have been destroyed. To checkmate the youths’ protests, about 18 state governments imposed 24-hour curfew in their states. But that did not quell the situation. The youths are still angry.
The anger, arguably, stemmed from the disappointment they got from Buhari’s speech and more from the killing of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Tollgate. There had been peaceful protests by Nigerian youths against police extortion, brutality and other criminal acts against innocent Nigerians by security agents.
The President’s speech was, therefore, expected to address frontally the issues at stake, douse tension and assure Nigerians of the readiness of his administration to right the wrongs. Unfortunately, the speech did not do that, but rather inflamed the over-charged atmosphere.
It failed to address the key issue which was the Lekki Tollgate massacre, the very development that sparked off the protest across the nation and consequent demand for a presidential address.
Eye witness accounts have it that Nigerian soldiers fired into a crowd of peaceful, unarmed protesters who had remained at the toll gate following a hastily announced curfew. The shooting resulted in several injuries that allegedly left many dead.
The president’s decision to completely omit the Lekki shootings from his speech was in line with the army’s official stance of denial despite instances of video footage which contradicts the army’s claim.
Nigerians say Buhari’s speech was uninspiring, dictatorial and insensitive to the mood of the nation and we can’t agree more. The president addressed Nigerians with zero empathy.
It is saddening that what should have been an opportunity to unify the country and, more significantly, empathise with grieving families, proved to be anything but a keeping with his long-running style as a former military dictator. To say the least, Buhari’s speech came off high-handed and tough.
Before his address, expectations from local and international audiences was that the President would reassure Nigerians, especially the youths, by forcefully condemning the killing and brutalisation of our young ones, and announcing an accelerated independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the gruesome acts.
It was also expected that the president would set a clear pathway for the much-needed overhaul of the country’s security system. If done, that would have ushered in the much desired national healing, peace, unity and stability of a nation anchored on such show of concern and commitment by leaders.
Surprisingly, President Buhari’s speech came with a demand—and a thinly veiled threat—for protesters to call off street demonstrations which have seen thousands gather at different locations across the country while using digital tools to drive and sustain momentum.
In some ways, however, that Buhari gave a speech was a novelty in itself. Through his six years in office, Nigerians have mainly heard from the president during national holidays or through interviews granted to foreign media. So, Nigerians expected little from the speech in the first place.
After a successful presidential campaign in 2015 that aimed at endearing the president to younger Nigerians, his administration has been criticised for being out-of-touch with and tone-deaf to an increasingly important youth demography.
We agree with those who hold the view that, as father of the nation, Buhari should take further steps to realign with the expectations of Nigerians and reassure the nation that he is indeed in charge by immediately setting up an independent inquiry into the killings with a view to prosecuting and bringing the perpetrators to account.
This is in addition to an inquiry into videos and reports that unscrupulous security operatives mobilised thugs to attack peaceful protesters and unleash violence on innocent Nigerians. In the same vein, those behind shameful acts that escalated sectional hostilities and pitched citizens against one another should be brought to book.
We advise that time is now for Buhari to rejig the nation’s security architecture by replacing his service chiefs with more competent and professional hands to assist in effectively handling the security challenges confronting the nation.
He should also take steps to accelerate action on his economic reforms so as to provide ample opportunities for the youths to gainfully participate in productive sectors and ameliorate the hardship, hunger and frustration in the land.
History beckons on this administration to ensure that the unity, stability, peaceful co-existence and general wellbeing of citizens are not compromised.
