A Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Muhammad, yesterday took a swipe on President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the lingering security situation in the country, insisting that the President’s penchant to pretence that all was well and there are no problems in the country aggravated the backlash of the #EndSARS protests across the country.
Junaid, who said even though the problem did not start with President Buhari’s administration, the Buhari’s administration’s failure to act as and when due was what led the country to where it is today.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday Telegraph, Junaid said he only hopes the government would be serious about the reforms it has promised, as it is only when Nigerians begin to see the changes that they can take the promise serious.
He said: “The #ENDSARS protest did not begin today, there might have been some mild agitation about the high handedness, cruelty and lawlessness which sometimes gravitate to even extra judicial killings of this particular unit in the police force. “It was not President Buhari who created this SARS. But those who head the police under different units, managed them in accordance with the police act, which has now been reversed a few times.
All I see is that SARS is not the problem, it is the management of the SARS by those heading the units that is the problem. “Like it is not only in the SARS but even the regular command, many of those outside are supposed to bring returns to those in charge and this is common knowledge.
“Like I said this government did not bring about SARS, but what President Buhari did, which is typical of him, is to pretend that these problems did not exist, unfortunately for him and his party and his government because of their lousy decision making, we are where we are today.
“I sincerely hope that the reforms they are talking about is going to be real. People will see the difference in their attitude and comportment and the general way they behave towards the Nigerian people.”
On the broadcast by the president following the protest, Junaid said he refused to listen to the presidential broadcast because he could guess what the president would say. He also disclosed that President Buhari on his own would not have addressed the nation but was forced to do so, adding that those who want him to address them are the same people that will abuse him because he would not say what they want.
He said: “I did not listen to it, because this has happened a few times before, I have always believed that a leader should be allowed to use his own instinct, his common sense to arrive at a decision whether to address the nation or not.
“But anytime there is a small or big crisis in the country, people will now go to the Senate and say, Buhari should come and address the people, come and address the nation, what if the issue cannot be addressed or cannot be properly distilled by Buhari and clearly Buhari is not the best of speakers. He is so unpersuasive.” He said that “The idea that anytime there is a problem, the president should come and address the nation is a deceptive way of ridiculing the leader, because the few times he was misadvised to come and address Nigerians on some other issues, it is the same people that asked him to come and address them that will also come and abuse him.
“If you want to abuse someone go ahead and abuse him don’t ask him to come and address you. Already you have a template, when he finishes you start saying he did not say this he did not say that. “If you know what he wanted to say, may not be to your own satisfaction, why ask him to address you. I did not listen to the address because I can guess what he would say and what will be the reaction from those who are forcing him to speak”.
President’s speech lacks empathy –Ozekhome, Falana
Two Senior Advocate Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome and Mr. Femi Falana, yesterday expressed disappointment over the speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari over the #EndSARS protest, which led to the attack on protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on Tuesday night. The two legal luminaries in separate reactions noted that the speech lacked substance and empathy, especially, for not touching on the Lekki killings.
In his own submissions, Mr. Monday Ubani, said it was mind-boggling that the president made no mention of the killings carried out by soldiers at Lekki Toll-Gate. Commenting, Ozekhome described the speech as the reading of a military riot act, saying it was devoid of sympathy, empathy, fatherly feelings or even the mere milk of human kindness for a nation on the dangerous precipice and cliff.
He said: “I just had, most humbly, the misfortune, of reading the 27-paragraph national broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari. “I told them not to expect any calming or balming speech of reconciliation and empathy. Buhari did not disappoint me.
His national address was devoid of sympathy, empathy, fatherly feelings, or even the mere milk of human kindness for a nation on the dangerous precipice and cliff. “His speech was unfortunately insensate and insensitive. It epitomised a sorry and pathetic disconnect between the government and the people Mr president governs , or pretends to govern.”
In his reaction, Falana said the speech contained avoidable gaps like where President Buhari accused the international community of jumping into hasty conclusions over the shooting of unarmed peaceful protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate on Tuesday. Falana said: “The presidential speech contained some avoidable lacunae. For instance, the President accused the international community of jumping into hasty conclusions with respect to the Lekki shootings.
“My worry is that the President would be embarrassed at the end of legal inquiry into the military invasion of the Lekki toll gate as the number of the unarmed protesters that were mowed down and the circumstances of the barbaric attack by the soldiers from a particular military barrack on Victoria Island would be exposed.”
Reacting, Ubani said: “One would have expected a pronouncement from the president on the killing of protesters at Lekki, but unfortunately it was completely left out.” https://www.newtelegraphng.com/endsars-buharis-penchant-for-pretence-worsens-crisis-junaid/Lalasticlala |
