President Muhammadu Buhari
hehehehe....Many
Nigerians hold grudges against President Muhammadu Buhari who they say
is not solving their problems. Ayo Sogunro, here lists some of Buhari's
supposed sins.
In 2007, Wole Soyinka wrote the very scathing essay: “The Crimes of Buhari”.
In the essay, Soyinka reviewed General Buhari’s 1985 regime, and
highlighted the features of that era: Buhari’s imperial attitude;
repression of free speech, selective enforcement of decrees, and
partisanship towards the core political elite. The most damaging
accusation against General Buhari was his disdain for human life. Hence,
“In the case of Buhari…he has declared in the most categorical terms
that he had no regrets over this murder and would do so again.”
Today, those words—and the entire article—haunt Prof Soyinka and
those of us who, aware of our history, did not push harder against the
re-emergence of Buhari. I know of many young people who chose to vote
for Buhari only as a lesser of two evils. This is how I chose too, and I
plead fait accompli. He has not justified these votes. I am not
hesitant to say President Muhammadu Buhari is guilty of gross misconduct
in the performance of the functions of his office.
Of course, it is futile to talk of impeaching a Nigerian president.
The process is complex and has many loopholes for political
manipulation. Still, it is clear that a serious legislature should have
hauled the president over to give an account of his office. But our
legislature is anything but serious. Their corruption-infested chambers
are incapacitated by the presidency’s ability to deploy the EFCC against
vocal opposition. It is little wonder that a primary constitutional
focus is on expanding the immunity clause.
“The crimes of Buhari” may now be ancient history, but let us now
consider the gross misconduct of President Buhari. A lot of these are in
public knowledge. For those who may have somehow missed the news since
2015, the people at SBM Intelligence have provided steady reports on
their website. Meanwhile, let us list the allegations against President
Buhari and judge, ourselves, whether these amount to gross misconduct or
not.
Articles of impeachment
1. Condoning the Shiite massacre: That you,
President Muhammadu Buhari, condoned the December 2015 massacre of
members of the Shiite sect in Zaria. Over 300 Nigerians (including women
and children) were killed in this attack, executed by the Nigerian Army
without consequences. You have failed to prosecute the Chief of Army
Staff and other perpetrators by Court Martial. You have, instead,
expressed indignation that Nigerians in a procession did not clear the
way for the Army general. You have approved the judgement and sentence
passed by the Army on the lives of these Nigerians.
2. Ignoring the Agatu massacre: That you,
President Muhammadu Buhari, between January and March 2016 wilfully
ignored persistent attacks on the residents of Agatu, Benue State and
environs resulting in the deaths of up to 500 Nigerians under the watch
of your government.
3. Ignoring diverse killings in 2016: That you,
President Muhammadu Buhari wilfully ignored diverse attacks on Nigerians
throughout 2016 and failed to protect the lives of Nigerians under your
government. We note, in particular, the deaths of up to 38 people in
Udeni Ruwa in Nassarawa State; up to 60 people in Demsare, Wunamokoh,
Dikajam and Taboungo all in Adamawa State; up to 30 people in Buruku,
Benue State; up to 44 people in Dori and Mesuma villages, Taraba State,
and many more similar attacks on the people of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
4. Ignoring the Southern Kaduna massacre: That you
President Muhammadu Buhari, between December 2016 and January 2017
wilfully ignored persistent attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna,
resulting in deaths of over 200 Nigerians under the watch of your
government.
5. Negligence of internally displaced Nigerians:
That you, President Muhammadu Buhari has negligently ignored the plight
of internally displaced Nigerians leaving them exposed to fraud from
government officials, malnutrition and starvation, terrorist attacks,
rape and even “accidental” bombings by the Nigerian military without any
consequences. That, instead, you applaud victory over Boko Haram
without showing any care or responsibility towards the direct victims of
terrorism.
Shielding corrupt appointees: That you, President Muhammadu Buhari
has wilfully protected political appointees and party members from
investigation and prosecution for allegations of corruption. We note, in
particular, the diverse publicly available allegations against Mr
Rotimi Amaeachi, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Mr Abba Kyari and Mr
Babachir Lawal. We note, also, your negotiable attitude to corruption
cases involving politicians in the opposition party who switch loyalty
to your party. We note, however, that you have not hesitated to
immediately deploy state security organs against persons perceived to be
oppositional, including members of the judiciary.
6. Economic policy arbitrariness: That you,
President Muhammadu Buhari, has wilfully played dice with the Nigerian
economy. That, almost two years into office, your government is still
yet to articulate a clear and measurable economic direction. That you,
President Muhammadu Buhari, allowed your personal opinion to overshadow
independent fiscal policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thus
deprived Nigerians of sound judgement. That, under your administration,
fiscal nepotism and selective allocation of foreign exchange have become
the standard.
7. Social policy hypocrisy: That you, President
Muhammadu Buhari, has negligently failed to lead by example despite your
call for a more disciplined country. That, for example, the line items
in your budget continue to be grossly inflated and highly unusual. That
your several vacations abroad do not reflect the economic realities of
the country. That “Change Begins With Me” has yet to apply to your
personal attitude to and dealings with issues affecting Nigerian
minorities, women, and young people.
“Human life is inviolate”, Soyinka wrote. “The right to life is the uniquely fundamental right on which all other rights are based.”
“The crimes of Buhari” may now be history, but we should consider
what the present attitude of the government to Nigerian lives means for
our future. Is the future salvageable or are we already doomed to repeat
the past? Time is telling.
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Written by Ayo Sogunro
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