Editorial
Every Nigerian in my his/her quiet times should imagine what will be left of Nigeria after Muhammadu Buhari and his team finish ravaging it? What would he/she who takes over from Buhari face? From debts filtered away with no commiserate developmental impacts to crippling insecurity where terrorists who killed, maimed, burnt down villages, displaced millions of people are rehabilitated but not those they have displaced, the costs are high.
Nigeria is virtually collapsing. The legislative arm, as well as the judiciary arm, have all been pocketed by the Executive. Nigeria had never seen this kind mess before where a Senate President says any Bill sent by the president must be passed. Even if they had such a belief, it was never public. If Buhari sends a third term bill to the Ahmad Lawan-led Senate, it will be passed! that is the message the President of another arm of government is trying to pass.
It was cringe-worthy watching as Senator Enyinaya Abaribe tackled the Senate President over the approval of the humongous 22.7 billion dollars loan requested by Buhari. The Senate President did everything to stop Senators from debating a loan that will plunge Nigeria into more debt but that is the cost of Buhari’s Presidency. In the loan, President Buhari had successfully excluded a section of the country that he had never professed love for. More worrisome was the attempt of a paid vocal minority to claim that the South East was captured in the “General Section” as if the rest of the regions were not captured too.
But will the South East join in repaying a loan that was never in its interest? The economic emasculation of South East has been made total by Buhari’s presidency. His anger? the region gave him a meager 5% in the elections. That is despite the fact that sections of the constitution make it a must to carry everyone along and not shut out any region for whatever reasons. It is a war that he will never win.
The other day, a Senator and former governor of Yobe State presented a Bill before the Senate seeking to create a commission for the rehabilitation of Boko Haram terrorists. From the reception and cold silence that that region gave to the bill, it is safe to say that Boko Haram is well-loved that people who are victims of their assaults want a commission for them. The Buhari’s administration’s lack of will to crush boko haram is not new. Despite having a National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, a Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and his Army Chief, Lt General Tukur Yusuf Buratai who are Borno State indigenes, Boko Haram is alive and well. Despite having almost all the security chiefs coming from the North, insecurity has become a big business there but that is the cost of having a retired general as president.
One will only imagine if boko haram happened to be domiciled in the South East, will they be treated with kid gloves?
