Opinion: Nobody hates General Buhari

Okolo Hessington Chimennma

Some have mistakenly equated our criticism and opposition to Gen. Buhari to hatred. And so at every turn they play the victim card making him out to be a victim of group hatred.

But that is where his army of praise singers are wrong. Nobody has any hatred to waste on Gen. Buhari. with whom we have never had any personal dealings with.

However what we do hate is his divisive social policies which have engendered more divide and encourage ethnic cleavages among the different ethnic nations within the Nigerian space. His ethnocentric and religious bigotry is what we are opposed to.

We are in the trenches against his economic policies which met a thriving economy rated among the fastest growing in the world and within five short years has turned it into one of the worst economies in the world. He met $1=#200 but has followed a deliberate policy of neglect and today $= more than #400. The same man who instead of taking responsibility for his poor choices which has made Nigeria headquarters of hunger and extreme poverty continuously blame past Governments forgetting he was part of the past Governments!

We disagree with his security policies of re-intergrating and absorbing so-called repentant Boko Haramites into the Nigerian Army. Or his passivity when issues relating to the security challenge posed by Fulani herdsmen who appear on a murderous rage of conquest across the middle belt and Southern region whilst IPOB with no known violence are termed terrorists and at every turn faced with phyton dances.

We are disappointed that in this time of the global coronavirus pandemic, Gen. Buhari has addressed the country only twice and on each occasion was to order for lockdown or its continuance. Sadly, at a time many heads of state are showing leadership and encouraging their citizens, Gen. Buhari is holed up in Aso Rock coming out only for photo-ops. Heartbreaking is to hear of the way the Covid-19 supposed palliative has been handled such that whilst the middle belt and Southern regions are firmly neglected, Gen. Buhari has made sure his ethnic group gets more than their fair share! Fact is if Gen. Buhari has shown leadership instead of hiding in Aso Rock perhaps the Northern Nigeria would have managed the situation better and we would not see such things as we saw at the burial of his late Chief of Staff Mallam Abba Kyari nor would we see videos which say the pandemic is a hoax.!

Now you have why we oppose him. And if you really desire a better country, you will leave your praise singing jobs and join us for patriotism simply means loyalty to the nation and not the person.

I pray the Almighty God to heal our land and all persons infected with the virus across the world. I also pray that God console and strengthens those who have lost loved ones.

May God bless and keep our medical personnel who are in the front lines helping battle this pandemic.