12042018 - HERDSMEN/FARMERS’ CLASHES: Blame Gaddafi, irresponsible politicians — BUHARI

52—Vanguard, THURSDAY APRIL 12, 2018
COMMISSIONING—Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Mr
Babatunde Fashola,SAN, (2nd right);Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie
Ikpeazu(right); Permanent Secretary, Power, Mr Louis Edozien(left);
Managing Director/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN), Mr Usman
Gur Mohammed(2nd left) and others, during the commissioning of 40MVA,
132/33kv Mobile Power Transformer shortly before the 26th meeting with
operators in the Power Sector hosted by TCN at the Ohiya Transmission
Substation, Umuahia, Abia State.
Herdsmen/farmers' clashes:
Blame Gaddafi, irresponsible
politicians — BUHARI
Continues from page 5
education of the people,
“so that they can be free
from religious
manipulation."
President Buhari added
that no true religion
advocates the hurting or
killing of the innocent.
He used the
opportunity to speak on
his declaration for a
second term, a move he
said was forced on him
because he wanted to
stop the wild speculations
on his political future.
Buhari said the
declaration would reduce
distractions and help the
government focus on key
sectors as security,
agriculture, economy, and
anti-corruption, among
NAIRA WATCH
others.
Why I declared
A statement by Special
Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity),
Chief Femi Adesina, who
is with the President in
London, quoted the
President as saying: “I
declared before leaving
home because Nigerians
were talking too much
about whether I would
run or not. So, I felt I
should break the ice.
“We have many things
to focus on, like security,
agriculture, economy,
anti-corruption, and
many others. We needed
to concentrate on them,
Naira appreciates to
N359.81/$ in I&E window
By Adaeze Okechukwu
THE Naira, yesterday, appreciated for the first
time this week by 57 kobo to N359.81 per dollar
in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window of the
foreign exchange market.
Data from the Financial Market Dealers Quote
(FMDQ) showed that the indicative exchange rate
for the I&E also known as Nigerian Autonomous
Foreign Exchange, NAFEX, dropped to N359.81
per dollar, yesterday, from N360.38 per dollar on
Tuesday, translating to 57 kobo gain in the naira.
The appreciation was in spite of the 28 percent
decrease in the volume of dollars traded in the I&E
window. The turnover in the window yesterday
dropped to $242.92 million from $339.13 million
recorded on Tuesday.
Vanguard investigation revealed that naira
yesterday depreciated by N1 to N363 per dollar from
N362 on Tuesday in the parallel market.
and politics should not
be a distraction. The
majority of Nigerians
appreciate what we are
doing, and that is why I
am re-contesting.”
While reeling out his
achievements, especially
in the agricultural sector
to his guest, Presient
Buhari said that
Nigerians, with what he
had done, should be able
to feed themselves.
“We have cut the
importation of rice by
about 90 per cent, saving
billions of dollars in the
process. People who
rushed into petrol money
have now gone back to
agriculture.
"Even professionals
have gone back to the
land. Nigeria should be
able to feed itself
comfortably soon. I am
so pleased," he said.
Speaking earlier,
Archbishop Welby said it
was always a delight to
see President Buhari,
“whom I have
tremendous respect for."
Welby said: “You have
my best wishes on your
recent decision. I read
your declaration speech.
We are neutral as a
church, but we will pray
for you. Great statesmen
are those who run for the
good of their country. We
will be praying for you.”
The Archbishop
presented President
Buhari with a copy of his
recent
book,
‘Reimagining Britain.
Foundations for Hope.’
2019: Run, Buhari run
By Ikechukwu
Amaechi
FINALLY, President
Muhammadu
Buhari, to borrow a cliché,
has decided to bite the
bullet by declaring his
intention to seek reelection
in 2019.
Though no discerning
political observer was
flabbergasted by the
pronouncement, its impact
was, nevertheless, instant
and consequential.
Reuters news agency
reported that Nigerian
stocks dropped to a threemonth
low after the
announcement.
“The stock market, which
opened on a losing streak
after Lafarge Africa
announced a surprise 2017
loss, worsened its decline.
The equity market fell near
40,000 points,” Reuters
reported.
Expected, Nigerians are
divided.
While the president’s
supporters are beside
themselves with joy, his
opponents are equally
trenchant in their
criticism.
Chairman of Northern
Elders Council (NEC),
Alhaji Tanko Yakassai,
dismissed the declaration,
literally, as sheer
voyeurism.
“I wonder the type of
magic that will make
Buhari win re-election in
2019,” he said, adding that
“at the height of his
popularity, the difference
between him and Goodluck
Jonathan was 2.5 million
votes.”
Dr. Junaid Muhammed,
Second Republic
lawmaker, and an
unrepentant critic of
Buhari was more trenchant
and acerbic.
“This announcement is
very unfortunate, it is done
in very bad fate and I think
it will not do the country or
the people any good
because I believe
politicians being what they
are and he is nothing now
more than a politician
should be assessed by what
they say.
“He (Buhari) said
severally during the
campaign that he was not
going to contest for a
second term. He also said
he was going to do a
number of things. He has
failed woefully in any of the
things he said he was going
to do.
“He put up a cabinet that
was a national and
international scandal; he
brought his relations,
friends and cronies to the
cabinet, none of whom is
performing or has
performed during the last
three years.
“On the whole, he is the
least competent, the least
prepared person for the
office of the president of
this country. But he decided
in spite of his nonperformance
to go in and
contest.
“It is now clear to me and
I believe to any right
thinking Nigerian that his
politics is all about himself,
his nepotism, his cronyism
Muhammadu Buhari
of friends and relations.
“It is not about national
interest because what he
did in the last three years
had nothing to do with
national interest. So I
don’t believe that another
four years of Buhari post-
2019 will do him or the
country any good. We are
likely to have more of the
same and I can’t see him
performing.
“It is left for Nigerians
to speak their mind and
when the time comes, to
speak with their vote.”
But the president insists
that his declaration was a
response to the clamour by
Nigerians urging him to
seek a second mandate as
a reward for sterling
performance in office in
the last three years.
His supporters like the
Imo State governor,
Rochas Okorocha, concur.
Okorocha, who doubles
as the chairman of the
Progressive Governors
Forum, said Buhari’s
declaration was a patriotic
response to the clarion
call of Nigerians of
goodwill to lead the
country for another four
years.
Maybe!
Some have even raised
the issue of Buhari’s
promise in an interview
with the Sunday Trust
newspaper on February 6,
2011 to serve only one term
if elected president.
“I am not getting
younger. If I succeed and
do one term, I will be 73
years old,” he riposted
when asked why he
promised to serve only one
term.
Of course, he didn’t
succeed that year but four
The biggest
industry in Nigeria
today is sycophancy
and like every other
business, it has its
peak period
years later when he was
already 73. So, first term
of four years will bring him
to 77 years and in another
four years, he will be 81.
So, if he thought he
would be too old to
withstand the rigours of
presidential office at 73,
one wonders where the
confidence that he would
be just fine at 77 is coming
from.
But the president owns
his body and knows how
strong physically, mentally
and even psychologically
he is.
Besides, as his
predecessor, Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan, who once made
the same promise and
reneged said, “… You can
make a political promise
and change your mind, so
long as it is within the law.”
Morally, it could be
reprehensible but legally
and constitutionally deadon.
What is not true is the
fulsome claim by
supporters that Buhari’s
second term gambit is
about the country.
The biggest industry in
Nigeria today is
sycophancy and like every
other business, it has its
peak period. The silly
season of politics is it when
the din of fawning
adulation of men of power
for filthy lucre is loudest.
As we move towards
2019, activities in this
industry will continue to
gather momentum.
Emergency groups will
mushroom with all
manner of exotic tags.
Pilgrimages to the centres
of power will become an
art and politics will trump
governance.
Nothing has changed.
And nothing will change
unless Nigerians decide to
upend the status quo. For
that to happen, there has
to be a fight. Sadly, I can
hardly see the appetite for
that.
The simple reason why
anyone
would
contemplate a second term
for Buhari is because the
jostling for power has
nothing to do with the
wellbeing, development
and progress of the
country and welfare of the
people.
But Buhari’s second term
aspiration is the beauty of
democracy, even the
pseudo Nigerian variant.
If the All Progressives
Congress (APC) thinks that
its surest route to Aso Rock
come 2019 is through
candidate Muhammadu
Buhari, those who think
otherwise can live with
that since there are dozens
of other political parties.
If at the end of the day
and despite all they have
seen and heard in the last
three years, majority of
Nigerians think their lot
will be better under a
Buhari presidency for
another four years, so be
it.
After all, isn’t it said that
a people get the
government they deserve?
But there must be a levelplaying
field. Nigerians
are not confident that this
government will play by
the rules of the game. They
are not assured that the
security forces will be
neutral.
Now that Buhari has
declared his intention to
run for a second term,
arguing that it is a wrong
decision is a no-brainer.
Persuading him to
reconsider his stance is the
height of political naivety
and tomfoolery. So, run,
Buhari run.
But Nigerians owe
themselves the obligation to
be resolute in ensuring that
the right things are done.
After all, isn’t it said that
eternal vigilance is the price
for freedom?
Ikechukwu Amaechi is
the MD/Editor-in-Chief,
TheNiche on Sunday
newspaper, Ikeja, Lagos.