Buhari condemns blame trading but faults his predecessors in Independence Day speech

President Muhammadu Buhari says the underlying cause of most of Nigeria’s problems is “harping on artificially contrived fault-lines”.

Buhari made the comment on Thursday in a nationwide broadcast commemorating Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary.

Nigerian leaders at all levels have over time blamed the country’s woes on their predecessors and opponents.

But speaking on Thursday, Buhari said blame trading has been “allowed unnecessarily to fester”.

He advised that Nigerians need to begin a new process of national healing, “and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are”.

“Today, I am aware that our economy along with every single economy in the world is in crisis. We still face security challenges in parts of the country, while our society suffers from a high loss of moral rectitude which is driven by unbridled craving for political control,” Buhari said.

“An underlying cause of most of the problems we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.

“We need to begin a sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are.”

However, few statements after Buhari’s admonition, he goes ahead to fault all of his predecessors for presiding “over the near destruction of the country”.

He said no past government achieved the feat of his administration.

“No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources. We have managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security,” he said.

“Those in the previous Governments from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts.”