Ozekhome on insecurity: Buhari missing in action — someone should wake him up

Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has tackled President Muhammadu Buhari over what the former describes as the government’s failure to adequately Nigeria’s security challenges.

Over the past weeks, there has been an increase in the wave of attacks on schools, communities, and security facilities across the country.

TheCable had reported how Nigeria recorded more than 10 security incidents on Monday as killings and attacks continued across the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ozekhome said it is clear that Nigeria is “not working”, while the president seems not to be fully aware of the current situation.

“It is quite clear now that Nigeria is not working. The fault lines are widening and deepening on a daily basis. Our federalism has been unitarised. There is supposed to be a president, an executive president for that matter. But, he is glaringly missing in action, cocooned away in Aso Villa from his electors and Nigerian citizens,” he said.

“He is like pupa and larva, refusing to transit to caterpillar and then to adulthood. Buhari’s capacity for governance has been tested. But, Buhari has woefully and roundly failed Nigeria and Nigerians.

“Boko haram insurgents have since taken over large swaths of lands in Niger, Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Taraba, Adamawa, and other northern states, comfortably planting their blood-stained flags of sovereignty and sozereignty on the very soil of states and local government areas of a supposedly independent nation.

“Having overrun the entire northern hemisphere, the Boko haram, have since turned the south east and south west zones into their new theatres and odeons of deadly operations, spreading and spilling blood, carnage, rape, death, melancholy, poverty and conquest.”

The senior advocate maintained that the seeming inaction of the president will have negative effects on the country if not urgently addressed.

“There may be no country called Nigeria in the foreseeable future if someone does not wake up President Buhari from his deep slumber and self-denial,” he wrote.

“The man is recluse, taciturn and cocooned in his world of illusion and delusion. He is impervious to Nigerians’ cries and gnashing of teeth. Buhari relishes it. But, hiding behind a finger as he is currently doing in the wishful thinking that he will one day wake up and suddenly discover that the insecurity challenges have vanished into thin air, is no option at all.

“He needs to urgently wake up to his call of duty, walk the talk of his electioneering campaign promises and think outside the box. AN IMMEDIATE DECLARATION OF A NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY ON INSECURITY MUST BE ACTIVATED NOW. Otherwise, Nigeria may be consigned to the vehicle of historical oblivion or dustbin of history. The clock is ticking very fast.”