UN speech: Practise what you preach, Afenifere challenges Buhari

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put into practise what he said about justice, fairness and equity on the floor of the United Nations (UN) when he addressed the global body last Friday.

Buhari, while calling for the reform of the UN posited that “without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our organization is called to question,” just as he also called for dialogue between Israel and Palestine to resolve their differences, pointing out that the skirmish between the duo bordered on “the question of justice, fairness, and equity.”

The president, elsewhere in his speech, also spoke about the commitment of his administration to respect human rights.

Afenifere made the call in a release signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Jare Ajayi, recalling that ethnic nationalities and other concerned stakeholders in the country had been calling for dialogue to resolve what it termed “Nigeria issues” for long, but the Federal Government under Buhari had not only been ignoring them but hounding those calling for such dialogue.

According to the pan- Yoruba socio-political group, it is interesting, and perhaps comforting that the Nigerian authority realizes that dialogue is the way to go in resolving knotty issues, but noted that it was the hypocrisy of the highest order for this same authority to be prescribing this to foreign authorities while describing those calling for the same thing at home as hate speech makers and separatists.

“It is interesting, perhaps comforting that the Nigerian authority realizes that dialogue is the way to go in resolving knotty issues. It is however hypocrisy of the highest order for this same authority to be prescribing this to foreign authorities while describing those calling for the same thing at home as ‘hate speech makers’ and separatists,'” it said.

Afenifere maintained that the reform that Buhari advocated for the UN was to one being canvassed by those calling for dialogue at home, saying it beat one’s imagination why and how the president considered reform and dialogue as necessary at the global level but saw same as anathema in Nigeria.

“Why and how our president considered reform and dialogue as necessary at the global level but consider same as anathema in Nigeria beats one’s imagination. It is called Reform at the global level and Restructuring at home,” Afenifere said.

On internal security, Afenifere asserted that the reality on the ground belies President Buhari’s claim that terrorists had more or less surrendered to the Nigerian Army.

The group, while commending the heroic efforts of the Nigerian Army, however, noted that the fact remained that the activities of terrorists appeared to be more expanding rather than receding going by the submission of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq.

According to Afenifere, the minister had disclosed that over 330,000 Nigerian refugees are languishing in neighbouring countries due to insurgency and armed banditry in the North-East and North-West, just as it recalled that the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el- Rufai had advocated for the military to be decentralized due to the security problem facing the country.

“On internal security, the reality on the ground belies the president’s claim. The president, in his speech, had given the impression that terrorists have more or less surrendered to the Nigerian army.

“We, as Afenifere, commends the heroic efforts of the Nigerian army but it is a fact that activities of terrorists appear to be more expanding rather than receding going by the submission of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, that over 330,000 Nigerian refugees are languishing in neighbouring countries due to insurgency and armed banditry in the North East and North West as well as Kaduna State Governor El Rufai that advocated for the military to be decentralized,” Afenifere stated.

Speaking further, Afenifere lamented the rising insecurity in the country to warrant the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to charge corps members to always let their people prepare ransom to be paid in case they were kidnapped in course of traveling from one point to another while in service.

The group said it was in this respect that it called on NYSC to allow youth corps members to serve the nation in their respective states at least for now.

This was just as it sadly said it was the kid-glove with which the government had been handling the issue of kidnapping that had been emboldened the perpetrators to continue in their dastardly acts, calling on the government to immediately allow states to transform their respective security networks into state police with all the powers appertaining thereto.

“The level of insecurity in the country has gotten so bad that the authority of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) advised corps members to always let their people prepare ransom to be paid in case they are kidnapped in course of traveling from one point to another while in service.

“What else could underscore the unfortunate level to which insecurity in the country has fallen/ It is in this respect that Afenifere calls for the NYSC to allow youth corps members to serve the nation in their respective states at least for now.

“It would be recalled that the NYSC, on page 56 of its pamphlet titled; ‘Security Awareness and Education Handbook For Corps Members and Staff,’ advised both corps members and (and staff) travelling on ‘high-risk’ roads to alert their ‘family members, friends and colleagues to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded’ in case they are kidnapped.

“Since it has been admitted even by Federal Government agency that we may need to live by kidnap syndrome as indicated by this NYSC tip, the minimum that the government owes parents and corps members in this regard is to let the youths serve their nation in their respective states.

“That way, their chances of being kidnapped would greatly be minimized,” the group said.

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