Vultures hovering over Nigeria

Sir: Vultures predate on sacrifices put at junctions in African Traditional Religion (ATR) for the appeasement of spiritual beings. Among the vultures hovering over Nigeria are the current President, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Since 2015 till date (fourth year of their presidency), they have, for the most part, perpetrated carnage, genocide, and economic destruction of Nigeria, started in 2009 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and compounded by Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan who insisted on succeeding Yar’Adua rather than allowing the northwest to serve second term presidency as the southwest was allowed to do. Since GMB is serving the second term of the northwest, why is he bent on the might is right approach to power adopted by Jonathan to truncate rotational presidency? Why must Nigeria never enjoy political decorum, peace, and stability?

Here are the other vultures: Atiku, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, Shekarau, Saraki, Duke, et al; they are bent on ensuring that Nigeria remains chaotic rather than orderly, disciplined, peaceful, and progressive. Nigerian youths, to whom belongs Nigeria’s future, don’t ask critical questions, such as: Is it Boko Haram that constitutes the terrorists or Nigeria’s rulers who are perpetrating politicization of Christianity and Islam, and committing Haram that is responsible for the gross underdevelopment of Nigeria and mass abject poverty? And: Who did Boko Haram attack before being attacked? Moreover, if indeed GMB is a good ruler, why is he bent on war rather than seeking peace with Boko Haram, since he used dialogue to free about 100 of the Chibok secondary school girls abducted by Boko Haram, and all but one of the Dapchi school girls abducted by Boko Haram under his own presidency?

Why did GMB propose that public funds should be spent to provide ranches for Fulani herdsmen when other Nigerians are not so-treated? And if in his fourth year GMB is still sourcing for warplanes and sophisticated weapons, when and how will Nigeria know peace and plenty under him? GMB is boasting about agriculture and rice production, yet rice and other food items are much costlier than he met them. He is boasting of fighting corruption as if he and members of his political party are not corrupt. Where are the dividends of recovery of looted funds when the economy is worse than GMB met it, and Nigeria’s debts are said by experts to be skyrocketing? In the beginning, GMB asked Nigerians to wait for the 2016 budget. It came and went with nothing to show for it. Ditto the 2017 budget. Hence no reasonable Nigerian is talking about the 2018 budget but how to vote-out GMB in 2019. Nevertheless, Nigeria must be reordered to hope for any positive change. War against Boko Haram must end through peace-building and not accumulation of warplanes and sophisticated weapons that are bloody and financially strangulating on Nigeria. Jihadist and crusade war mentalities must end with GMB/Osinbajo tenure next year.
Prof. Oyeniran Abioje wrote from University of Ilorin.