Afenifere faults Buhari’s Democracy Day speech

Says President’s actions, utterances not in tune with Nigerians’ aspirations

The Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has berated President Muhammadu Buhari over his nationwide Democracy Day broadcast on June 12, 2021.

Afenifere described the speech as far short of what was expected of the President, pointing out that the speech exposed the administration as one bent on taking steps not in the best interest of the majority of Nigerians.

The organisation also reacted to the speech and the interviews he granted last Thursday and Friday on Arise Television and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the organisation expressed disappointment on the disclosure by the President that he had directed the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation to ‘reopen’ the grazing routes throughout the country.

Afenifere said: “We have some questions for the President and the Attorney-General in this respect. One, who created the so-called grazing routes? At what time in our history did our founding-fathers gather to designate specific routes from the North to the South as ‘grazing routes’?

The statement added that the President’s pronouncement on this issue, as well as his confession on how he determines who occupies positions at the national level seems to indicate that Buhari’s government is operating outside the 1999 Constitution.

The pan-Yoruba group also faulted the President on his claim that he appointed the new Chief of Army Staff because of experience.

It, therefore, challenged the President to immediately send a bill to the National Assembly on restructuring and devolution of power if he wants Nigerians to believe that he meant what he says.

Afenifere also accused the President of being insensitive by the confession that he told Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State when the latter came to him with pictures of the destruction during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos not to bother to replace the burnt vehicles, since Lagosians wanted to walk by burning the vehicles.

It said that Buhari’s pronouncements, rather than soothe the pains of Nigerians and give assurance on making Nigeria better, exposed his administration as one that is not in tune with the people’s aspirations.

RELATEDLY, Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South-West, Taofeek Arapaja, has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed Nigerians in all spheres.

Arapaja stated this while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, at the weekend. He said that the condition of the country had not gone bad now as against the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure when the APC was calling for Jonathan’s resignation.