You Have Failed To Perform, Northern Leaders Tell Buhari
· NEF Is One Man Show- Presidency
Arewa leaders, under the auspices of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sunday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of failing governance test by allowing insecurity and poverty to thrive in Nigeria.
Led by Professor Ango Abdullahi, the body handed over the verdict when it reviewed the state of the nation in Kaduna State.
Speaking at a press conference in Zaria, Abdullahi said NEF would have “refrained from comments on major developments relating to management of national security and governance because it is convinced that these are times which require the highest levels of responsibility and circumspection in the manner elders and leaders in the nation contribute to the search for solutions to the multiple problems which face the nation.”
According to him, “ it has become necessary and appropriate, however, to make public, the position of the forum on important matters that affect the manner Nigerians live, and the future we must address.”
He added: “the forum regrets that by any standard of judgment, the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed the nation in the vital area of improving its security.”
Lamenting the condition of living in the country, Abdullahi pointed out th
at “poverty, particularly in the North, and massive social security have worsened under this administration.”
The don went on: “The relationship between insecurity and poverty is fundamental, but the administration does not appear to have any idea on what will provide relief or solution.
It gives the forum no pleasure to say that it had warned Nigerians that President Buhari lacked the will, the competence and commitment to lead it into a secure and prosperous future before the 2019 elections.
“It is shocking that in spite of unprecedented consensus among Nigerians that the administration requires a new resolve, approach and leadership in the fight against the nation’s multiple security challenges, President Buhari appears either totally isolated or in deep denial over the result of his failures to secure Nigerians.”
“With this type of mindset, it is difficult to see how President Buhari can accept the challenge to radically improve his handling of our security situation.”
But the Presidency in a response last night described the NEF as a one man show run by Abdullahi.
The Presidency in a statement signed by Femi Adesina, media aide to the president stated ‘Hearing that title, one would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders. But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.
‘Before the 2019 presidential election, the one-man army called NEF had shown its antipathy against President Muhammadu Buhari, and its preference for another candidate. They all got beaten together.
‘NEF is merely waving a flag that is at half-mast. President Buhari steadily and steadfastly focuses on the task of retooling Nigeria, and discerning Nigerians know the true state of the nation. They don’t need a paper tiger to tell them anything.’ Adesina stated.
