President National Address: Nigerians React
UNDEDSS: Buhari's Speech Disconnected from Reality
in Nigeria
The United Niger Delta Energy Development Security
Strategy (UNDEDSS) on Monday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s national
broadcast to the nation has portrayed him as being very disconnected from the
reality of the present state of the nation.
In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary,
Mr. Tony Uranta, in Lagos, UNDEDSS said Buhari’s emphases on the jaded mantra
of Nigeria's unity being non-negotiable made them wonder if Nigerians would have real value
added to their lives by the president's return.
“His speech was devoid of empathy with the sad
state in which Nigerians have been battering through hunger, terror attacks and
bombardment of mendacious propaganda.
“While one is sincerely happy that president is
back to Nigeria after that lengthy sojourn in London, one is tempted to believe
that he may not be fully aware of the realities in the country he left behind
for over three months.
“It pains one to see that Buhari is determined to
stand on the wrong side of history as regards the inevitability of Nigeria
being restructured before 2019.
“It is evident from his broadcast that the single
most important issue President Buhari recognises is the issue of our unity
being ‘non-negotiable; which is laughable because this country's unity must be
debated and a consensus reached by the leaders of the various political,
economic, religious and cultural leanings.
Don't Be Distracted, NUPENG Tells Buhari
The National Chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ branch
of the National
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Otunba Salmon
Oladiti, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not
to be distracted but should remain focused to his administration commitment to
put the economy in good shape and ultimately, turn around the fortunes of
Nigerians.
The NUPENG boss stated this in a statement he signed
and made available to journalists in Abuja.
Oladiti who expressed concern on negative comments
on the state of
the president’s health while he was out of the country, said he was excited that certain individuals
who were playing god that Buhari’s health had worsen and that he would not
return have been put to shame.
He said: "Now that Buhari is back in the
country, we are waiting for those who promised to commit suicide to do so.
“It was
clear to discerning Nigerians when certain opposition elements and groups were
staging protests; we knew corruption was fighting back.
"Those who stole the nation common wealth in the
past administration were not happy with the new lease of life, the transparency
and openness in governance.
HURIWA: Nigeria's Unity Still Unfinished Business
...Seeks
legislation against health tourism
A human rights group, Human Rights Writers
Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Monday said Nigeria’s unity “is an
unfinished business,” therefore faulting President Muhammadu Buhari’s remark
that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable.
The group, also sought legislation against health
tourism, noting that Buhari’s medical sojourn for three months in the United
Kingdom was not far-reaching and not re-assuring.
These were contained in a statement by HURIWA’s
National Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of media
Miss. Zaniab Yusuf.
In its statement, the group faulted Buhari’s
assertion that the unity of Nigeria “is non-negotiable. Such statements are
offensive to the provisions of universal declarations of human rights and the
international covenant on civil and political rights.”
The statement added that Nigeria's unity “is not
cast in iron and is open to continuous negotiations, restructuring and
reworking since the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in
1914 which produced the geographical entity called Nigeria was done by the
British colonial overlords without the democratic inputs of our forefathers.
“Even the United Kingdom that gave us the
independence is open to the possible breakup through the democratic referendum
by one of the component parts known as Scotland. In life, one basic fact that
is permanent is change.”
Onwubiko said Buhari’s speech was silent on the
amount of public fund committed to his medical treatment in the UK and payment
of parking fees for the presidential jet and expenses on the retinue of aides
that spent months in London at public expense.
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