Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome asserted that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in his tripodal policies (economy, security and anti-corruption) through which he campaigned and won election in 2015.
In his speech at a human rights lecture organised by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, with the theme: Nigerian School Children; Insecurity and Human Rights, held in Abuja, Ozekhome said policies of the present administration has impoverished Nigerians and insecurity has taken a different shape as Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed bandits have efficient and commensurate powers to match state actors like security forces.
Ozekhome explained in part:
“Policies that have impoverished Nigeria. Policies that have made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world, overtaking India. Policies that have made Nigeria that was until 2015 the biggest economy in Africa overtaking South Africa and one of the seven fastest growing economy in the world.
“His tripodal policies were on economy, security and anti-corruption. The bad news is that he has dismally failed in all of them. Security is worse right now…Boko Haram we used to have that time at least people were able to vote for him in 2015 and he won in the North East, showing that though Boko Haram existed, they were not so rampant to prevent people from voting.
“Boko Haram has since graduated, strutting around like a proud peacock. Armed banditry has escalated, kidnapping is the order of the day. In security, he has failed.
“In West Africa, we’re the 3rd most corrupt country. So where have the President and the government helped Nigeria? I had on television and in my write-up challenged Nigerians that anyone who can carry the Holy Quran or take up the Holy Bible or if you’re an atheist, pick up a piece of Sango Iron and say your life is better off today than you were in 2015.
“If you asked me, with all due respect, I’ll say Nigeria is a failed state. Do you know why? It is because one of the greatest indices of a failed state is when non-state actors like Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed bandits have efficient and commensurate powers to match state actors like security forces. That’s a failed state.
“It started with Lady Flora Luise Shaw on the 8th of January, 1897 in an article she wrote on Economic Times where she gave Nigeria her name “Niger Area”. And we agreed to live together. And if we agreed, let us live together in peace and unity. Let’s not always say ‘Nigeria is indivisible; it’s indestructible.’
“We don’t say that by words of the mouth, we nurture it. Pakistan and India used to be one country; Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be one country as well as Sudan and Southern Sudan. So it’s not by merely saying it, you have to nurture it.
“We must have peace and social justice… we are talking about the kind of peace and social justice Chief M.K.O Abiola preached…Let us reformat and reengineer Nigeria. Let’s make a new constitution for ourselves. A constitution that will be… Indigenous, owned by the people and respected by all and legitimate.”
