Professor Ango Abdullahi, chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has said Nigerians were warned against re-electing president Muhammadu Buhari for second term in office.
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He said it is not a surprise that Nigerians are paying the price for their action, despite glaring evidence of Buhari’s incompetence prior to the 2019 election.
Abdullahi made the statement in an interview with The PUNCH on the current security challenges plaguing the North.
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“It is just a clear indication of the failure which I referred to in the statement I issued some days ago. For a long time now, we have been calling them out so that the masses will realise that this is a failed government; and we didn’t hide it before now.
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“We said so and we gave reasons why we talked and insisted that this (Muhammadu) Buhari’s government did not worth re-electing. But Nigerians re-elected it and, as such, I don’t see why they should be complaining now,” he said.
In response to questions on the presidency blaming traditional rulers for being responsible for the worsening state of insecurity in the region, Abdullahi noted that security is not the constitutional duty of traditional rulers.
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“Are traditional rulers in charge of Nigeria’s soldiers, police and other security agencies? Why are monarchs being accused of not being able to stop banditry and other security problems?
“So I don’t know what the problem is. They (the government) have to find scapegoats. They have to find people to blame for failing to do their work. If you look at the constitution, traditional rulers are not meant to be in charge of our security. Are they? We know those who the chief security officers are and what instruments they have in their hands.
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“Traditional rulers are not listed as officers under the constitution of this country. They can probably be asked for advice; and even on that, it is only on matters bordering on traditional issues. In my statement on Sunday, my points were very straightforward and I think there is no doubt,” Abdullahi stated.
