The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) has called the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to the sorry state of the economy, injudicious use of public funds, unending wave of insecurity and killings, dubious pardons and the triumph of corruption under his watch.
Executive Director, CHRICED, Comrade Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, disclosed this at a Press Conference in Abuja on Thursday, April 2, 2022.
In his address titled “We Must Salvage Nigeria Before It Bleeds To Death”, Dr. Zikirullahi x-rayed the plagues bedeviling the Nation and the solution thereof.
He noted that it was evident Nigeria was bleeding at multiple points, naming debt pileup, unbridled corruption, oil theft, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping among others as factors responsible for making life difficult for the average Nigerian.
In this regard, he stated: “Nowhere is safe in today’s Nigeria except the heavily guarded government houses. And no one is safe, only the heavily protected elected and appointed government officials, while ordinary Nigerians either hand over to God in prayers or resort to feeble self-help”.
Speaking on the dwindling economy, the CHRICED Czar said: “The sorry state of the economy, high unemployment, and the prohibitively high cost of living are markers of the economic woes of Nigerians as a result of the poor economic decisions of this administration.
“According to a recent report, Nigeria is still the poverty capital of the world. Over 40% of the total population lives in extreme poverty. According to the world bank, 1 in every 4 Nigerian live below a dollar per day. Unemployment stood at 33.3% in Q4, 2020; the 4th highest rate globally after South Africa, Angola, and Namibia. Youth unemployment is estimated at over 45%”.
In response he stated that CHRICED decried the government’s lack of concrete action to stem inflationary pressures that had driven the prices of food and other essential commodities and services out of reach of the average citizen.
On the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike which halted teaching and research across all public universities of the country, the CHRICED Boss said it was irresponsible and shameful for an elected government to continue to toy with the future of its youths and low-income families who cannot afford the exorbitant fees charged by private universities.
He therefore, urged President Buhari to take personal responsibility for the Education Minister’s failure and immediately appoint a more serious hand to steer the negotiations with ASUU and bring a quick solution to the protracted crisis in higher education in Nigeria.
Obviously displeased at Buhari’s unwise donation of a whooping $1 million to Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Dr. Zikirullahi said: “It is difficult to understand how the Buhari administration came to befriend the terrorist Taliban government in Afghanistan to the point of donating funds to them.
“CHRICED categorically denounces this indiscriminate use of the nation’s funds, especially in these trying times. Aside from making little or no economic sense, such a gift should not come from a government that claims to be fighting terrorism within its borders”, he said.
Worried by the unending wave of insecurity and killings ravaging the country, the CHRICED Helsman said the current level of insecurity across the nation posed the gravest threat to the country and its democracy.
The CHRICED Boss noted that military and para-military institutions were deployed across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory for the first time in the Nation’s history. “Lives have never been so cheap in Nigeria”, he said.
He further noted that this was so because of the government’s weakness: “Because the government is weak, criminal gangs are emboldened to take on the state and harm citizens.
“This inadequate response from the government appears to be what motivated the recent bold attacks by criminal elements on high-profile targets such as Kaduna International Airport and the train service.
“CHRICED strongly condemns the government’s poor, weak, and indecisive reaction to the wave of insecurity engulfing Nigeria and wreaking havoc on residents’ lives”, he said.
Highlighting the triumph of corruption under Buhari’s watch, Dr. Zikirullahi said:
“Just when the fight against corruption appears to be finally spreading among Nigerians and development partners, President Buhari announced a pitiable, politically-informed state pardon for two recalcitrant former governors, Joshua Dariye (Plateau State) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba state).
“This ill-advised pardon is the biggest revelation of the deception fed by this administration to the Nigerian people in its anti-corruption promises. It is on record that the two former governors never cooperated with the government throughout the investigation and prosecution. On the contrary, they did everything possible to frustrate the investigation and prosecution.
“It is to the credit of the hardworking staff and leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the country eventually secured a conviction for these two felons. It is, therefore, disappointing and condemnable that President Buhari decided to reward unrepentant offenders with a state pardon”, he said.
