HURIWA Backs Buhari On Cause Of Insecurity, Makes Case for Nnamdi Kanu
The position canvassed recently by President Muhammadu Buhari during a state visit to Owerri Imo State blaming elite for the heightened state of insecurity in the Country has found solid endorsement from a prominent Civil Rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) which also canvassed elite-led resolution of the worrying situation.
“We are convinced that Mr. president stated the whole truth and nothing but the truth for blaming elite for the near intractable insecurity in parts of Nigeria.
“Primarily, the political class or elite which at the moment the president Muhammadu Buhari is at the head of the pyramid is solely responsible for the insecurity and has continued to stoke up the fires of insecurity through crass misgovernance corruption and lack of empathy for the suffering masses of Nigeria. The policy of divide-and-rule and the nepotistic appointments are at the roots of the heightened state of insecurity and distrust in the Country.”
The Rights group in a media statement signed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko cited the example of “the South East region of Nigeria which used to be comparatively very peaceful and economically viable but with the coming of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and the implementation of apartheid kind of policies, including the explicit exclusion of representatives of the Igbo speaking states in virtually all strategic national security institutions, this policy of exclusion by President Buhari motivated some millions of young people of South East extraction to interpret this to mean that they are no longer wanted in the United Nigerian Federation thereby pushing some groups to canvass for self-determination which they believe is supported by the global human rights laws.
“The cantankerous reactions to the peaceful exercise of advocacy for self determination by both the political elite of the Central government in Nigeria and the South East States compounded the problems of insecurity that got instigated by the selective prescription of what was said to be the peaceful agitation of self rule by the now proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).”
Besides, HURIWA has for the umpteenth time canvassed an end to the deliberate persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his proscribed Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) whereas such notorious and divisive groups like the Miyetti Allah cattle owners Association that is perceived to be the sponsor of hundreds of armed attacks of farming communities all across the country and the killing of over three thousand citizens in Southern Kaduna, Benue states and other communities, is still being spared and indeed is perceived to be pampered by top officials of the government headed by President Buhari who is Fulani by Ethnic origin.
“May we repeat our call that for lasting peace to reign in the South East of Nigeria, the governors, political leaders must unite under a single purpose umbrella to end the systemic persecution by the Federal government of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and both the South East States and the federal government should consider the de-proscription of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and work out mechanisms for constructive and peaceful dialogues and an immediate cessation of armed conflicts of any type including the use of extra judicial executions of Igbo youths by security forces.
“All those agitating for self determination should publicly denounce armed struggles just as all targeted violent attacks on institutions and officials of the Federal Government and those of the States must be called off for the sake of the immediate, comprehensive and sustainable restoration of peace in the South East of Nigeria,” HURIWA affirmed.
HURIWA recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari blamed Nigerian elite for not contributing to the development of the country, particularly the fight against insecurity just as President Buhari stated this on last Tuesday shortly after commissioning some projects in Imo State done by Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration
HURIWA quoted president Buhari to have said Nigeria has not recorded the expected developments because of a number of factors and inability of the elite to assist the country even as President Buhari stated thus: “To be frank with you, I am blaming the Nigerian elites for not sitting and thinking hard about our country,” “Between 1999 and 2015, when we came in – I like people to check (from) the Central Bank of Nigeria and NNPC. The average (oil) production was 2.1 million barrels per day at the cost $100 per barrel.
“So, Nigeria was earning, at this time, 2.1 million times multiplied by $100 per barrel. But look at the state of infrastructure. Look at the railway, it was virtually killed. Power, we are still struggling,
HURIWA has therefore challenged President Buhari to begin the process of peace building and dialogues to restore security and stability not just in South East of Nigeria but Nigeria collectively even as the Rights group canvassed the implementation of far reaching policies to ensure that all thise who lost their people are given justice including thousands of families whose relatives suffered extrajudicial killings by security forces.
