Buhari at crossroads over Boko Haram killings

President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to show symptoms of imprecision of government’s determination to end brutal killing of innocent citizens by Boko Haram terrorists. Each time there is protest of the killings in the northeast Nigeria, the president seldom responds with firmness on government’s commitment to end the killings or protect armless innocent citizens despite the billions of budgetary allocations to defence year in year out, besides the $1 billion said to be withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account for purchase of military equipment less than one year to the 2019 general elections.

The president  on Tuesday, scored his administration high on human rights issues and freedom of citizens in Nigeria, which he acknowledged was the harbinger of the mass protest organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the country on Sunday. The president in a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, did not indicate any clear commitment of the federal government to end the Boko Haram terrorism but dwelled on rhetoric of citizens civic duties in the polity.

President Buhari in the statement remarked that the actions of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in recent days represented the right of all Nigerians to peaceful protest and expression of their views on matters of religion, ethics, politics and society. The president deliberately omitted the crux of the protest which is rising insecurity in the country.

He was of the view that the origination of the protests is the shocking, unacceptable death of Pastor Lawan Andimi at the hands of Boko Haram. “The President feels their pain, and that of his family, for his loss.,” the statement read.

The President also expressed the belief, as does every member of his administration, both Christian and Muslim, as in the words of CAN’s placards: “All life is sacred.”

President Buhari declared: “Whether you are Christian or Muslim, all Nigerians and their beliefs must be respected. The duty of all of us is to uphold the rights of others to worship according their faith – and to respect the rights of each other to do so freely in the spirit of brotherhood and respect – and without interference.

“This means, however, that we must stop false claims that only serve to divide one community against the other. There is no place in Nigeria for those who politicise religion. This is the President’s message to both Muslim and Christian communities alike,” the statement further read.

He maintained: “In the light of this, the CAN-inspired prayers and street enlightenment in our cities are much welcome as sensitizers to the need for ALL CITIZENS irrespective of faith, religion or language to accept their duty and role in law enforcement, to prevent crime in all its manifestations, be it corruption, theft, terrorism, banditry or kidnapping. Without citizen involvement, there is no miracle with which less than half-a-million policemen can effectively protect a population of 200 million.”

Buhari admitted that CAN is right to arouse popular consciousness to this duty to the state.

He stated that it is the added need for citizen-consciousness to stand up for the nation; insisting: “Nigerians, only Nigerians can defend their nation against these abhorrent killings and all sorts of crimes worrying us as a nation.” The president was obviously not addressing the security crisis troubling Nigerians and why he cannot account for the billions allocated to defence annually that have not been justified. Yet, he wants armless citizens to fight or defend Nigeria. The subtle import is that the president may be playing double standard with national security, tentatively boldening the terrorists.

President Buhari further stated that from the prayers and advocacy of CAN, citizens need to take an important lesson, which is, “that our people must rally around the flag. Together, they rise to defeat the enemy and defend the state.”

President Buhari decried that in Nigeria, some groups rally against the government instead of the enemy, noting that this is not right. “It has the effect of playing into the hands of the enemy of the state,” he added.

“We will not defeat the terrorists, nor speed the return for those citizens, young and old taken by them by division in our own ranks. To pull apart is to play into the hands of the terrorists: this is what they want,” President Buhari said.