Yoruba group, YUF, lambasts APC, Buhari

…You’re out of progressive thinking

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NIGERIA: YORUBA Unity Forum (YUF), the umbrella forum for all Yorubas irrespective of political affiliation, has lambasted the All Progressive Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari over their stand on the recommendations of the 2014 national conference.

The forum said that by their stance on the conference, APC and Buhari are not in line with the progressive movement in the country over the restructuring of the country.

Similarly, the forum accused Buhari of marginalizing the Southern part of the country in the appointments into key offices, while also favouring the North in the 2016 Appropriation Bill.

The YUF, however, reminded the President that only the restructuring of the country would lead to true fiscal and political federation, and eventual elimination of the majority of the problems plaguing the nation.

The forum stated these in a statement read by its Chairman and Leader, retired Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi, at the end of the meeting held at Premier Hotel, Ibadan, Oyo State, on the one year in office of the President.

“The President’s recent remarks therefore that he will consign the recommendations of the Conference to the archives, and the present posture of his party against restructuring show that they are out of step with progressive thinking in the country,” the forum declared in the statement made available to GatewayMail.

“Restructuring of the nation will eliminate most of our recurrent problems,” it further said in the statement, which it said was meant to examine how the new administration had impacted on the people.

While justifying its stance further on true federalism, the YUF said: “This sectionally centred insurgencies are bound to continue to arise from time to time with our present over centralised, quasi-unitary structure of governance.

“This is why well meaning, respectable Nigerians have agitated for decades and continue to agitate for a restructuring of the country to achieve true fiscal and political federalism and to enable each section to mobilise and develop its own resources.”

The forum, however, kicked against the frequent foreign trips of Buhari, while also rejecting his pronouncements of significant policies outside the country.

The YUF said that while it appreciated the necessity of the President’s foreign trips as a platform to seek international assistance on the war against terror and to attract foreign investment to the country at a time when foreign direct investment in Nigeria continues to drop sharply, but questioned the frequency of these trips.

It declared: “The President has travelled overseas in the last twelve months to almost 30 countries, including multiple trips to some of them. Nigerians at this moment of economic and social crisis need to have their President stay more at home to attend to pressing domestic problems.

“They will also appreciate if he would reduce his penchant for making important policy pronouncements concerning the nation while engaged with foreign audiences.  He should show greater regards for Nigerians who are first and foremost, his primary constituency.”

The forum, while also bemoaning the increase in price of petrol, poor performance of the economy, rise in unemployment and inflation, huge loss at the stock market, declining crude oil production, drop in power generation, and fall in external reserves, among others, urged Buhari “to put together a strong team of patriotic economists to help us navigate our way through the economic doldrums we are now passing through.”

On Fulani herdsmen, the YUF said that their activities have become threat to the national security.

It stated that the herdsmen had abused the hospitality of their host communities with the series of attacks, killings, destruction of crops and farmlands, raping and burning of houses carried out by them.

The forum, therefore, stressed: “The lackadaisical attitude of government and security agencies in confronting these criminals who roam the streets of Nigeria with automatic weapons in broad daylight send mixed signals and may compel citizens to take all necessary measures to defend themselves.

“We are very unhappy that the President has remained silent even in the face of the heinous crimes committed by this group such as the Agatu massacre in Benue State and the Enugu Massacre just to mention a few.”

“When the President eventually thought it fit to comment, his remarks were without conviction. This silence has been interpreted to mean that these armed Fulani herdsmen may be receiving sympathy from the highest official quarters,” it maintained.

The YUF further said: “The President must publicly condemn these atrocities with the conviction and passion he has shown with lesser crimes. The wanton destruction of lives and property by the Fulani herdsmen such as the recent one in Oke Ako, Ikole local government of Ekiti State while security agents watch or claim ignorance only portends danger for the corporate existence of Nigeria.

“We therefore call on the traditional rulers, community leaders, youth organizations and hunters in the Southwest to put in place local vigilantes to protect and defend their people as the government and security agents have demonstrated their unwillingness to defend them from aggression.”

“Furthermore, we call on all governors of the South West states to send bills to their various Houses of Assembly to pass legislations banning nomadic grazing in their various states,” it said, adding: “Those engaged in cattle breeding should establish ranches.”

The forum also alleged that Buhari had favoured the North in his appointment of persons into key positions in his government.

It declared: “Your appointments to Presidential offices, to Permanent Secretaryships, to Executive and Board positions in the nation’s top parastatals have sent jitters down the spines of members of nationality groups in the Southern part of the country and set them wondering about their status in Nigeria under your presidency.”

“A glance at the table showing key appointments made so far underscores the extent of the marginalization of the South,” it further added.