Headlines
Buhari blames Biafra War, military rule for Nigeria’s stunted growth at 60
- Says, “It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia”
BY KAZIE UKO
President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the Nigeria-Biafra War that ended over 50 years ago as a major contributor to the retinue of crisis the country is currently grappling with today, 60 years after independence from British colonial rule.
The president also indicted his constituency, the military, for helping to set back Nigeria’s developmental strides by hijacking the reins of political power and perpetuating its hold on governance for close to three decades.
Buhari, in a speech Thursday to mark the nation’s 60th Independence Anniversary, October 1, 1960, highlighted many issues but little or no constructive remedies to solve them, said the occasion provided Nigerians an opportunity to reflect on the journey so far.
“Sixty years of nationhood provides an opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are we on course? If not, where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our steps?
“Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by the 30-months of civil war.
“We came out of the civil war with a focus on reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation that enabled the country to put in place world class development structures and a strengthened public service that well served the government. This positive trajectory continued with a return to democratic government which was truncated by another round of military rule.
READ: Fifty years after the War: We must make progress
“For a cumulative 29 of our 60 years existence as a nation, we have been under military rule.
“My summary of our journey so far as a nation is necessary to appropriately chart where we need to go and how to get there TOGETHER.
“Today, I am aware that our economy along with every single economy in the world is in crisis. We still face security challenges in parts of the country, while our society suffers from a high loss of moral rectitude which is driven by unbridled craving for political control.
“An underlying cause of most of the problems we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.
“In addition, institutions such as civil service, police, the judiciary, the military all suffered from a general decline.
“We need to begin a sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are.
“The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution and integration.
“To start this healing process, we are already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such – OUR PEOPLE – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in many fields.
“It has been demonstrated time and time again that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology, medicine, sports, arts and many other fields.
“Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home have resulted in globally recognized endeavours.
“I am convinced that if we pursue our aspirations TOGETHER, we would be able to achieve whatever we desire. That informed our adopting the theme TOGETHER to mark this epochal event.
“Together we can change our condition for the better and more importantly, together we can do much more for ourselves and for our country,” the president said, unwittingly passing the buck to the people while focussing more on the theme of the celebration, rather than clear-cut strategy by his government to resolve the numerous issues he pointed out.
READ: Senate blames lack of political will for poor program implementation
He further admonished citizens to take responsibility and play their part in rebuilding the country and not see the country as one for only the president and politicians.
According to him, “To achieve this, we must focus our minds, TOGETHER as a people, on ways of resolving the identified critical challenges that underlie our present state. These include, evolving and sustaining a democratic culture that leaves power in the hands of the people; Supporting the enthronement of the rule of law, demanding accountability of elected representatives and contributing to good governance; Increasing our commitment to peaceful co-existence in a peaceful, secure and united Nigeria.
He continued: “Harnessing and Optimizing our tremendous human and natural resources to attain our goal of being in the top twenty economies of the world and in the process; Lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years; Strengthening institutions to make them stronger in protecting National Interests; and Imbibing tolerance in diversity.”
Even though the president enumerated the various programmes he had implemented to make life a little bearable to the most vulnerable of the citizenry, he nonetheless betrayed a worrying perception that portray him as insensitive to the plight of the people, when he justified the recent increase in the pump price of petrol to N162 per litre.
“…Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia,” Buhari charged at Nigerians as he embarked on peer review of cost of petrol, without commensurate comparison of the minimum wage or per capita income of the countries being referenced.
As he is often wont, he did not let the moment pass without taking an angry punch at his predecessors.
“No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources. We have managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security. Those in the previous Governments from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts,” the president fumed.