President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, June 24, 2016, begged the militants to “take it easy” in “the name of God Almighty.”
One major trait
that attracted Nigerians to Buhari and won him the presidency was his
apparent ability to stand strong and firm no matter the situation at
hand, that’s the president we need now
President Muhammadu Buhari has worsened the Niger Delta militancy, and all it took was one sentence.
Buhari, on Friday, June 24, 2016, begged the militants to “take it easy” in “the name of God Almighty.”
“I
honestly don’t know how many factions the militants are in the Niger
Delta compared to the north-east where you have the Boko Haram,” the president said while hosting leaders of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) to dinner at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“The
technology being deployed by the militants to destroy oil installations
is high-tech, the way they can go on high sea and international waters
and target oil installations is a national problem. It is affecting
development.
“No insurance company will
want to insure installations that will end up being blown up and no
banks will want to finance such installations. Those of you who have
friends among the leadership or even the militants themselves should
plead with them in the name of God Almighty to take it easy,” he added.
The
latest statement is a far cry from Buhari’s earlier threat to show the
militants the fullness of his wrath and power. The president had warned
the militants not to confront his government and vowed to deal with them like he dealt with Boko Haram.
"The
government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have
learnt a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their
madness,” he said on April 13 while speaking to members of the Nigerian Community in Beijing, China.
“I
hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing
up pipelines and installations. We will deal with them the way we dealt
with Boko Haram,” he added.
Unfortunately,
the story has changed and the Commander in Chief of Nigeria’s Armed
Forces is now begging a group of miscreants to have mercy on him and his
government.
Buhari’s plea to the militants was
ill-advised because it has positioned him as a victim, and that is a
terrible place for any president to be. One major problem of the Buhari
administration is that words are uttered before their full import is
understood and their consequences analysed. The president of Nigeria
should not be begging anybody, especially not criminals who are just
seeking a pay day in the name of fighting for their people’s rights.
There
are legitimate grievances in the Niger Delta, but Buhari should tackle
them through proper negotiation and mediation, not by first threatening
hell on earth and then whimpering in a corner begging for mercy.
Most
importantly, Buhari’s communications team should step up their game to
ensure that whenever the president says anything less than presidential,
it is not allowed to get out.
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