Kaduna train attack: President Buhari should resign, by Kassim Afegbua

I read a statement from the presidency last week accusing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of trying to destabilise an already destabilised, dislocated, disjointed, crippled and demobilised country, presided over by an uncreative president. When I read the statement, I was almost tempted to conclude that it is possible that those spokesmen of Mr. President now indulge in alcoholic intake which may have affected their psyche about the country they now speak for. The fact is that, Nigeria has been destabilised by this Buhari-led presidency, creating poverty, distributing hunger and circulating insecurity. Our military has been heavily overstretched, permanently on their toes, trying to piece together, a country that is torn apart by nepotism, selective amnesia, cronyism and mediocrity. Never, and I repeat, never has Nigeria been this dehumanised and traumatised in our over 62 years of independence. The Buhari-presidency has finally broken the chord of our unity and solidarity, polarise the country, render the system prostrate, and delivering poor leadership to the chagrin of all.

The Kaduna bound train attack is one bare-faced example of a presidency that has lost its compass and leadership roadmap. It is inhuman, agonisingly pulsating, and markedly wicked to continue to render condolence messages when the opportunity to arrest the situation is right within the purview of government. The train attack is the height of crass incompetence and failure of government to pursue its statutory responsibilities as encapsulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Once a government is unable to execute and fulfil its responsibility of ensuring welfare and security to lives and property, such a government has no business being in contention. In saner climes, such a president would ordinarily resign his position and apologise to Nigerians for failing to live up to expectations. A failed president has no business in government. A president that has led the country to the precipice, rendering its citizenry comatose, killing productivity, and appearing helpless to solving the multiplicity of problems confronting it, has no business being in government. A train attack with several deaths, is a further confirmation that the country has gone bunkers.

The failure of government has become monumental, but sycophants, rentiers and professional coupon clippers, would rather praise-sing in very patronising tone to gain the attention of Mr. President. No sector in the country seems to be working; power sector is down, economy is in a shambles, insecurity has gotten to almost irredeemable proportion, while unemployment and job losses have become the visible tell-tales of a system that is eternally dysfunctional. Instead of rising to the occasion, what we hear from presidency’s publicists are often weather-beaten rhetorics, scare-mongering, blame game and false accusation of opposition parties with subject-matters that are exclusively within the confines of governmental responsibility. As a government that ought to be on top of its game, the APC-led Federal Government has shown its urge for injustice and politics of exclusion.

The level of hypocrisy of this Buhari-led presidency is also not helping matters. The presidency has not been able to get its rhythms right. Its political optics is wrong-headed, installing corruption proven leadership at its helms, and dubiously pursuing an agenda of consensus to further implement its imposition strategy. When a government cannot get its politics and governance structure right, it leaves gaping hole in the hearts of its citizenry. That Nigeria has degenerated to this mindless bubble, unable to do things differently to mitigate our present predicament, is the more reason why President Buhari should resign. I say this with all due sense of responsibility as a citizen of a country that is apparently lost in the wilderness of ideas to ignite the right rhythms for collective participation. I am utterly ashamed of being led by a leadership that is weak, incompetent, sleeping on duty, reclusive and consistently failing in its assigned responsibilities. Big shame!

*Prince Kassim Afegbua, member, PDP Ward 5, Awuyemi-Okpella, Edo State; former Commissioner for Information, Edo State