The National coordinator of the Yoruba socio cultural group, Odua Progressive Care Initiative (OPCI), Chief Maruf Olanrewaju has scolded president Muhammadu Buhari for his incapability to arrest worsening security situation in the country.
Chief Maruf, expressed this while talking to the journalists in Ilorin at the weekend on said “It’s unfortunate that Nigeria security system has completely collapsed under a former Army General as President”
According to him “It’s unfortunate that we found ourselves in this kind of security mess in this country, in some years back, my group, raised alarm and called on federal government to be proactive on the issue of security, unfortunately government did not pay attention to our warning then, until it boomerang”
“It’s quite unfortunate that our president, who is a retired general could not secured his people. Yes, we had insecurity during Obasanjo and Jonathan administrations too, but, not as pathetic as what we are seeing today”
Stressed further that, before now, it was peculiar to North/East alone, where Bokoharam was operating days and nights, but now we are now seeing bandits, herdsmen across every part of the country, nowhere is safe now, talk of South/West, South/East, South/South and North Central, what we are reading on pages of Newspapers every morning, now is numbers of people killed”
He, however call on President Buhari to declare bandits terrorist group, saying he should shun sentiment and do the needful.
“When you look at issue of bandits, Nigerians have been calling on President Muhammed Buhari to declare them as terrorist organization, but he refused because, he believed they are Fulanis and Buhari himself is a Fulani, so he believes they are family and he can’t declare his family a terrorist group, that is where Federal government is getting it wrong on bandits”
Saying insecurity is largely responsible for the economy hardship facing the country, “Farmers could not go to farm again because of herdsmen, business people could not embark on trip again because of kidnappers. Judging by rate of these insecurity across the country, we can easily declare Buhari administration, a failed one”
Expressing his views on the way out of the insecurity, Chief Maruf said “If we want effective security system in Nigeria, we must go back to the drawing board, all traditional leaders in various communities across the country, must be carry along, they are the grassroot leaders with adequate knowledge of their communities”
Also, some organisations with reasonable numbers of members should as well be carry along, government must give them certain assignment to do.
“I could remember, during administration of Senator Bukola Saraki as Kwara state Governor, I approached his SA security, I asked him, do you want adequate security in Kwara? I explained to him how our organization can help, and due to his ingenuity too, he agreed with me. If we can do that in Kwara, I believe federal government can use the same strategy too, Police, combined with all other security agencies, not enough” he said
