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Chibok Girls Kidnap, National Embarrassment -Buhari
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), has described the kidnap of the Chibok schoolgirls as the greatest national embarrassment in Nigeria’s post-independence history.
Buhari, who disclosed this yesterday while speaking at a security summit organized by his campaign team, lamented the failure of the administration to put the country’s refineries in shape, saying his agenda in office would be to tackle insecurity, corruption and the destroyed economy.
Commenting on the present administration’s strategy against insurgency, he faulted the absence of a comprehensive welfare policy or plan for soldiers in the battlefield, regretting that it was irrational to send soldiers to battle on an empty stomach.
His words, “I think the issue of the Chibok girls is really a great embarrassment to this country. Since independence, I do not think we have been reduced to such a position as a nation as the disappearance of 220 girls between the ages 14 and18 for almost a year and government could not do anything about it and this is the same government that says it wants to remain in place.
Buhari said, “I have said that APC as a party has identified three fundamental problems in this country. You cannot repeat them so often because everybody talks about them. They are insecurity, the destruction of the economy and corruption. The state of insecurity, as we said when the election was extended by six weeks, is that if the government and the military could not tame Boko Haram for five years, what will they do in six weeks? But I think that some positive moves have been made, but we are still at it.
“The first thing they should have done is to make sure that you have a good plan on ground to take care of the welfare of the law enforcement agents. You cannot send someone on an operation for months, when his family is living in wants without medical care, no school and no good neighbourhood and you want him to serve the country. “So, one gets disappointed now that soldiers on road block have started saying wetin you chop remain as many of their colleagues were doing many years ago,” he stated.
Bemoaning the fall of naira against major global currencies, Buhari asserted that the present managers of the economy were wrong in the devaluation of the currency.
Recalling that there was international pressure on him as the then head of state to devalue the naira and remove subsidy. He noted that he refused to succumb and instead worked to increase the capacity of the refineries.
According to him, “Again, I think that the incompetence of the government in managing the economy, beside security, is what has led us to where we are. When we came into power in December 1983, we were approached by the world power at some stage to devalue the naira, remove petroleum subsidy and remove subsidy on flour, but we refused.
“The issue was that if we get plenty of naira, what are we going to do with it? We even stopped farming and the only thing we got money from them was oil and that was being paid in dollars. If you have excess of groundnut, cocoa, cotton or palm oil, you sell it in foreign exchange. If you devalue the currency, the naira will be affected and Nigerians will get their goods and services, Buhari stated.
“I was told to remove subsidy on petroleum and because I had the honour of being in charge of petroleum for three and half years, I do not know in terms of Nigeria, who is subsidizing who. To the best of my knowledge then, it is Nigeria’s petrol and capital was used to develop the refineries up to the time I was there, he said.
“We built the refineries from one of 50,000 bpd to four of 450,000 bpd, laid pipeline of over 3,000 kilometres, built more than 20 depots without borrowing a kobo for that development,” he stated.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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