The Chairman of the Patriots, Ben Nwabueze has rubbished the President Muhammadu Buhari-led anti-graft war, saying it is a strategic plot to Islamise Nigeria.
He made the claim while faulting the appointment of Northerners as heads of all major security agencies and other strategic positions in the country.
Nwabueze stressed that old age was affecting Buhari’s mobilisation of Nigerians to support the eradication of corruption.
He stated this in a statement he signed entitled, “Whether the eradication of corruption is the motivating object of the on going war against it.”
The statement reads in part, “Given that President Buhari was initially acclaimed, hailed and idolised by the people as an uncompromising spear-head of a crusade against corruption – taking crusade to mean, not just a war, but a war fought with great passion and zeal – it is significant that, in less than two years, the acclaim is giving way to cynicism about the President’s sincerity in the prosecution of the war.
“Is he really the uncompromising crusader that the public had been led to believe? There is reason to suppose that the public cynicism is the by-product of the President’s Northernisation Agenda, as it is being carried into effect by his lopsided strategic appointments which are so manifestly skewed in favour of the North and against the South.
“Viewed from the standpoint of the war against corruption, it is significant that all the key officials involved, even if it be indirectly, in the prosecution of the war are northerners appointed by President Buhari since his inauguration as President on 29 May, 2015. A list of such appointees shows this assertion to be an incontrovertible fact.
“Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF); appointed in preference to a hotly tipped candidate from the South-East; after his removal following allegation of diversion of funds meant for persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, he was replaced by another northerner, Boss Mustapha, again in preference to a rumoured candidate from the South-East.
“National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), replaced Col Sambo Dasuki under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari, replaced Brig-Gen Jones Oladehinde (rtd), the holder of the office under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Ibrahim Idris, IGP, appointed over the heads of some southern officers senior to him. The IGP is heading a Police Force, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), in which 15 out of the 22 Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs), who exercise much of the function of the operational control of the Force, are northerners, while three are from the South-West and two from the South-East.
“These blatantly lopsided appointments, all of which were made since the inception of the Buhari administration, portray the NPF as an army of occupation deliberately designed to carry into effect President Buhari’s Northernisation Aganda in furtherance of the dream of the Sardauna to reduce the South to a conquered territory and thereby prevented from having control over its future.
“The President’s implacable opposition to re-structuring which envisages the establishment of State Police should not, therefore, surprise us. He wants to be able to continue to exercise control over the internal security of the Southern States and to continue to hold them hostage. It caricatures true federalism that a constituent state in a Federation should be under the control and yoke of the Federal Government in the matter of its internal security.
“Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, replacing Ita Ekpenyong; apart from the DG, the directors are mostly northerners. The control of the NPF and DSS by northerners must be taken together with the fact that the Minister of Interior and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry are northerners; that the Army and Air Force are headed by northerners; and, above all that President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, and has the power under the Constitution to direct the operational use of the NPF for the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order; his power to direct the operational use of the DSS is even more plenary.
“The implication of the control of security by northerners is that the security of Nigeria and Nigerians is an exclusively northern affair, thereby putting the rest of us at their mercy.
“Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN, a young SAN, who was raised to the rank in 2008, i.e. seven years before his appointment as AGF.
“Lt-Gen Abdulrahman Danbazau (rtd), Minister of Interior viii: Magaji Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior; he has publicly admitted to have wrongfully sidetracked the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, a southerner, in the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina, and has apologized to her accordingly.
“Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, still kept in office in an acting capacity since 9 November, 2015 because of repeated refusal by the Senate to confirm his appointment.
“Controller-General, Nigerian Customs Services, Hamed Ibrahim Ali, is the underbelly of corruption in Nigeria.
“Controller-General Nigerian Immigration Services, Mohammad Babandede, immigration stands implicated in Maina’s escape out of Nigeria after his sack from the civil service and his subsequent re-entry into it.
“Amb Muhammed Dauda, was appointed acting Director-General National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to replace Ayo Oke, a southerner; after he was sacked, following the discovery in the NIA offices in the Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, of the sum of $43million, £27,800 and N23 million. Just two days ago, Buhari approved Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar as substantive DG of the agency.
“Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Amed Idris, replaced Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla, a southerner. Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maitanti Baru, replaced Ibe Kachukwu, a southerner, who, as Minister of State for Petroleum and Chairman, NNPC Board, was sidelined by Baru in the process for the award of some NNPC contracts; earlier he has been downgraded from Minister of Petroleum to Minister of State for Petroleum, with the President taking over as his own Petroleum Minister.
“Abdulrasheed Maina, chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform; although his initial appointment took place before the Buhari Administration, his reinstatement after he was sacked occurred during that administration, with the President’s approval as the evidence shows.
“There are of course other lopsided strategic appointments, such as the appointment of Prof Mahmood Yakubu as chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), and Hadiza Bala-Usman as Head of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). The listed appointments raise critical issues as to the intention or design behind them.
“They look like a swoop on the South, a jihad designed to foist Northern domination, or even subjugation, on the South in pursuance of the Sarduana’s agenda, announced as far back as 1960, to subjugate the South and reduce it to a conquered territory, with the object of preventing it from having control over its future,” an agenda which President Buhari, in a speech in May 2015 as President-elect, re-echoed and vowed to carry to a finish.
“What other reason could there be for concentrating in the North the appointments to all the positions vital to the effective prosecution of the war against corruption? We need to be told. One hopes that the order for the purchase of war planes from the U.S., ostensibly to fight Boko Haram terrorism, is not connected with the hidden agenda for a jihad.”
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Adamawa State, has accused the Adamawa State government of tactically supporting Fulani herdsmen.
CAN, which made the allegation, yesterday, decried the attitude of the state Governor, Jubirila Bindow, and condemned alleged comments by Secretary to the State Government, Umar Bindir, that Fulani herdsmen don’t carry firearms.
In a statement, last Wednesday, in Yola, Chairman of the association, Bishop Dami Mamza, said the government was insensitive to the ongoing killings.
“We wish to call on the state government in particular to caution it’s officials on unguarded utterances during and after conflicts, as it has come to CAN’s notice that the secretary to the Adamawa state government has propounded a new firearms narrative which seeks to justify the use of firearms by Fulani in the country”, he said.
“This is dangerous and reprehensible as the law of the country does not allow any civilian the possession of illegal firearms whether Herdsmen or farmers.
“CAN condemns the silence of the state governor who has failed to rebuke or dissociate himself from the SSG’s position.
“CAN wishes to state in unequivocal terms that violent elements are easily embolden and fuelled to terror killings by such reckless and unguarded utterances.
“We are saddened by the death of over 50 people killed in the repeated attacks carried out by herdsmen in Koh Village of Girei.
“This has happened after Lawaru, Dong, Kodomti, Shafaron, Plum, Kikan, Bilachi, Bang and Nzoruwe villages of Fufore, Numan and Demsa fell to the exploit of the same herdsmen and their expatriate mercenaries killing close to 150 people, injuring several hundreds and destroying properties worth millions of naira before the start of Christmas festivities.
“It on record that less than one week ago, no fewer than 20 innocent Christian farmers were killed in separate attacks in and around Tambo.
“Luru village in particular saw its worst days when Herdsmen wielding sophisticated firearms stormed the area killing 15 people.
“Within the period under review, not less than 10 churches were burnt down and in some instances worshippers killed.
“On the basis of these, we stand to believe that the ongoing carnage is an attempt to discourage Christianity and to silence Christians from free religious practice.
“We make bold to reject this attempt and ask the government to stop the unfortunate development.
“Extremism seems to taken persecution to a new dimension with armed herdsmen burning down churches, especially the recent attacks two days ago in Sagal community in Maiha where four of our churches were burnt to ashes and properties destroyed.”
CAN further lamented, “The inaction of security operatives” to prevent the killings in, noting that in all the attacks, there have been sufficient alarms raised long before the actual carnages were done.
“With the incessant and spreading attacks, we feel the land is under siege and therefore calls for serious concerns from all well-meaning individuals and organisations to support any course that will restore lasting peace in the land as against sponsoring and equipping of the said herdsmen by their sponsors.
The Christian body called on the state government to, “Work around the current committee set-up on those matters that their work is objectively done and timely, and ensure that previous reports on farmers/herdsmen conflicts are implemented and that Nigerian’s land borders are protected at all costs to keep none Nigerian herdsmen from flowing into the country,” it added.