Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gadgi, who is Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, has warned of looming calamity on Nigeria if the Buhari government allows the security situation in Plateau State to spiral out of control.
Gadgi has in an open letter to the President, said Buhari has had several opportunities to cut insecurity to size, but failed, thus, allowing the lives of Nigerians to be wasted on a daily basis by a group of criminals who feel the have the license to kill, perhaps knowing the current government would do nothing.
Reminding Buhari of his pledge to end insecurity if voted to power, Gadgi said current realities in the country speaks against the President, Nigerians have lost hope in the Buhari government, and said only by turning the situation around, would confidence be restored.
He said: “On 29th day of May 2015, you resurrected the hope and optimism of bringing back robust economic transformation devoid of corruption and free from insecurity via your three-point agenda when you spoke highly about defending and protecting the Constitution and by simple reflection, you swore to uphold the primary responsibility of Government as enshrined in Section 14(b) thus: ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’.
“You declared explicitly that equitable and efficient strategies would be adopted by all the machineries of Government to end the wanton destructions of lives and properties particularly those associated with the activities of Boko Haram which hitherto had extended beyond the North East to the North Central and other parts of Nigeria."
While commending the Buhari government for some of its achievements, including 'technically' defeating Boko Haram, he however, said things only got worse from there.
He said, "Your Excellency, about six years down the line and having secured a second term mandate from Nigerians, it is heart wrenching to note that insecurity has worsened in the country leading to interrogative concerns by people such as what is anti-corruption without security; what is the value of food if farms are not safe for agriculture to thrive; what is the significance of infrastructure devoid of security?”
Gadgi who picked holes in the current security strategies being adopted by Buhari’s administration, argued that the safety of Nigerians cannot be guaranteed.
“As it is, they can no longer hold water in a cup let alone in a basket. The gaps are becoming wider by the day with serious concerns such as the plight of many school children still in the den of captives; brazen daylight attacks on communities and travelers which have become almost unabated; the recent shameful raid on the highly fortified Nigeria Defence Academy, (NDA) Kaduna; and the metropolitan attacks in Jos, Plateau State among others. All these have heightened fears of insecurity in Nigeria."
On government’s Amnesty for repentant terrorists, he said it was unjust to pardon criminals and spend fortune rehabilitating them, while their victims are left without proper care by the same government.
“The unjust Amnesty to repentant Boko Haram fighters under Operation Safe Corridor policy even when many displaced Nigerians have not been adequately rehabilitated and reintegrated in their homeland is torturing to the psyche of many Nigerians,” he said.
On crisis in Plateau State, he said the state once known as the Home of Peace and Tourism, has been reduced to a killing, a situation he said is evidence of leadership failure.
“The resurgence of killings and mayhems that have visited the state in the last few weeks might have revealed a laxity of leadership at the center in being proactive towards addressing JUSTLY and EQUITABLY reported cases of attacks and threats to lives and properties.
“Today, the externalities of the nature of insecurity in Plateau points to the failure of your government to deal decisively with the factors that have seemingly become indicative of rising animosity, mutual suspicion, religious fault lines and the dangerous perception of the “them” and ‘us’ syndrome’.
“It is thus unfortunate and unacceptable for my people and indeed the good people of Plateau State to continue to experience unprovoked recrudescent attacks on their communities."
He added that strategies used by the Buhari government to address the spate of insecurity in the country "are no longer effective and have failed to deal squarely with the challenges of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity."
“Only a quick response may avert a calamity capable of throwing the entire nation into unrest. With particular reference to Plateau State, it should even be quicker given the miniature nature of Plateau State. And God forbid that this is allowed to spiral out of control."
He said Buhari's refusal listen to advice, is responsible for the recent invasion of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), by bandits in Kaduna State, in the past week.
“It is my strong belief or instance, that if the Executive had taken the issue of fishing out betrayers in the Armed forces as recommended by the House seriously, the attack on NDA Kaduna might have been averted."