by Cosmas Chukwu
President Buhari’s independence anniversary speech has been roundly decried by Enugu residents describing it as not only vacuous but lacking in patriotic predilection capable of uniting the diverse people of the country and, sought to bespeak the seemingly nepotic disposition of his government. Stakeholders in various sectors view the speech as very disappointing and falling short of addressing the myriads of challenges starring the country in the face, more than ever, as the country clocked 60 years of statehood. Gloomy trepidation and hopelessness characterized the mood expressed by a cross of Enugu residents who reacted to the president’s speech, albeit incognito.
Excerpts:
Godwin Nwaeri, Estate Surveyor: President Buhari seemed not to have been addressing Nigeria’s realities as his statements failed to reflect what is on ground in Nigeria. He painted the picture of a nation that is buoyant, peaceful, prosperous and united yet he was trying to whip up the spirit of unity. But then his very actions and inactions in office make nonsense of his unity call. At best, he might have been talking to a non-Nigerian and jaundiced audience, almost trying to do the impossible, telling himself a lie and wanting to believe it just as he would like his gullible audience so to do. It is a great disappointment.
Dominic Chukwunyelu, Civil Engineer: Buhari in his speech insulted Nigerians and their collective psyche. Going down memory lane to the nationalistic era that gave birth to independence, he made vacuous reference to the founding fathers and singled out a fellow Fulani and northerner for mention, leaving out those who were in the vanguard, especially the Ijele of the independence struggle, Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, pre-independence Governor General and First President of Nigeria. He was indeed trying to rewrite history and may have succeeded in giving the independence struggle a tribal slant. It is very unfortunate yet he tagged his speech Together.
Nwokike JohnPaul, businessman: Nigeria is faced with many problems especially separatist tendencies of some ethnic groups. What is the president doing or has done to address these agitations? There is usually no smoke without a fire and it will be very wrong to sweep the concerns of Nigerians under the carpet. Staying together may be good but there must be justice and equity. The moment you begin to massively neglect a section, then that section is bound to cry out. It is said that the cry of distress is a call for redress, impunity should not be the watchword. He showed that he does not listen to the cries of Nigerians in his speech.
Mrs. Vero Nwajagu, Legal Practioner: In his speech, the president went on an ego trip trying to reopen old wounds instead of trying to heal them. The civil war was fought, won-lost and ended half a century ago yet it appears that the memory is still very vivid in Buhari’s mind and he appears to be still in his trench against imaginary enemies and the hapless victims of that war. While equivocating greatly on healing the wounds, he continues rubbing in the pains of that bloody debacle. Consequently, he runs his government in abnegation of the federal character principle, with a section of the country occupying all the three arms of government as well as the security top echelon and headship of the commanding heights of the national economy. What moral right does he have to preach togetherness is his independence speech so inaptly and curiously themed Together?
Nworie Ferchinard, Public AffairsAnalyst and Economist: For the president to address Nigerians on the vexatious issue of the hike in the pump price of fuel and be comparing prices of same product in some foreign lands is at best deceptive and misleading. He ought to have gone ahead to tell Nigerians of the earning potentials of the citizens of those places. Nigerian workers are some of the most lowly remunerated globally.
How then can he compare fuel prices with those lands whose citizens are enjoying salaries that triples or quadruples those of the highly paid in Nigeria, not to talk of the downtrodden earning less than half a dollar a day! His speech is dispiriting as if is hurting.
Chief Ogbo Ndukuba, Cement Dealer; The president in his speech gave us no hope as he failed to specify what he wants to do to improve our lives he did not state in his speech plans to reduce the cost of doing business and multiple taxations. This is spoiling our business and the economy.
Nwobani Eugene, Unemployed Graduate: I listened to his speech and at the end of it all, my hope for a better Nigeria nosedived as well as my hope of a better future as an employed and productive person. I diminished inwardly and I am praying for divine intervention. My classmates at Unimaid who are from the North are in very plum positions in the Federal Civil Service, and they were not my betters, yet I continue to roam around looking for a job they tell me is unavailable. Is it how to make it together?
Basil Udokanma, Businessman: The various security challenges are of northern origin, the bandits, ISWAP, Boko Haram and killer herdsmen yet the president did not marshal out a convincing and effective plan of ending them. I moaned when I heard that a governor had called on Chadian soldiers to come to his aid in the wake of insurgent’s attacks on him. What a country! Yet we are sixty years and the sitting president has no plans to do anything tangible in his independent speech, very unfortunate.
Chief Nwalieji Isaac, Farmer. Our farms have become danger zones because herdsman attack constantly us with guns and rape our women on the farms. It is not easy to tend our crops or to harvest; Garri and other food items have reached an all-time high because farming is being hampered by Fulani people and their cows. It appears nobody can do anything about it, even our governors. I had hoped President Buhari would have done something on this in his speech, like declaring killer herdsmen as terrorists. It is very bad.