Tell President Muhammadu Buhari that he is the number one enemy of Nigeria, the Leader of the Yoruba apex socio-political group, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo, told Nigerians on Wednesday.
He spoke at a dialogue organised by an online newspaper, Ripples Nigeria, at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
Speaking at the event themed ‘Rebuilding trust in a divided Nigeria’,
Adebanjo said:
“The thing that will save Nigeria is to change the constitution. Anything outside that, there is no future for Nigeria.”
According to him, “corruption is worse in Nigeria now than it has ever been because of the people Buhari surrounds himself with.”
He bemoaned how President Buhari “has all the wrong people in his cabinet.”
Saying that “we need to ask ourselves why the North has more states and local governments than other parts of Nigeria”, and noting that the military made it so to favour the North”, Adebanjo said the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had wanted a constitution that would make every region in Nigeria grow at their own pace.
He said that the centre had it’s specific functions during the first republic.
“That is why Nigerians are clamouring for restructuring because each region was dependent with a clear autonomy,” he said.
Speaking further, he said, “When people accuse Buhari of being partisan, the indices are there to see”.
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to tell Buhari that “he is the number one enemy of Nigeria”, adding that in order to tackle the herders problem, “one must go back to the issue and analyse why it snowballed during the current tenure.
According to Pa Adebanjo, Nigerians are living in denial of the times.
“Nigerians want restructuring and dialogue to rebuild trust in Nigeria.
“Nigerians must beg President Buhari to agree to what the people want,” he said.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Director, Publicity and Advocacy of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) also spoke at the event.
In his speech, Okowa lamented the unending crises in the country. He regretted the #EndSARS crisis and labour agitations, which he argued, further placed a wedge between the citizenry and the leadership.
According to the governor, challenges such as cybercrime, human trafficking and others, derived from general discontent with the leadership and the deplorable state of the country.
“We have had leaders who exploit ethnic and religious fault lines for their interests,” he added.
Speaking, Baba-Ahmed also frowned at what is happening in Nigeria under Buhari’s administration.
He said, “We the northerners are the first victims of the misgovernance of President Buhari. The North has paid the biggest price for the failures of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
He called on the South to learn from the mistake the North made in voting for Buhari based on regional sentiments saying: “Nigerians should learn from the mistakes of the northern part of the country.
“Do not vote because the individual is your statesman. Vote for an individual who is interested in the development of the country.”