Missed Opportunity: 20 Questions NASS Members should have Put to Buhari

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

President Muhammadu Buhari came to power principally on the basis of his presumed capacity to tame the Boko Haram monster ravaging the northeast and put the entire country on the path of peace and stability. 2015 was the perfect time for him because the then President Goodluck Jonathan did not, in the estimation of most Nigerians, demonstrate sufficient capacity to be able to stop the growth of the terrorists.

Five years down the line, the whole story is now looking like the illusion of change: The more things change, the more they actually look the same. In the case of Buhari's Nigeria, the security situation is actually worse than it was in 2015. This is because in 2015, the Nigerian state had only Boko Haram to contend with,   but now there are armed herdsmen who go from village to village to kill, rape women and destroy at will; there are also bandits who move about with Ak 47 rifles and run a system in the northwest and middle belt where they collect taxes from farmers and market people and kill when they are in the mood to see blood; there are also kidnappers who have made a big business out of abducting people for cash; yet the Boko Haram insurgents are still around, they still kill soldiers and civilians, molest women and children and make major highways in the northeast impassable.

The insecurity Nigeria faces under President Buhari is multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and complex. That is why most observers find the repeatedly told lie by government propagandists that the situation is better, ridiculous. How do you say we should celebrate because bombs are no longer going off in Abuja and other places? What is the difference between insurgents slaughtering over 70 innocent workers on a Borno farm and bombs going off in Nyayan Park and killing the same number of Nigerians or anyone at all? If a problem changes name, base or mode of operation, does that mean the problem has been solved?

Another ludicrous claim by agents of the administration is that Boko Haram has been so decimated that it has resorted to attacking only soft targets. Aside the fact that the claim is an absolute falsehood, it is also extremely unintelligent. It is a blatant lie because the insurgents have not only attacked army barracks and military formations since 2015, they have also laid ambush for our soldiers and killed a lot of them. The insurgents have also attacked the convoy of the Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, countless times. The statement is also extremely lousy because it dehumamizes the victims of these dare-devil insurgents. The government fails to protect vulnerable people from the attack of godless criminals and when they are slaughtered, the same government derogatively refers to them as soft targets. How irresponsible and cruel is that?

When the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, makes the statement in front of camera, he adjusts his flamboyant agbada and trademark cap and says it with so much swagger and gusto as if it's not the duty and responsibility of the government to protect the so-called soft targets; as if it's the mandate or moral duty of terrorists to leave soft targets out of their violent campaign.

The recent massacre of over 70 farmers in Zabarmari community, Jere local government area of Borno state was greeted with a lot nationwide and global outrage. In an unprecedented display of anger over the President's refusal to make use of a lot of suggestions from well meaning Nigerians on the reorganization of the country's security structure, the House of Representatives thought it wise to invite the President to the chambers to brief lawmakers on why the Boko Haram insurgency has lingered for this long. In the midst of the controversy generated by the invitation, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, reached out to the Villa and got the firm word from the President that he would honour the invitation. In fact, reports later emerged from the State House that the President would use the opportunity to address a joint session of both Houses to iron out the issues. This meeting was supposed to take place a fortnight ago.

A combination of APC governors and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, however threw spanner in the works as they both advised the President to jettison the whole arrangement in his own interest. While the APC governors convinced the President to shun the invitation to avoid avoidable ridicule, Malami issued a statement claiming that the National Assembly had no power under the constitution to invite the President.

So, rather than talk to Nigerians through their elected lawmakers, the President proceeded to Daura, his hometown,  for a week-long holiday.

It was an opportunity through which Nigerians would have heard from the President directly and be able to observe or analyze his state of mind or mindset.

Below are some of the pertinent questions agitating the minds of Nigerians which they would have loved the President to answer if he had showed up:

1. Your Excellency, when you appointed the present service chiefs in 2015, what were the specific deliverables or targets you gave them, if any? Were there timelines attached to the task you gave them? During your weekly meetings with them,  what were the challenges they discuss with you and how far have you gone in tackling them?

2. In the wake of the absolute breakdown of law and order across the country, many Nigerians believe the service chiefs and other heads of critical security agencies like the IGP should go. But you think otherwise. Why? Are you really convinced with their performance or you are keeping them for other reasons that are only known to you?

3. As an accomplished soldier, you attended the best military schools at home and abroad. Can you recollect  what you were taught  about reinforcing failure? Dont you think retaining the security chiefs for one more day in the face of glaring failure is tantamount to reinforcing failure?

4. How many more innocent Nigerians  need to be killed or abducted in brutal manners before you go beyond issuing watery press statements through your surrogates and undertake fundamental and holistic reforms in the security services?

5. Under your watch sir, each time there's a massacre or an embarrassing breakdown of law and order, you hold a meeting with the security chiefs the next day and you laugh and crack jokes with them and shake hands with them as if the security situation in the country is funny. Why don't you scold them, scream at them openly, threaten to fire them and tell them to bring their resignation letters if they are not ready to do the job? Don't you think the job security you give them is making them lazy and unserious? Why do you do this and give Nigerians the impression that you are not only incompetent but also insensitive to their plight? I ask this because Nigerians who lose loved ones to terrorists, kidnappers or bandits watch TV and see the Commander-in-Chief laughing with the people who have failed them and that alone can get them depressed.

6. With the insecurity ravaging the nation, do you now see that your insistence on appointing almost all security chiefs and heads of para-military agencies from the core north is a bad idea? Do you now see that your obstinate insistence to shun merit and competence and choose security chiefs on the basis of where they come from and loyalty to your person is a wrong move? Even in appointing heads of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), you broke certain rules in choosing the present heads. Now, how is the security situation of the country since you made those two controversial appointments? Do you still think it is healthy for national security and national cohesion not to have diversity and multiplicity of opinions in your security council meetings?

7. Each time there's a major massacre in Borno, you or your officials go there and make  insensitive remarks like blaming the people for getting killed and not giving information to the Military on the movement of terrorists. If it is the duty of local people to track the movement and plans of the insurgents, what then is the duty of the DSS and other intelligence agencies? Is this an admission that the head of the DSS, which you controversially brought from retirement, is not competent to do his job. If he's not, why don't you fire him and look for a younger and more vibrant official who is in tune with modern intelligence gathering and stop blaming poor people whose only offence is  loving you and consistently voting for you?

8. According to section 14(2b) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, security and welfare of the people is the primary business of government, which means you lose legitimacy the moment you fail to provide the two even if you think you are succeeding in other areas. Now, the welfare of most Nigerians is at the lowest ebb with worsening poverty/high cost of basic items; and we are facing unprecedented security crises but instead of taking responsibility and rolling up of your sleeves, you and your surrogates are outsourcing the blame? It's either you are blaming past leaders (without taking note of the fact that you are also a past leader), or blaming dead people like Muammar Ghadafi. Sir, do you still realise that you were elected to solve problems and not to lament?

9. As a soldier who should know, don't you think your refusal to retire the service chiefs who are over 60 and due for retirement is stalling the progress and promotion of a lot of deserving officers? Don't you think this can affect the morale of very competent officers who are qualified to head the institutions and are even more competent than your present set?

10. As a father and grandfather, you must be horrified by revelations of the  atrocities committed by men and officers of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Police which are all coming out throughout the media and state judicial panels as part of the aftermath of the EndSARS protest. Sir, what sort of an IGP wait for the EndSARS protest, with its devastating aftermath, and a presidential order before reforming or disbanding the notorious police unit? Did you query him? Is it that he wasn't aware of the extra judicial killings and extortion being perpetrated by his men and officers in the notorious SARS unit? Why don't you fire him for his unpardonable negligence and commence the reform of the Nigerian Police Force from there?

11. There have been a lot of credible reports which point to allegations of high-level corruption in the military hierarchy, which is affecting arms procurement and the fight against the insurgents and bandits. What does it cost you to undertake a holistic probe of the institution with a view to cleaning the augean table? Recently, the former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General  Olusegun Adeniyi was court-martialled and punished by the military authorities for blowing the whistle on the corruption, inefficiency, lack of weapons and low morale that are affecting the fight against insurgency. Why did you let them do that without investigating the veracity of his claims since he's a man who should know? Why do you stay aloof and allow certain institutions to run over the rules and do whatever they like? Are you tired of leading this country? Do you just think since the service chiefs have professed loyalty to your regime, you can give them the free hands to run the armed forces like their personal fiefdoms? Is it that no  matter the level of corruption or incompetence they allegedly display, all you need is loyalty?

12.  In your capacity as the Commander-in-Chief with a lot of access to information and intelligence, have you had any reason to suspect foul play or sabotage or connivance of some security agents with the Boko Haram insurgents or other criminal groups? Have you had reasons to investigate this with a view to purging the armed forces of the bad eggs and punishing them appropriately? This is because we have heard  stories of  some people in and out of the mlitary hierarchy benefiting from the  ongoing insurgency. We have heard that Boko Haram has become a franchise that so many people are profiting from  and that these people are working hard behind the scene to make sure this doesn't end. Even the outspoken governor of Borno state, a man who should know, has repeatedly alleged that some top military officers may be working hand in hand with the enemies of the country. There are strong indications that security agents are part of the expansive kidnapping cartel operating all over the country, that is apparently why policemen and soldiers have been caught encouraging people to go ahead and pay ranoms when their loved ones are kidnapped, instead of helping to rescue the victims. Are you aware of all these allegations? Don't they bother you?

13. At a time many Nigerians are expecting him to do better, resign or be fired, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai, recently said whether people like it or not, insurgency will be with us for at least the next 25 years. How did that statement come to you in the light of the previous question?

14. It looks like our neighbours, Chad are  doing better than us in containing Boko Haram. What are they doing differently?

15. Do you want parents of Leah Sharibu and  the remaining Chibok girls to just forget about the captives and accept the fate that you have simply failed in rescuing them?

16. Since the Lekki incident, your government and some critics have been on this back and forth  over whether people were killed or not. You met the minister of defense and some service chiefs few hours before the incident, in your capacity as Commander-in-Chief, what specific instructions did you give them? A civil, police action or a full military operation.

17. Sir, Nigerians, both young and old, both the elite and stakeholders who should know and the masses on the streets are so resolute and determined in their opinion and convinced that sacking the present security chiefs is the first step needed to start the process to win the war against insurgency and other forms of criminality. If you insist on keeping them against popular will, Nigerians will not have a choice other than asking you to resign. Sir, would you rather be forced to resign by a massive, unprecedented nationwide insurrection or you will fire the security chiefs so that all of us can sit down in a round table and start afresh. Sir, stop underestimating Nigerians and their capacity to resist bad governance, one more massacre may be enough for our worst fears to come to pass. Let me draw your attention to one stark reality that your hangers-on and humourists  may not be telling you, the EndSARS protest may have been crushed physically but that is not the end. It's like a movie series, the next stage is always more epic. EndSARS has become an ideology which only good governance can erase. As we are here, the ideology is still firmly rooted in the hearts of tens of millions young Nigerians because aside police brutality, poverty, unemployment, and deep-seated frustration in a system that doesn't favour the youths are the key issues. Now, the protests did not have much impact in the north because (1) kidnapping, banditry and Boko Haram insurgency are the problems of the North, not SARS; and (2) You have a fanatical support base in the North. Majority of northerners idolize you and rightly or wrongly, see the protests as an unacceptable assault on your Presidency. But sir, since the EndSARS protest ended, the insecurity in the North has only gotten worse. Now, a good number of northerners are now beginning to interpret your aloofness and lack of leadership to mean that you don't love them as much as they adore you. This signals a gradual erosion of your fan base in your own region as we have seen protests in Katsina and other parts of the North coming up in recent weeks. Sir, do you think your administration can cope with a conflagration involving EndSARS agitators from the South and #SecureNorth protesters from the north simultaneously calling for your head over your failure to deal with insecurity and provide good governance? Would you rather rise and lead from the front as you promised during the 2015 electioneering or continue to look on as the country degenerates and it's control slips off your hands?

18. When the current terrible security situation started in Benue in 2018 and gradually spread to other parts of the North, we kept on shouting in this chamber for you to do more and hold people under you to account but we were consistently ignored. Among several other interventions, the 8th Senate even held a major summit on security and submitted far-reaching recommendations none of which you implemented. Now, the multi dimensional consequences of insecurity which we warned against stare us in the face as the economy and more specifically food security are at the receiving end. Now, tomatoes and onions have become gold in the market as every other items have become unaffordable. This is because farmers in the North have been shunning their farms for fear of being hacked down by herdsmen, abducted by kidnappers  killed by bandits or beheaded by Boko Haram insurgents. Mr President, we even hear that these same criminals tax farmers before they are allowed to access their farms and you sit in the Villa and do nothing about this embarrassing development. Sir, are you not bothered that these armed non state actors are gradually turning the country into a jungle, lawless, failed state, under your watch?

19. If you read the APC manifesto that brought you to power in 2015, the first item on it was restructuring and it was defined as devolution of powers to federation units and fiscal federalism.  Many Nigerians were therefore taken aback when you and some of your surrogates once called advocates of restructuring noisemakers who haven't properly defined what they mean by restructuring. Sir, sound Nigerians see your stand as a mischievous way to divert attention, buy time and blackmail patriotic advocates of good governance and justice. This is because your party has already defined restructuring as devolution of powers and fiscal federalism and Governor Nasir El Rufai committee already did an excellent job and submitted a report to you and the party leadership.  So, why don't you send an Executive Bill to us seeking to kickstart the process of amending relevant sections of the constitution that would reflect  restructuring as defined by your party. I am asking you to do this because if we do it on our own, you may not sign the bill into law if you don't believe in the changes, just like you found excuses not to sign the amended electoral act ahead of the 2019 general elections. Your Excellency, if you are truly sincere about the promises you and the APC made to Nigerians, you don't need to blackmail opposition and civil society groups about not properly defining restructuring. Do your bit according to your own party dictates. Sir, are you aware that if you call us and we put heads together on restructuring, the results will curb the tension in the south while state/community policing which is part of the restructuring package will also take care of insecurity in both the North and South?

20. You declared the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as terrorist organisations at a time they were not known for any form  of violent campaign against any group of Nigerians and they were not known for bloodshed, rather they were victims of callous masacres by agents of the Nigerian military and other security agents under your watch. You sanction the cruel clampdown of these groups just because they have fundamental disagreements with you.  But you spared, pampered and even introduced a lot of ridiculous and annoying policies to placate cattle herders some of whom were accused of being behind the killing and raping of farmers and their family members and razing down  of communities across the middle belt and southern parts of the country. The then Minister of Defense, Brig-Gen Mansour Dan-Ali, even came out of a security meeting  which you chaired and told State House correspondents that the herders had no choice other than react in the violent way they did because their old grazing routes were taken away and the Benue state government also introduced the anti-open grazing law which they didn't like. To cement your administration's pro-killer herder stance, your spokesman, Femi Adesina, also said on TV on two different occasions that it was better for farmers and local community dwellers to relinquish their lands for Ruga or Cattle Colony than get killed. Meanwhile, these killer herdsmen you were protecting were rated by the Global Terrorism Index to be the 4th most dangerous terrorist group in the world, with blood of thousands of Nigerians on their hands.   How do you justify this ironic double standards in your leadership of this multi-ethnic and diverse entity? Now, since you indulged the herdsmen in their reign of terror, they have according to reports metamorphosed into bandits and kidnappers who have denied Nigerians peace and are making the country ungovernable for you. Do you agree that you should have descended heavily and declared total war on the mostly cross border, terror herdsmen rather than defending their atrocities?  Do you agree that your biased handling of the herdsmen terrorism is the reason the country is so divided right now like never before and you, not Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is the Divider-in-Chief? Do you agree that the main reason we dont have peace in Nigeria is because three is a golden rule that says no society can achieve true peace without justice? Sir,   you haven't done justice to some groups of Nigerians.  Even in the dictionary, justice comes before peace.

President Buhari's ability or inability to engage the lawmakers on the above issues would have gone a long way to answer the question on whether Nigeria is officially on autopilot or whether it has finally crash landed.

But it was a missed opportunity.