Afenifere scores President low

By Chidiebere Onyemaizu

The pan-Yoruba sociocultural and political organisation, Afenifere has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has left Nigeria worse than it met it three years ago when he assumed office.

In a statement, titled, ‘Tinubu’s third year report: Summum Malum or Summum Bonum’ by its leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan and National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, Afenifere accused the Tinubu administration of breeding poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

“Afenifere is fearful of the current course of our democracy, and commiserates with Nigerian citizens following three years of the inauguration of this maladministration that has bred poverty, unemployment, mass killings and kidnappings, tampering with democratic federalism and subjugation of other arms of government, among others.

“According to Chapter Two, Section 14 of the Nigerian Constitution, the primary purpose of governance is welfare and security of citizens.

Across the world, citizens are motivated by their governments either with Summum Malum – fear of Ultimate Evil – violent death, poverty, tyranny, or Summum Bonum – promise of  Ultimate Good – homes, prosperity, security etc,” the group said in the statement.

It noted that for an administration that came to power on a mantra of renewed hope, one could only dare to hope that the country’s electoral system could do the right thing by the next inauguration day.

It lamented the insecurity in the country, corruption and economic stagnation accusing the present administration of drawing Nigeria backwards.

“The nightmare of ultimate evil has become a reality under the APC administration with teachers being beheaded, children being kidnapped and villages ransacked and displaced. The ongoing kidnapping of students and teachers and gruesome murders in Kwara, Oyo and other states is a painful reminder of the Tinubu government’s culpability and wilful negligence of not restructuring our security architecture, especially the failure to create state and community police.

“Nigerians can’t but question whether there is an unholy pact between the APC and terrorists following the admittance by some APC stalwarts that they iported terrorists to embarrass former President Goodluck Jonathan out of office in 2015, after which insecurity moved wholesale to former President Muhammad Buhari’s North West region, and now to President Tinubu’s South West region.

“Previously, we heard of politicians sleeping in coffins for political pacts with their godfathers, now our whole democracy is wearing coffin shoes under the APC governance,” the statement said.

On the state of Nigeria’s economy, the group stressed that “the ultimate evil is also being witnessed economically, as a result of President Tinubu’s neoliberal economics that has resulted in the poverty rate increasing to 63 percent and debt of N65.9 trillion for cost of governance and tokenist development projects.

“Despite the concerted efforts and propaganda to cover the true state of the economy, the unimplemented budgets, false revenue and employment statistics, two out of three Nigerians are facing dire circumstances of lack of food and secured shelter.

“Nigeria ranks as the world’s second-largest extreme poor population after India. We also have the highest homelessness in the world with 30 million homeless people. Also, Nigeria now has the world’s lowest life expectancy rate at 54.6 years, 20 years lower than the global average. Nigeria also has one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates.

“Therefore, Nigerians feel threatened by the replacement of a finance minister that oversaw the drastic fall in living standards with an undertaker taxman bent on sapping blood from our anaemic economy.

“Afenifere has insisted from the first day in office that the ideological position of neoliberal economic policies being adopted can never yield good fruits. It is known to breed poverty, great income inequalities, prebendalist governance and ethnic conflicts”

Afenifere ruled that “while the government appeals to the people to make economic sacrifices for the unworkable reforms, government corruption and cost of governance increases.”

It cited the recent N800 billion campaign finance allegedly deducted from federal allocations to States by the APC governors and allegedly deposited with one of the governors as how corruption has eaten deep into Nigeria’s fabric, describing the situation as immoral, illegal and a threat to democratic institutions.

“This administration has thrown all caution to the wind, from allocating contracts without due process to companies belonging to friends and family and corrupting all arms of government.

“Corrupt governors currently standing trial for embezzlement are unashamedly being given tickets by party consensus, which shows the administration is irredeemably corrupt,” Afenifere said.

It described the country’s electoral system as “electoral deformities,” and alleged that the continued institutional bullying of opposition parties, labour and student unions is a defiant march towards fascism.

“The independence of our electoral and judicial institutions are being compromised. Instead of our electoral system evolving to a higher state, new reforms have actually degraded its moral compass.

“In summary, in this last year of the administration, Afenifere and other well-meaning Nigerians can only have the audacity to hope for free and fair elections. Afenifere hereby implores the Tinubu administration to change its course towards a one-man rule by allowing credible opposition parties and voices to exist, in order to allow a free and fair election, and to prevent unsavoury change and total derailment of our democracy,” the group warned.