If there is no change, protest against Buhari’s administration – Balarabe Musa advises NigeriansBy Danielle Ogbeche on September 4, 2016
Following the present economic state of Nigeria, the National Chairman of Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has urged citizens to stage a protest against the Buhari-led administration.
Musa noted that except hunger, nothing else pushes people to revolt against a government because the primary responsibility of government is the welfare of the people.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to shy away from his responsibility.
In an interview with the Sun, the former governor of Kaduna state said his advice to Nigerians over hunger and economic hardship in the country was simply protest.
He said, “Well, they should protest. I know that it is a risk because security men may shoot them. However, they should protest because this is their life. Somebody is playing with their lives, somebody is destroying their lives, they should defend their lives and protect their interest.
“Before the last general election, many Nigerians saw Buhari as an angel who could rescue the country from socio-economic problems but Nigerians are now saying that they misjudged, and Nigerians should in future make sure that they access any prospective leader critically, taking into account his records, his inclination and everything, particularly records of performance in office.
“Nigerians are not different from the rest of human kinds; they are not different from the rest of the people in the world. Whatever people did in the world to protect themselves or show their anger against bad government, Nigerians can do it, and nobody should deceive himself that Nigerians are so docile, that they will not revolt. Anger pushes anybody to the limit.”
Although the government has continued to tell Nigerians to be patient, Musa said it’s all political gimmick.
According to him, “The idea of government asking Nigerians to be patient can only be sustained in a situation whereby people see hope and changes. But where people don’t see changes, where they don’t see the basis for expecting changes, and they suffer continuously, appealing to them to be patient i may befutile.
“There is hunger in the land and Nigerians are dying of hunger. I dare to warn the President and everybody that can listen, that history has proved that mass hunger, hunger of the population, mass poverty of the population, killer hunger have always been the most immediate cause of proletarian revolution in every country of the world. And the President should know this; let him not be deceived by those who are benefitting from the current situation of hunger.”
Speaking further, Musa recalled that the President has said at different occasions that Nigeria is broke.
“In my opinion, Nigeria can’t be broke, the country is very rich. The problem is the system and the managers of the economy. The problem of Nigeria is real, but it is something that can be managed. But as I told you, if the President is looking for an answer, he will get it; he can get it in what I have said; change the system and the leadership like I have said.
“It is definitely true APC inherited this bad situation, but APC came to power with the promise of correcting the negative state of the nation. In this case, instead of correcting it, they are just complaining, making promises, how can they continue to do this over one year of leadership?
“We want to see them really doing work, and there is no way they can do any work and achieve anything without changing the system and the leadership inevitably produced by the system, both of which are based on self interest first, public interest second or even incidental. This should be changed in favour of public interest first and self interest second.
“This can deal with this level of corruption, stealing and criminal waste of resources which is the root of the problem of Nigeria. In the history of Nigeria, up till 1970, the philosophy was public interest first, and self interest second. And the states maintain the leading roles in the economy, and that is why up till 1970, there wasn’t this level of corruption, stealing and criminal wasting of resources.
“We have known times in Nigeria before 1970 when nobody could steal a kobo of public funds and get away with it.
“Today, if you are a favourite of the President, the governor or the local government chairman or who they have appointed into office, you can steal anything and get away with it provided you are lucky because some people stole, they are not lucky and they are caught,” he added.
