The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has described the President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent remark on relocating to Niger Republic after the May 29 handing-over as an indication that the President was not committed to Nigeria.
The MBF assertion was coming on the heels of the comment of Buhari that he “can’t wait to go home to Daura” and “if they make any noise to disturb me in Daura, I will leave for the Niger Republic.”
The MBF maintained the comment simply showed that the President had never been committed to Nigeria in the first place.
The National President of the MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu said, “Yes he has to retire after May 29 because it is a constitutional provision that after his tenure he has to leave office for a new president to come in. But to say that if things become unpleasant he would move to Niger Republic is unfortunate.
“That is to say that he had never been committed to Nigeria in the first place”.
Bitrus Pogu added that: “A Nigerian president, who has served this country, should be here to die with Nigeria and Nigerians if he believed in Nigeria when he was president.
“So for him to make that statement it may just mean that he didn’t believe in Nigeria in the first place. And it is unfortunate for him to have made that statement.”
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari’s plea to Nigerians over the inconveniences his eight-year administration might have caused the nation appears to have failed to calm frayed nerves as anticipated.
Rather, the palpable good intention of the president is currently generating backlash with critics branding his apology with unsavoury epithets.
President Buhari had made his appeal in the penultimate Friday, at an occasion to mark his final outing as president on the Sallah Day, before handing over, thanking Nigerians for the honour to serve for two terms from 2015 to 2023.
The president said that he accepted all the complaints and criticisms in good stead, knowing it was part of the leadership he prayed and asked from God.
But reacting to the president’s beg for forgiveness, many Nigerians described the president’s apology as tantamount to the reopening of old wounds, saying that the move was needless.
They said that the president’s apology was in order, arguing that it was an indication that the president was not oblivious of his sins against the nation.
They, however, pointed out that despite apologizing to Nigerians over his past mistakes, the president is still committing more sins.
