By Romanus Okoye
Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is disconnected from Nigerians and erroneously believes that the problem of Nigeria is how to make local governments functional and the Judiciary independent, instead of people’s yearnings on restructuring.
The constitutional lawyer, in a statement on Sunday stated: “He is distant to and disconnected from his people. He does not care; does not listen to their cries, woes, pains, pangs, tears, sorrow and blood. He cares not about their genuine yearnings and desires.”
Ozekhome was reacting to comment made through the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, Mohammed Shehu, in Zaria, at the Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari Peace Foundation on Saturday.
Ozekhome said he was not surprised by the president’s comments, which he described as erroneous. “I was not (shocked) because as a close monitor and commentator on national and international affairs, I didn’t expect anything more from him. My thesis is simple, not rocket science: a leopard cannot change its spots. Buhari said he did not understand what the restructure proponents want, or what is to be restructured.
“Buhari erroneously believes that the problem of Nigeria is how to make Local Governments functional and the Judiciary independent. As important as these are, President Buhari has merely seen the smaller picture, rather than the larger picture, as President of a haemorrhaging country yearning for urgent rescue. So, for those Nigerians who had heaved a little sight of relief last week on the little tokenism conceded by Buhari ,I sympathise with you.”
The senior lawyer said how the President, who appeared to understand Nigerians’ pains, agony and genuine yearning for restructuring in his democracy day speech, would make such provocative statements in Zaria.
“President Buhari‘s summersault in just one week has therefore shocked most Nigerians. Suddenly, in Zaria, he beat the drums of War, in a speech that is as provocative as it is un-presidential and ‘unstatemanly’. He berated those who are ‘calling for restructuring and conference or what they call ethnic nationality”.
Ozekhome emphasised the essence of a democratic setting, noting that a leader does not dictate to his people as to what they want. “Buhari erroneously believes, he knows what the 211 million Nigerian populace wants. He is making a grave mistake. No ruler in history has ever perpetually dictated to or held down his people with sheer jackboot. Mussolini woefully failed, just like Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Stalin and Lenin. Ask the bones of Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Pinochet, Gheghis Khan, Pol Pot and Kim Jong. They will tell Buhari how and why they failed miserably to dictate to their citizens forever.”