Call For Interim Govt, Unprecedented Level Of Corruption And Insecurity: Signs Of State Failure—Afenifere

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Comrade Jare Ajayi said that the submission by Archbishop Mathew Hassan Kukah and Chief Afe Babalola, SAN summed up the precarious situation bedevilling Nigeria.

By this, we mean the unprecedented low level to which the country has sunk including the depth of mistrust among sub groups in the country. Compounding these were the cheapening of human life, displacement of innocent people from their ancestral homes and the elevation of corruption almost into the statecraft. 

It was not surprising therefore that senior citizens in the North under the auspices of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) called for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ajayi added that the frustration by Nigerians was also behind the call for an Interim Government by Chief Afe Babalola, SAN.

While Afenifere acknowledged the enormity of the problems, it did not support the cancellation or postponement of the scheduled elections. There is no justification whatsoever for this administration to spend one day beyond the stipulated period – which is May 29, 2023. And the only constitutionally stipulated way of changing government is through the electoral process. “Being a law-abiding organisation, Afenifere does not believe in extra legal means of changing government.”

On the call by the NEF that General Buhari should resign, while it might appear that the call is coming rather late in the day, the frustration that gave birth to it is quite understandable. Were the government being properly run, such a call would not have come. That it came from a group known to hardly see anything wrong with an administration headed by a Northerner is an important reason for President Buhari to realise that his government has really failed Nigerians. 

The situation under President Buhari became so damning that Robert Kennedy University in Scotland used him as an example of negatively-performing head of a government. It was a national embarrassment. It was something that right-thinking Nigerians were ashamed of. But we could not effectively challenged the university – and many others who share the same view – because its inference reflected the reality of what our situation is in Nigeria presently.

There is no doubt that the situation in Nigeria has overwhelmed the present officials in government. It would therefore not be out of place for President Buhari to get innovative Patriots from all strata of the society to constitute a governing college or council. The major task of such a body should be the immediate Restructuring of the country into a True Federalism.

In summary, Afenifere spokesman Ajayi, said that Bishop Kukah’s submission should serve as ‘a wake-up call’ for the government so that the ills of the society can be addressed quickly – in a honest and enduring manner.