President Buhari Should Resign Honourably As The Minister Of Petroleum And Apologise To Nigerians

Harold Laski in his Grammar of Politics stated “Every state is known by the rights it maintains. We judge the state according to the happiness of men". What is happening presently in my motherland (Nigeria), where Nigerians are living on the bank of the Rivers, use(ing) their urine to wash their hands is very melancholic, lugubrious and lacrimo.

Nigeria is one of the biggest oil producing country in the world but has no fuel, it beats rational imagination that a litre of fuel is sold between 250 naira and 300 naira even at that, citizens who blindly voted for "chain the so-called change" cannot get the products to buy to power their cars or generating sets, Nigeria is in the heartbeat of darkness in the world. What a glory that has departed from Buhari led administration.

It is now very obvious that Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) were not fully prepared ab initio for the task associated with governance. Their major interests was only to obliterate and eliminate Jonathan and PDP from power without any clear cut agenda, ideology or blueprint to place the country back to the right track, economically and otherwise where the hoi polloi Nigerians can live a decent life and no longer sleep under the bridge. A government that cannot address the welfare of the people has no locus standi to continue its stay in office, as the welfare of the people is the supreme law of the land ( salus populi est suprema lex).

It is on record that President Muhamadu Buhari took oath of office on May 29th, 2015 with the hope and aspirations that the economic woes and incubus of the country would be addressed pragmatically, au grand serieux putting into perspective the change mantra they sold to the people during their electioneering campaign. What we are seeing today is antithetical unprecedented hardship on the masses.

The poverty of the rag tag and bobtails has increased shortly in a geometric progression, as the already exacerbated problems of the poor have further been exacerbated by the government who promised to make Nigeria heaven on earth for them. it is sardonic and painful to note with pessimism and cynicism that some youths who are very hungry break into peoples' houses during the day to steal pot of soup and garri to resolve their rebellion of the stomach or if you like the middle belt crisis. A country where the plebeians have no access to food is a debacle and fiasco. Even poor countries like Togo and others; people buy food stuff at a very cheaper rate compared to what is obtainable in the so called Giant of Africa where live.

There is presently mass exodus of our amiable youths, moving from Nigeria to neighboring African countries en route Italy by land. They prefer to die during the cause of their peregrination in Libya than to live in squalor and penury in this hell on earth called Nigeria, where things are falling apart and the center could no longer hold.

When there was uprising against Muamar Ghadafi in Libya, there was never fuel scarcity and things were working for them, our youths were travelling to Libya during the war, it is better to live in a war zone outside Nigeria than to live in Nigeria where there is no war.

Our president is busy like bee traveling out of the country almost on weekly basis attending, meetings that have no positive impact or any economic bearings on the masses while the country is in hunger, perennial fuel scarcity cum unemployment crisis.

Mr. President’s hobby is traveling even when there is so much work to be done at home, due to a crushing fuel scarcity, continuous attacks by insurgents though they have won the war on the pages of newspaper and epileptic power supply which demand immediate and focused attention of the primus inter pares.

Buhari has only traveled to four states since his assumption in office, but has traveled out of the country twenty eight times at the expense of the poor people. It is only a bad and weak father that will abscond from his house when it is on fire. The blood of those that have died so far trying to leave this country, is on the head of the government. What a glory that has departed from Buhari led administration.

I humbly demand that; firstly, the president as a man who selectively fights corruption should be bold enough to tell the people, how much he has spent so far in his globetrotting, secondly, the Minister of Petroleum that was not screened by the law makers should humbly resign and apologize to Nigerians for the hardship he has cause so far on the people, thirdly, the president should assemble intellectuals, economists, professors, philosophers to brainstorm and give directions on how to lead the country to the state of El Dorado.

Finally, Western world is the most developed part of the world politically because their practice has always been guided by the theories of their philosophers, who have been showing them the way forward. Political Philosophers show politicians the way to follow. Philosophers were the think-tanks of the western world; they were intellectual source of lights that guided their political practice, showing them the way by their theories even though with limitations.

Kola Edokpayi, is the Publicity Secretary of Human Rights House.