Buhari’s crisis area visits: Late, or good timing?
Next week, President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to visit some parts of the country that have had series of crises. These are Yobe, Taraba, Benue and Rivers State. But is this coming late or in good time. Daily Trust spoke to some Nigerians. Maria Ojonugwa Tokula, Sociologist, Anyigba, Kogi State. My take on this is […]
Next week, President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to visit some parts of the country that have had series of crises. These are Yobe, Taraba, Benue and Rivers State. But is this coming late or in good time. Daily Trust spoke to some Nigerians.
Maria Ojonugwa Tokula, Sociologist, Anyigba, Kogi State.
My take on this is late timing or no timing, the president of a country must assume the responsibility of a leader and not a ruler. A call for leadership is a call to servanthood, but president Buhari does not seem to understand this fact. The Benue crises is no longer news to Nigerians, but President Buhari has been unable to visit this state even after the mass burial, which shows his level of love and commitment to his country. Action defines priorities, this act and more defines President Muhammadu Buhari’s priorities. These acts elaborate on his level of servanthood and commitment to the people of Nigeria.
Aminu Abdullahi Wunti, Political Analyst, 71, Bauchi
The fact that the president is visiting these affected states speaks volumes. It shows the concern and seriousness of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the issues of insecurity in the country.
The delay in his visit was not as some people see it, as the president condoning criminal acts from anybody. People may think otherwise, but the plain truth is that the president is serious about tackling insecurity challenges.
It is unfortunate that the issue of insecurity has been politicise by politicians and they have been using it as a campaign tool. What is needed is an honest approach to the issue which I think was what the president has been doing all along.
He has taken many measures to improve security and they have yielded a positive result. The recent upsurge in violence only provided an opportunity for some people to have the chance to project their political rivalry against the president.
It is wrong to say that the president bowed to pressure to visit the affected states. It is his responsibility and there is time for doing anything. He needs not do anything just to satisfy someone’s political ego. It is not about the politics involved in the whole thing. It is about Nigeria, not anybody’s tribe or religion. People should see the president’s visit to those states in a positive way and should not be blinded by sentiments.
Eng. Abdulrazaq Muhammad Inuwa, Kaduna
Although the president’s visit to the crisis area isn’t the solution to the problem, going late as seen by some still proves that the president sympathizes with the affected people. The fact that he sent his representatives earlier and visited later proves he isn’t really late, but rather on other assignments which are possibly the reason behind his delayed visit.
Aliyu Jibo, Journalist, 71, Bauchi
The visits to these states by President Muhammadu Buhari is apt and timely. My reason is, since he became the president, he has made the promise to tackle insecurity, especially the Boko Haram insurgency, kidnappings, cattle rustling, armed robbery and other criminalities. We have seen his efforts in the area of curbing insecurity, although there are new challenges like the farmers/herders clash, which had escalated and spread to areas that have not experienced the menace in the past.
Some people may not see reason for the delay, but for me, as the president, he is always in the know about the situation and he always gives directives to anyone responsible to do whatever is needed to be done.
However, the visit will provide the president with an opportunity to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the people affected will feel a little better and be consoled for their loss.
Politics cannot be ruled out in the whole thing, but it may not be the main reason, because politicians may do something to score a political point or meet a political end out of the situation. But nobody can deny the fact that, the president cares. Whatever the time he chooses to visit these states doesn’t matter as long as the visit bring about the desired result.
Bilyaminu Hassan, 45, Civil Servant, Bauchi
Anybody who faults president Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the affected states should be ignored. In a crisis situation, the president cannot rush to the area.
He is the Commander-In-Chief and he has been doing the right thing in addressing these challenges. I am not saying that Buhari cannot be wrong. He is human.
What is most important here is the visit and not the circumstances. The president may be late in visiting the areas affected by crises, but it is better late than never. At least he has visited the areas, therefore being late or early is just talk. It is an action that he ought to take, and it is now the right time to visit those areas.
If we can remember, most of these crises are common to some areas while others have never experienced them. So, nobody will tell you that the president’s visit will not have an impact because of the time, it doesn’t matter whether he visited or not.
Yunus Bello, Director Al’amin Academy Kaduna.
It’s is not late. After all, it’s better late than never. President Muhammadu Buhari is the kind of man that moves slow but steady. I had wanted him to visit the crises scenes earlier but probably due to his tight schedules, he could not, until now. You know governance is not easy, and sending a delegation is also part of it. We should not bring politics into the issue of security. The best option from the previous government was that government will impose curfew on the affected area and after some time, normalcy will return and that is all. But I think Buhari is doing better In unearthing the deep-rooted cause of the crises which deserves applause and not condemnation.