CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OKOJIE WARNS PRESIDENT BUHARI ENOUGH OF THIS CHANGE MANTRA

The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to retool and lead by example on all fronts or risk plunging Nigeria into a state of despondency.

In a statement by the Director of Social Communications of the Diocese, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, Okogie accused the president of acting disdainfully towards the judicial authorities while millions of Nigerians are abandoned to face unimaginable social problems.

Okogie said, “He (Buhari) must retool, refocus and aggressively face the social, economic (fiscal and monetary) problems we have head-on, without letting the anti-corruption drive look like a political distraction.

“A snail-paced and disordered methodology in governance, his apparent disdain for judicial authorities and decisions, a lost today and found tomorrow 2016 Budget debacle, and a rather rudderless and confused Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with an unclear monetary policy strategy (inevitably increasing the economic uncertainties being faced by Nigerians), have set alarm bells ringing in my mind and in the minds of many discerning Nigerians.

“Indeed, his perceived discordant relationship with the leadership of the Legislature has many naysayers chuckling and remarking that President Buhari’s government is heading into his comfort zone, a one man show.”

Okogie also noted that “a lot of Nigerians are beginning to feel that Buhari is fast transforming this nation into a police state where the president, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) rule the day.

“What they say is given lurid headlines in the media, and it seems to all that some of the defendants cum accused persons are being tried in the press with information conveniently slipping into the hands of the press, presumably from the security agencies, even before such people have been charged to court.”

Frowning at the President’s refusal to heed the court pronouncements on the bail granted to the Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) the eminent cleric said: “The pro-Biafran activist, Nnamdi Kanu and the erstwhile NSA, Sambo Dasuki, were granted bail by the courts but such bails were disregarded by the security agents under Buhari’s watch.

“Unfortunately, democracy is difficult and this government must realise that democracy pervasively coloured with impunity, arbitrariness and highhandedness, cannot be used to fight and correct the financial impunity and reckless abandon of the previous administration, even if it is more difficult to do so; the rule of law must be obeyed and be the order of the day.

“If Buhari wants to leave a creditable legacy come 2019, he should retool the bureaucracy. For instance, the roof of the Central Bank is leaking water.

“Governors, who arm-twisted Okonjo-Iweala into signing out our reserves held by Central Bank, are today ministers in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

“We are still talking about change and corruption when old things refuse to pass away! These political gimmicks can only carry away gullible or naive Nigerians. President Buhari should beam his flashlight on policies and programmes that will lift up the masses.

“Existing industries are almost dead and they call for urgent revitalisation. The budget ought to aid solutions to the mass unemployment, rural-urban migration, skewedness in the distribution of income, abject rural poverty and industrialisation of rural economy.