Criticisms from both political and non political actors are trailing President Buahri’s interview aired by Channels Television Wednesday evening. The president had in the interview restated his opposition to state police, saying it was not an option for addressing insecurity in the country.
The President also insisted that the establishment of grazing routes would solve the problem of farmers, herders’ clashes in the country.
Buhari, who said these during an interview with Channels Television, also dismissed Igbo leaders’ plea for the release of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Quizzed about state policing, the President said, “State police is not an option. Find out the relationship between local governments and the governors. Is the third tier of government (local governments) getting what they should get constitutionally? Are they getting it? Let the people in the local government tell you the truth, the fighting between local governments and the governors.”
When asked when restructuring will take place given that the All Progressives Congress promised to install true federalism, Buhari said he didn’t understand the concept of restructuring.
Reacting, however, Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, carpeted the President on some of his assertions in the interview.
Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, stated that the 1999 Constitution which Nigeria presently operates cannot address some of the issues bedevilling the country. He called for a national dialogue to create a new Constitution head of the 2023 general elections.
Reacting to Buhari’s comment that he did not understand what restructuring being clamoured means, the 93-year-old lawyer partly said, “With all that he knows, if that is all he will say, at the end of his term (second tenure), after he had contested election on that basis, we are doomed in this country.
Adebanjo asked why the ruling APC set up a committee on true federalism chaired by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State if Buhari truly does not know what restructuring is.
Speaking on the President’s insistence on maintenance of grazing routes as the solution to the frequent and deadly farmers-herders clashes and grazing routes, the Afenifere leader said, “How can anybody talk about that now? It is only in this clime. Anybody who is talking about grazing routes…until we change this constitution, if we go to another election, we will die under slavery.”