President Muhammed Buhari has expressed displeasure over the way young Nigerians vent their anger concerning the state of the nation, saying he doesn’t “like the way Nigerian elites are allowing ignorant and careless people to talk all over the place.”
He maintained that Nigerians have so much to learn and guard together, rather than to try and disorganise people’s way of thinking, that things would get alright if they become a republic.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, Buhari said Nigerians should consider how long it took the nation between 1960 and now to get to where it is.
According to him, Nigeria is much better off economically and politically as a united country.
Also, Buhari hit out at some state governors and demanded that they sit up and handle the worsening insecurity in their respective states.
He said the governors who are having security issues in their states should not just sit back after winning elections and expect people to do their jobs for them, but to adopt traditional ways of tackling insecurity by involving traditional institutions that are very effective, and community leaders at the local level.
He maintained that the governors should be able to tackle the security situations because they have “very effective traditional institutions” and security systems at the state and local levels.
He said, “I was encouraged by what I heard. Nobody told me. Two statements from the south-south: one by the elderly people, they said this time around there would be no (secession). And again, the youth made the same statement; such encouragement.
“The way they are spread across Nigeria, having properties and business, IPOB does not know what they are doing.
According to him, Southerners of all ages have confirmed to him personally that the region has no intention of seceding, saying the secessionist group led by Nnamdi Kanu would not have “access to anywhere” even if they eventually secede from the country.
He maintained that he was fair in his appointments and that the South-East region was not marginalised.
“Are South-East not in civil service? You have to go through the civil service and see if there are no South-East persons in civil service,” he added.
Speaking on the demand for employment by youths, Buhari said he sent members of the Federal Executive Council to their states to meet with their governors, traditional rulers, and youths to help fight the insecurity in Nigeria, noting that no investor can invest and create jobs in an insecure environment.
He said, “So I told them to tell the youths that if they want jobs, they would have to behave themselves and make sure that Nigeria is secure so that people can come and invest. Nigeria is resourceful and everybody knows it. Look at the 200 buses bought by the former governor of Lagos, some of these boys went and burnt them. Who would invest in an unsecured environment? Nobody will, and it’s just common sense.”
