Balarabe Musa, elder statesman and leader of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has stated that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to protect the majority of Nigerians from unprecedented poverty and loss of lives due to the Country’s precarious security apparatus.
He also accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of complicity in Nigeria’s problems by supporting , Buhari’s electoral victory in 2015 which has now plunged Nigeria’s economy into disarray through poor governance, pointing out that the only hope left to Nigerians now is to use the National Assembly, as the institutional organ that can retrace the nation’s present gloomy condition.
He said; “In the first place, is Obasanjo deceiving us? This is because Obasanjo is one of those who supported Buhari for the presidency as a civilian candidate. Didn’t he know Buhari more than we know him, as they were in the Army together and were doing everything together? In 2015, Obasanjo knew Buhari more than we civilians ever knew him, and he recommended him for the presidency.”
“Now, he can regret ever recommended Buhari for certain reasons. Did he express such regret in his letter? Why does he want us to believe him if he is not suitable for 2019? We already know that Buhari’s government is a failure. Let us make our own decision. The situation in Nigeria today is terrible. Is this a government?” he queried.Musa argued further: “The state of the nation is negative and it has been so since the Army took over since 1966. For some years after Army take over, we have seen traces of improvement, particularly in the case of national unity. But after four years of military rule, we saw the negative state of Nigeria growing even more.
“Now, the state of the nation in many respects has gone so bad. What we expect would happen would inevitably happen. There will be a constitutional or proletarian revolution in Nigeria with the present situation. Whether we like it or not, if constitutional revolution will not work, there would be a proletarian revolution, because the state of the nation is so negative and people are suffering so much.
“The economy is in the dark and this government is not capable of providing solution. We must change the philosophy of basing things on self-interest first and public interest second or even secondary. Otherwise, we have to change the social economic and political system controlling all areas of development in the country. “We can do this effectively by bring in the leading role of the state in the economic development to ensure peace, equality, dignity of the human person and progressive development of the country. You cannot do this by market economy, which has never progressed any country since after the world wars and colonialism.”
“There must be a political change through constitutional or proletarian revolution.” He added: “But if a qualitative political change fails, as the change we expected will be a change from the minds of the people, then the next thing will be constitutional revolution. But the change of mind of the people and constitutional change are based on peaceful change.
“But if the two fail, then the people who suffer so much from economic and security challenges may take laws into their hands in a proletarian revolution, as it happened in other countries. The people can checkmate them from using incumbency power or factor in 2019 and bring about a constitutional revolution.
“The constitution and legal system of the country must work to chase away bad government. The people can do this through the National Assembly, which can advance the law into something that can protect the people against bad governance and the present suffering and insecurity.”
“All governments before Buhari listened to what we were telling them. And when Buhari came, they were shocked, but we will continue to express our minds and if this government does not allow the politicians and the laws to work, thinking that it will only rely on power, then anything can happen.
“The other governments who did the same thing that we are experiencing today regretted their actions through the political change that chased them out.”
