The House of Representatives minority caucus says the speech presented by President Muhammadu Buhari at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was in complete disagreement with the situation in the country.
The caucus in a statement by the minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu noted that the president’s address did not reflect the ugly reality of the failures of his administration, as well as the economic, security, and social ruins that have confronted the nation under his watch.
The caucus
Expressing worry that President Buhari’s speech did not portray any decisive roadmap towards economic recovery and food security, the caucus said “It had no personal commitment to end corruption in his administration; had no personal commitment to end borrowing or show a clear-cut plan to repay the huge debt being accumulated by his administration.
“Our caucus holds that President Buhari’s speech is a great disservice to our nation by not presenting the true picture of affairs in our country; the human rights violations, corruption, and incompetence in his administration; the excruciating hardship, escalated insecurity, national divisiveness and infrastructural decay under his watch, thereby blocking avenues for desired intervention in our various ailing sectors.
“The Minority caucus was alarmed by President Buhari’s report to UNGA that terrorists have been so weakened in Nigeria that they are now preying on soft targets when in reality, insurgents have become so emboldened under his watch, that they are now attacking military formations, kidnapping and killing our gallant officers while overrunning communities and murdering our citizens without restrain.
“As representatives of the people, the Minority caucus is depressed that President Buhari’s speech did not reflect on the kidnapping and killing of students and school children in Nigeria.
“The speech did not reflect on the closure of schools and crippling of education in many parts of our country, where normal life has been destroyed by terrorists, neither did it show any empathy towards the victims of terrorism attacks
“Our caucus is worried that in reflecting on violent conflicts, Mr. President’s address conveyed no personal commitments that can guarantee an end to poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice, and inequalities, that are prevalent under his watch, even after identifying such as the causes of conflicts.
“Also, the minority caucus is shocked by the claims in Mr. President’s speech that his administration “built” isolation centers and emergency hospital wards, “all over the country” “in record time” in the fight against Covid-19; a claim that conflicts with the infrastructural reality in the country.”
