Nigeria At 60: It’s Unfortunate President Buhari Still Play Blame Game After Five Years Of Being President-Oladimeji Fumes

My name is Honorable Olayinka Oladimeji Segelu, but people call me Olayinka Segelu.

I’m a grassroots politician, and to the glory of God, I have had the privilege through politics to serve my people at the national level, I have served as a Legislative Assistant to my late slained father, Hon. Olusegun Oladimeji popularly called Segelu, that was in 2007,  I have also served as the Personal Assistant to the then Speaker House of Representatives, Rt.Hon. Dimeji Bankole 2007 – 2011,  I also had the privilege to serve as a Personal Assistant and Cheif Administrative Officer to Senator Nurudeen Abatemi – Usman that was between year 2011 – 2015.

In 2015, I ran for the House of Representatives Tickets under  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

I’m also into business, specialized in hospitality, I’m currently the Chief Executive Officer of the YSEG Hotel and Suites here in Ibadan.

I had my educational background here in Ibadan, I completed my Secondary School at Unity School in Ejigbo in Osun State,  I’m also an Alumni of The Polytechnic of Ibadan, had OND in Geology, I attended the University of Abuja 2008-2014, for my B.Sc Political Science.

What Is Your View About The 60th Independent Anniversary Celebration?

It is that time of the year again when Nigeria celebrates its independence. Having gained independence on October 1, 1960, thousands laid down their lives, and that is why our country is breathing. And every year, the Federal Government outlines programs that hold for at least a week to celebrate liberty.

Such activities end on October 1 when President Muhammadu Buhari addresses the nation and thereafter leads dignitaries to Eagles Square, Abuja where the grand finale program usually holds.

Whether this year’s celebration is low-key or an elaborate one, the question, however, is whether Nigeria has fared well in her diamond celebration of its existence as a self-determining nation, or not and the answer is no, because we have no security, no development.

It’s unfortunate that President Buhari is still playing the blame game over five years of being president of this great country.

Nigerians believed he was capable of making a difference, hence he was voted for in 2015 and 2019. If he still continues to blame past leaders it shows that he’s either confused or he’s deliberately passing the buck. Nigerians cannot be deceived.

Is he not part of the sorry past of Nigeria he’s talking about? Was he not the one that truncated democracy in 1983 when he cohorts about the second republic by sacking democratically elected President of Nigeria Shehu Shagari led government?

It’s rather unfortunate that President Buhari is making a comparison between Nigeria and countries like Saudi Arabia on the issue of fuel price. The average family in Saudi Arabia has at least six cars. Is the level of poverty in Nigeria comparable with what obtains in Saudi Arabia or Eygpt that he’s comparing us with? Nigerians cannot boast of a secured country in the 60 years of being an independent nation.

The country has a lot of security challenges. One of the problems with the security sector in Nigeria is just like every other sector, our security sector is not properly funded.

The United Nations’ ratio is one policeman to 400 persons, but in Nigeria, we have less than 350,000 policemen. Even about 150,000 policemen are attached to VIPs and 200,000 are used to intimidate the masses.

Security in every developed nation is not hand-driven, it is technologically driven. That means we need money to buy equipment. Even corruption within President Buhari’s government is not helping matters in the fight against insurgency.

It is also noteworthy that crime is getting more sophisticated. Terrorism is a global war, it is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It is in addition to our peculiar security challenges like kidnapping, robbery, and Internet fraud, among others. Some of these challenges cannot be fought with 1984 strategies. We cannot be taking security in isolation.

The power and agriculture sectors are also poorly funded. But we are worried about security because the primary responsibility of the government as enshrined in the constitution is to ensure the protection of the lives and property of the people. When there is no adequate security, there won’t be any development.

However, this does not say that we have not made some progress in some sectors in 60 years. We have made some progress but we must put in more effort and continue to do the right thing to improve the nation’s security.

In tackling the nation’s security challenges the President should stop the politicization of security issues. “Our security chiefs should also stop politicizing the security sector with their propaganda like saying Boko Haram has been decimated.

This claim is not showing on the ground with the recent attack on Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum who survived three different attacks where over 20 people were killed in an attack by the Boko Haram terror group on a convoy of a sitting governor.

There is nothing to celebrate about as far as the nation’s health sector is concerned.

There is a need to stop the politicization of the war against insurgency,”.

There is an urgent need for more concerted efforts on the parts of the federal government to improve the sector’s fortune. I don’t think we have fared so well.

All indices have not shown any improvement in our health sector. We need to reposition the health sector. The Federal government should do the needful and improve health care generally by strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme.

We need to inject more funding into the health sector. Those paltry three percent or four percent are small with the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers in the health sector should also understand one another and work together to provide quality service for their people now.

We need to redirect our efforts to ensure that the primary health care level is functioning appropriately. I don’t think we have any major celebrations in terms of health.

We were told that some 40 and 50 years ago, Nigeria was a medical tourism ground that many people were coming from outside the country to seek medical attention.

As of today, we are the ones exporting ourselves to seek medical tourism including our President, his wife, and ranking officers in his government.

What the president should do in the last three years of his administration is to make Nigerians happy again.

He should make policies that will make Nigerians comfortable and proud of their country.

A government that increased the price of fuel and increase electricity tariff the same day can’t be said to be for the people. Democracy supposed to be a government of the people by the people and for the people.

But can we say by the way the Buhari government is configured coupled with it’s insensitivity to the plights of the people, it’s a government of the people? No. It’s not. Because all the policies of the government appear to be anti-people.

Buhari should take advantage of the few years left for him in power to write his name in gold by putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians.

Major roads across the country are death traps. There’s insecurity everywhere. No part of the country is safe to live in.

Terrorists in the north, kidnappers are in the South and Fulani herdsmen are killing people like fowls and the security operatives are helpless.

Despite telling Nigerians that Boko Haram has been defeated technically, they still lay ambush on our military personnel and kill them like ram in Borno State.

Buhari should address the security problem and create an enabling environment to make the economy grow.

Electricity has become a big problem. And this government promised to solve the electricity problem within six months of the administration in 2015. But the problem is getting worse by the day with the government looking helpless and bereaved of ideas.