* Opines even Abacha more accessible than TinubuÂ
Former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has slammed the President Bola Tinubu Administration for, according to Lukman, “taking Nigerians back to the Hobbesian state of nature, where life is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
Lukman also lamented that human life has become of very little value in Nigeria so much so that it is arguably not the priority of the government to guarantee survival and protection of citizens.
In a statement he issued in Abuja yesterday (Tuesday, September 17), Lukman equally accused President Tinubu of becoming “the most inaccessible leader of Nigeria” with “even the late General Sani Abacha by far more accessible.”
Of far more concern to him, he said, is that “investment towards addressing the challenge of insecurity is at best business-as-usual,” lamenting that the security crisis facing the country has been reduced to what he described as “ceremonial show of shame and public lamentations by leaders.”
“Under a so-called regime of Renewed Hope, citizens are rendered helpless. A supposedly progressive government and party is taking Nigeria back to the Hobbesian state where life is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.’ Human life has very little value so much that it is arguably not the priority of the government to guarantee survival and protection of citizens,” Lukman’s statement read, in part.
Continuing, he said: “Existential crisis has caught up with even the income earning population and governments at all levels are demonstrating both lack of commitment and inability to respond to the urgency of rescuing the country.
“Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, that appears to be the preference of the government. As it is, the issue of the welfare of citizens is not the priority of President Tinubu. It is almost as if President Tinubu doesn’t give a damn about whether Nigerians are dying on account of the government’s heartless and mindless policies.
“Rather than push public policy in a direction that relieves the economic burden of harsh living conditions, the Federal Government is more bent on imposing more stringent measures that drain and devalue the resources of citizens.
“More than anytime in the history of Nigeria, citizens are being impoverished on an alarming scale. Since May 29, 2023 when President Tinubu took over, it has been a downward slide for Nigerians.
“Being a democratic government, the expectation would have been that President Tinubu would be more accessible. Alas, he is proving to be the most inaccessible leader of Nigeria. Even the late General Sani Abacha was by far more accessible. All previous military governments are turning out to be much more open to consultations and receptive to recommendations from Nigerians than the government of President Tinubu.
“As President of the Federal Republic, President Tinubu is showing his worst side. Some of the key projects of the last government have been abandoned. A good example is Kaduna – Abuja Road, which is becoming a death trap. But without any budgetary provision, a new project of more than N15 trillion Lagos – Calabar Coastal highway started.
“Meanwhile, public investment towards addressing the challenges of insecurity is at best business-as-usual. And the crisis of insecurity is reduced to a ceremonial show of shame and public lamentations by leaders.
“No doubt, Nigerians are faced with the hardest of times. Under the circumstances, it is legitimate for all leaders who mean well for the country to be worried. Ideally, if President Tinubu is accessible and receptive to recommendations, leaders such as former President Obasanjo, former Military President Babangida, former Head of State General Abdulsalam and General Gusau would have prioritised meeting him.”
“Perhaps, the fact that they are meeting just about a month after the meeting of the National Council of State where a vote of confidence was passed on President Asiwaju Tinubu is suggestive of possible disappointment arising from the seeming inability of the government to reverse the current downward slide and protect the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians,” Lukman surmised.
