A group, Arewa Peace Coalition has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fix Nigeria and leave former President Goodluck Jonathan alone.
Coordinator of the group Abdulkadir Alhaji Mohammed said in an open letter that the present government has lost its direction
The open letter reads in full thus: Dear Baba Buhari,
It is with great discomfort that we write you this piece. In 2015, many of us came out in large numbers to vote for you because we believed that things would change for the better if you became President of Nigeria.
Two years into your administration, everything has turned on its head. The price of food has skyrocketed across Nigeria. The quality of education has nosedived. Access to affordable health care has become a problem. Farmers are no longer encouraged to go to their farms. Nothing seems to be working.
When you ascended to the position of President of Nigeria. We jubilated across the streets of Northern Nigeria. Some of our kinsmen trekked hundreds of kilometers to celebrate your win in the 2015 elections. Children ran out from their classes into the streets chanting ‘Sai Baba’..Sai Buhari.
Today most of these children are in anguish. They are now wondering. “Where is Baba Buhari who we thought would be our messiah?”
Mr. President, before you became president, you at one time served as spokesman for Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria. You once accosted late Governor Lam Adesina of Oyo State to press a case for the protection and security of herdsmen in Oyo State.
Today, these herdsmen have become a terror to citizens of Nigeria and we are deeply worried about your silence. We are worried that you have refused to use your office to deal with the infiltrators who are now giving herdsmen a bad name across Nigeria.
How can we be friends of other Nigerians when our people are given them sleepless nights and our beloved President is silent?
Since you won the 2015 elections, we have been waking up almost every day to hear stories about how Jonathan did this and Jonathan did that. We have become tired and fed up. Should we also blame Jonathan responsible for the sudden increase in price of millet in the market?
When will we begin to hear what Baba Buhari has done?
When will we begin to hear of what our Baba has done to salvage Nigeria?
When will we begin to hear that Baba has caused the price of food to come down?
When will we begin to hear that Baba Buhari has constructed more roads across Nigeria?
When will begin to hear that Baba Buhari has caused the cost of healthcare to come down?
It is unfortunate that because of the solidarity that the North has pledged to you, many Northern leaders have chosen to keep quiet rather than criticize you.
The recent report about the current state of your health has not helped matters. Our people believe that it is not a good thing to speak negative about the sick or the dead.
We are thankful however to the few who have chosen to speak up. These are the ones who really mean well for you and want you to succeed.
Mr President, you are no longer a military General or head of state. Nations have moved forward and democracy has shone a bright light on many developing nations, Nigeria being one of them.
In spite of the dictatorial antics of most African leaders, former President Goodluck Jonathan made sure that he oversaw the growth of opposition parties in Nigeria. He eventually made sure that he conducted what was considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.
In June 2010, Goodluck Jonathan appointed Professor Attahiru Jega from Kebbi State, a Muslim and professor of political science as Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC). Prior to that, Jonathan had never met Professor Jega.
Goodluck Jonathan could have appointed any Southerner to that position to protect his place as President. He could have appointed an Ibo man or a sympathetic Yoruba man or some other allied middle belt citizen of Nigeria BUT he did not.
Goodluck Jonathan could have influenced the appointment of the various board members of INEC and ensured that only his stooges were put there BUT he did not.
Goodluck Jonathan could have used EFCC, ICPC and the various security outfits to witch-hunt opposition political leaders across Nigeria. Yet he did not.
Goodluck Jonathan could have mandated the relevant agencies to trace, track and monitor the bank accounts of opposition political leaders, their wives and children so that they can be cowed and silenced. Yet he did not.
Dear Baba Buhari, we believe that you are President of Nigeria today because Goodluck Jonathan was not a desperate, over zealous and overly callous President.
The story would not have been the same if it were an Obasanjo type that was President. That we are very sure of.
Dear Baba, please discourage the current negative campaign against former President Goodluck Jonathan and focus on the mandate of fixing Nigeria and improving the quality of lives of the millions of Nigerians whose votes gave you the mandate that you currently enjoy.
Discourage your overzealous aides and appointees from continuing what has become their favorite past time – Bashing Jonathan!
How long will this continue?
Bashing Jonathan at every opportunity has not solved any of the problems you met as President.
Nigerians have already voted Jonathan out. Nigerians are disappointed that years after Jonathan has left, there is no day that the Buhari presidency does not attempt to feast on Jonathan. Why then did we vote for you?
We did not vote for you to come and give us excuses on why you cannot perform!
We voted for you because you believed that you were capable and particularly fit for the job of President.
We voted for you because we believed that you would do far better than Jonathan as President with respect to the economy, security, quality of life as well as well-being of the nation and her citizens.
Mr President, there were quite a few successes of the Jonathan presidency. Acknowledge those successes and use them to your advantage. And then work to correct and avoid the mistakes that dogged the Jonathan presidency. That is how successful nations work.
Many of your people are angry and it looks like many of them will soon start speaking up.
However, there is still time to work and place your name on the sands of posterity.
Please leave Jonathan alone. Go around the country and ascertain things for yourself. Two years into your presidency, you are yet to visit more than 30 states in Nigeria.
Even President Donald Trump has traveled to more states in America in less than 100 days of his presidency.
Appoint a competent team to assist you in the onerous task of fixing Nigeria. Appoint people every nook and cranny of Nigeria. Do not leave out any section of Nigeria in your appointments. The Buhari presidency must not be over-saturated by people from the Northern part of the country or people who share a peculiar history with you.
You are now a Nigerian president NOT a Northern, Daura or CPC President. You are President over Muslims the same way you are President over Christians.
We promise to work together with you to bring lasting peace to Nigeria.
May Allah’s peace be upon you.
Abdulkadir Alhaji Mohammed, Coordinator – Arewa Peace Coalition, Kano
