Insurgency: Blame President Buhari, Military – Law maker

By Tom Okpe

Tajudeen Yusuf, member, House of Representatives on Wednesday berated President Muhamadu Buhari, Nigeria Military and the political class for failing to secure Nigeria from the hands of terrorists and other criminal operatives in the country.

He said It is an aberration for military officers to live outside the barracks, owning properties in choice areas in their confinement and comfort zones, naturally, discourages them from performing their constitutional duties as expected.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the National Assembly, Yusuf PDP, representing Kabba/Bunu/ Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi State, emphasised the need for rejiging the military as a deliberate measure towards achieving performance on the current security position.

The Lawmaker suggesting ways to bring insurgency to an end said; “We need fighters without affiliation with Nigeria as relying on the nation’s military will not help matters.

He noted that President Muhamadu Buhari’s non tolerant to contrary views, caused the rising spate of insecurity in the country today adding; “He didn’t caution it from inception.

He said: “Our country is near Armageddon. We are near the precipice. When you want to cut down a tree, you bring an axe.

When the tree finally comes down, it is not the last hit that brought it down, it is the cumulative of all the hits. We do not know the last hit that would bring Nigeria down.

We are in a situation that is avoidable but because we have a president who has a mindset of what he wants and deliberately encouraged, it’s what we are seeing today,” he said.

The lawmaker also took a swipe at his colleagues in the House of Representatives who play to the gallery on important issues because of party affiliation or even sycophancy.

“In the Jonathan era, I was PDP and I am still PDP today, those of you who were here then will attest to the fact that despite the fact the fact that we are of the same party, I was on the floor everyday to speak my mind on areas I felt government has not done well. We must come to terms with reality, that is why NASS cannot do what it ought to do.

“So when you have that kind of scenario we have today, you begin to find not just in the NASS but in the national generally, sycophancy, boot-licking to be seen as being in the good books so as to curry privileges and silence men.

“The idea of excessive affiliation and loyalty to party, forgetting that when you take oath of office, you do not take oath of office to defend PDP or APC. The oath of office is about the Nigerian nation.

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Until we come to terms with those realities that parties are vehicles, but, constitution of the country should guide the action on the floor.

“Our colleagues unfortunately who you meet privately, have very progressive positions but on the floor, they are timid and unable to express those so-called progressive positions.”

He also said the confirmation by National Assembly of the immediate past Service Chiefs as ambassadors were not supposed to be as the same NASS had earlier berated them for non performance on insecurity.

“The Service Chiefs that were relieved few months ago. Both chambers of NASS passed several resolutions condemning, indicting and declaring them incompetent for that assignment.

After they were removed their names were sent back to us as ambassadors and we confirmed them. That is enough for people not to take us serious,” he stated.