Nigeria at 60: Ozekhome blasts Buhari, says broadcast out of tune with reality

Barrister Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has carpeted President Muhammadu Buhari’s 60th independence anniversary broadcast, describing it as lame and defensive which was out of tune with the reality of Nigeria in the 21st century.

In a statement issued and sent to CAPITAL POST on Thursday, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria lamented that the President seemed not to have understood Nigeria’s economy, hence, he made a comparative error with lesser economies.

The legal luminary expressed disappointment that President Buhari who protested against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for increase in fuel price which was insignificant at the time, increased prices of fuel and electricity in a manner that every other aspects of social life were negated.

The statement said: “The broadcast was lame, defensive, lacklustre, uninspiring and devoid of Presidential gravitas.

It convinces more that the president is out of tune with the stark reality of a 208 million people he governs when he compared us with some neighbouring countries .

I disagree with Mr president. Do many of them produce oil? Are we not the 7th oil producer in the world? Is Buhari aware that most of our industries have relocated to, and found solace in these countries?

Those economies he compared us with are better, more buoyant, less populated and more focused and productive than Nigeria.

They do not glanouralise and celebrate corruption as a national fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy as we do.

“It is also about credibility, integrity, honour and dignity . Did Buhari not join others Nigerians , including the major players in his government, in January, 2012, to castigate and demonstrate on the streets against Jonathan’s minimal increase, arguing that it was corruption – laden and amounted to thievery? What has changed?

Ozekhome regretted that Buhari’s administration did nothing to change the systemic rotteness he met, rather those responsible for the rot were within his administration.

“Have the oil cartel he glowingly talked about vanished? Has his government not used more than three times the sum used by three successive governments for importation of fuel?

“Has he built a single refinery? Are the ones he met functional still working? I beg, give me a break from the cluelessbess, propaganda and anti-pwople policies of this opaque government.