Knocks For Danjuma’s Group For Blaming Buhari Over National Crisis

By Baron Ike
Deluge criticisms trailed the comment made by some members of the Northern Christian Elders Forum (NECF) including former Defence Minister, Theophilus Danjuma, Joshua Dogonyaro and Zamani Lekwot that President Muhammadu Buhari was responsible for the raging national crisis.
The forum met in Abuja on Thursday, July 13 to take a look at the causes of recent agitations and secessionist calls renting the air in all parts of the country.
Others in attendance included, Solomon Asemota (Chairman), Moses Ihonde and Chukwuemeka Ezeife.
At the end of their deliberations, the Forum issued a statement that knocked Buhari’s regime as the major culprit.
Rather than pointing accusing fingers at the ailing Buhari, most commentators think that Danjuma and his likes are instrumental to the myriad problems bedeviling Nigeria since military coups were introduced in the country.
One Sulaiman Atatise nothing only called them “shameless old cargoes,” he asked, “who do they think they are fooling?”
He added: “Hypocrites! They were the same group of people that brought Buhari to power. Everyone knows that all retired and serving generals supported Buhari to gain power. Of all the retired military men that I have spoken to, all have spoken in favour of Buhari and claim he was the finest military officer they have ever met. They are behaving as if they didn’t know Buhari. Wasn’t T. Y. Danjuma the arrowhead of Buhari’s ascendance to power? One by one, God will judge them. For whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap.”
According to Ahmed Tukur, “PMB, is not responsible for the present crisis in Nigeria. What they said is not true and can never be true. We know the role each of you played in promoting division and underdevelopment of Nigeria.”
“Imagine! Zamani Lekwot that oversaw the Zangon Kataf genocide! IBB refused to execute those bloody criminals that started the first and only genocide in history of the Nigeria. They are just aided by the southern media. Always churning out anti-Muslim and anti-north propaganda. We know them all. Including the Jerry Ganas,” one Hamza alleged.
The National Christian Elders Forum had blamed the government of Buhari for the current ethnic crisis and agitation for secession across the coutry, accusing government of deliberately disregarding the constitution and federal character.
The forum had condemned the handling of the herdsmen/farmers crisis, and warned that extremists were pushing a jihadist agenda.
It warned that the country was being driven to a needless armed conflict that could occur if the situation was not well managed.
A statement signed by the NCEF’s chairman, Asemota, the forum demanded the immediate nullification of appointments that appear to give undue advantage to a section of the country, apparently referring to the lob-sided appointments made by Buhari.
Said the communiqué: “The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has viewed with much concern and apprehension, the issues currently unfolding in the country. The Christian Elders are saddened that once again, the nation is being driven to a needless and mindless conflict that if not well managed, could conflagrate into war, destruction, and threaten the cohesiveness of the Nigerian State.
“Presently, a lot of provocative statements, actions and inactions are taking place in the country. The NCEF noted with concern the budding Constitutional crisis in the country, the threat of another major ethnic conflict occasioned by the Independent People of Biafra’s (IPOB) call for secession and the response of Arewa Northern Youths for the eviction of the Ibos from the North, the agitations for Fiscal Federalism and Resource Control, amongst many other regional agitations.
“As distressing as the situation is, it would appear that many Nigerians are still unaware of the real issues at stake. The NCEF wants Nigerians to be alert and focus on the reality of what is actually occurring in Nigeria. The real problem with the country is that JIHAD. The conflict between Democracy as National Ideology and Sharia as a usurping ideology is responsible for the crisis unfolding in Nigeria. The nation is in the throes of Jihad.
“The NCEF finds it disturbing that with the wide expanse of land available in the North, Government is sponsoring Grazing Reserve for Fulani herdsmen across the nation. Apart from the injustice of Government promoting one trade over and above other business interest groups in the country, the NCEF cannot understand the rationale behind the action of some State Governors who are willing to release the ancestral land of their people as Grazing Reserve.
“If Grazing Reserve is a must for the Fulani herdsmen, instead of ranching which is the international best practice, NCEF recommends that Sambisa Forest should be given to the Fulani herdsmen.”
It added: “It is disturbing the alacrity with which the security forces and top Government officials responded to the attacks against the Fulani on the Mambilla Plateau, in Taraba State, while remaining insensitive to the serial attacks and killings by the same Fulani herdsmen across the nation.
“The NCEF considers it imperative that in the interest of the over 389 Ethnic Nationalities in Nigeria and the over 180 million citizens that this Conflict should be resolved in favour of Democracy.
“Therefore, the NCEF is calling on all Nigerians, at home and abroad, to join in the call for the SUPREMACY of the Nigerian Constitution. Every action of the present Administration that violates the Constitution, particularly Section 10, Section 38 (1) and Section 14 (3) which specifically relates to the principle of Federal Character in appointments should be reversed and all cases of injustice, inequality and unfairness in Government appointments should be redressed forthwith.
“As a rider, Nigerians should sustain the clarion call for restructuring the nation for True Fiscal Federalism. The ongoing debate on restructuring is healthy and NCEF hopes that it would quickly resolve the choice between Regions or States as Federating Units. NCEF calls on all Nigerians, as equal stakeholders, not to relent in the demand for True Fiscal Federalism and ensure that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible.”