A core pro-Buhari and presently a presidential aspirant, Femi Olufunmilade has said President Buhari was overrated in terms of his ‘capability and competence in 2015. He said the enormous task and problems facing the country now is not a job for a 75 years old man who will be moving into his 80s very soon.
In an interview with Premium Times NG, Olufunmilade said the problems facing the country right now requires extreme competence, capability, and fitness.
“It appears that we overrated the president in terms of his capability and competence. The problems facing this country right now requires utmost competence and capability,” he said.
Olufunmilade, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) questioned President Buhari’s overall performance in the fight against insecurity.
He said; “If you ask the president what his achievements are, he will tell you he promised three broad targets. One is to fight insecurity and he would tell you Boko Haram has been degraded but not eliminated.
“But if you juxtapose that with the ongoing guerrilla warfare being waged by the so-called Fulani herdsmen across all the states of the federation……. The president’s move to check this onslaught seems to have been borne out of pressure on him.
“Left to him, he doesn’t appear to think there is anything going on. So, if you say you have delivered on the promise to fight insecurity I will say by the same token that your inaction has opened a new dimension of insecurity.
“So, when you place his achievement on security on the balance sheet you will see that he has scored zero.”
Olufunmilade, a professor of International Relations and strategic studies admits Buhari’s administration is fair in fight against corruption but insisted the people around the president are soiled with corruption.
“On anti-corruption, I will concede to him that what we have seen in terms of fighting corruption is unprecedented in the anal of history of anti-corruption.
“Having said that, I will also say that he should watch out what will happen after he has left office to some of those around him. He only knows himself.
“The case of Babachir Lawal is well known and the case of the NIA DG Ayo Oke is also well known. So far, they appear to be untouchable despite the glaring allegations. The Maina case is also there, the pension scam.
“Having said that, I will also say that he should watch out what will happen after he has left office to some of those around him. He only knows himself.
“The case of Babachir Lawal is well known and the case of the NIA DG Ayo Oke is also well known. So far they appear to be untouchable despite the glaring allegations. The Maina case is also there, the pension scam,” he said
Olufunmilade who had since dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for SDP said in the area of economy, the bottom line when it comes to economic achievement is the welfare of the average Nigerian.
“So, the indices I will want to use will not be the ones that they will brandish. The National Bureau of Statistics will say the foreign reserve has risen and the inflation rate has gone down but the issue is how many people have been employed? This is because there is no security unless you have a job.
“The agency has also told us that in the history of this country there has not been a time many people lost their jobs on the scale it has happened under the Buhari administration. We are talking of close to eight million or 10 million people who have lost their job.”
The SDP presidential aspirant revealed reasons he is aiming to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I have four good reasons why I want to run. The first reason is that I believe that I can do better than what President Buhari has offered Nigerians so far.
“I believe I can do better than President Buhari. In the first place all my life I have studied nothing other than politics and government of Nigeria. I began studying this at age 16 when I was admitted to study political science. I went through Masters programme and PHD in teaching.
“I also made commentary in Nigeria leading dailies particularly the Guardian newspapers since 1990. I began writing for the Guardian as a freelancer and later joined the Editorial Board.
“When you talk of the challenges of the Nigerian state, right from colonial times till date under various administration, these are things we have studied in the university.”
He, however, promised to return Nigeria to the era of rigorous economic planning if voted as the next president.
Olufunmilade who fears danger of disintegration said; “there is a clamour across the country. This country needs to be saved except we want to deceive ourselves. If care is not taken, this country as speculated might break up.
“The way things are right now, people are losing faith in government. When I say government, I mean federal government. Governors are losing faith in the neutrality of Mr. President to protect all without any form of bias. A situation where the governor of Benue State is being harassed, more or less by the Inspector General of Police is uncalled for.
“A situation where the president is lamenting publicly that he gave directive to the IGP and he did not carry it out, and he did not sack him, leaves much to be desired.
“The job on ground is not for a 75 years old man who will be moving into his 80s very soon; it’s for a young energetic man who is sound, courageous and understands this nation and who will be able to salvage the young people that are hopeless.
Read Full Interview: Premium Times NG
