Buhari’s sermons on senseless killings

After what many have described as his undue silence on the issue, President Muhammadu Buhari, this week, called on Nigerians to desist from attacking each other as a result of their differences.
Specifically, the President called for a stop to the incessant herdsmen and farmers clashes which have led to the dead of many and destruction of property in especially Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states.
Tellingly, the President said the federal government would not tolerate such barbaric acts. And, it must be asked, why should the government tolerate such senseless killings?
Speaking during commissioning of a Comprehensive Special School in Lafia, Nasarawa state, the President said the federal government was working hard to ensure peace and stability in the country, especially the troubled North-east and North-central zones.
He said additional resources have already been deployed to all the troubled parts of the country in order to bring to an end perennial crisis in the areas
“I also want to assure the people of the North-central and, indeed, all Nigerians that the federal government is working day night to ensure that peace and stability returns,” he said. “The attacks by suspected herdsmen and other bandits will not be tolerated. I appeal to all Nigerian to refrain from attacks.”
The President said security agencies were instructed to arrest and prosecute persons found with illegal arms and sent his condolences and sympathy to all the affected victims of barbaric acts.
Though the recent upheaval between the herdsmen and farmers in Benue state which claimed many lives was not first time, it became topical mainly because of the number of people that were massacred.
Last year, many people in villages in some North-central states were killed. In fact, the recent Benue attacks only tend to suggest the readiness and capabilities of the nation’s enemies of peace to perpetrate their violent activities at will and the unpreparedness of the security agencies to check them.
While no significant arrest has been made in connection with the attacks, and no reason was given by those who carried out the attacks, the killing can, at best, be described as not only wicked, but utterly selfish and senseless.
The killings, for whatever reasons they were committed by the senseless murderers, cannot be justified. Those who were killed were innocent people who resented violence and whose love for peace, particularly at this time of the nation’s history, should not, in any way, be ignored.
On the other hand, those who killed them can only be described as the purveyors of hate and enemies of peace and the government who should not, as the President said be tolerated in our midst. They, certainly, are not peace lovers and are interested only in the destruction of the country and the hard earned unity, continuity and development.
But, these people must not be allowed to realise their objectives of creating fears in the minds of our people, engendering the relative peace in the country and, eventually, succeeding in their selfish aim of dissuading the citizens from going about their socio-economic activities.
Thus, the elite, politicians and, especially leaders of farmers and herders, should as a matter of necessity continue to appeal to their members to embrace peace as the government struggles to bring the bad security situation under control.
It is quite unfortunate that cities and villages in the North have continued to experience violence that leads to the destruction of lives and property. Hence, the federal government should rise to the advents of violence which if left unchecked, can consume the country.
Of course, the issues to resolve are: in whose interest do the criminals perpetrate their actions? Why is it that security agencies seem incapable of arresting the incidents? Have the security agencies not learned anything from the initial incidents in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states to make them proactively armed against the criminals?
These ugly situations should be thoroughly investigated so as to get to the roots of their remote and immediate causes and establish those who were and are still behind the senseless killings.
The government must look into all these and deal firmly with those who orchestrated this reign of terror. The security forces should also carry out their duties with a high sense of responsibility and to always compare notes with their counterparts in other states, especially where the incidences and degree of violence are higher and the security personnel are better equipped to deal with the situation.
Executive orders for national development
On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order 5 to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components.
The Executive Order is expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation towards achieving the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the economy.
The President, pursuant to the authority vested in him by the Constitution, ordered that all ‘‘procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.’’
The Executive Order also prohibits the Ministry of Interior from giving visas to foreign workers whose skills are readily available in Nigeria.
It, however, states that where expertise is lacking, procuring entities will give preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.
In the proclamation entitled “Presidential Executive Order 5 for Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science Engineering and Technology,” the President also directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects.
It adds that ‘‘consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria.’’
Of course, while the signing of this order can be described as commendable, it must be said that it happened late in the country’s history and process of development. For too long and for so little and unimaginatively, Nigerian leaders toyed with the issue of the country’s development and showed their lack of patriotic concern to that cause.
It was, therefore, time for the government, if we are truly desirous of development, to reconsider its policy which tends to exclude local contents – professionals and products – in our development process.
No doubt, the previous neglect and quick embrace of foreign content by past leaders was partly responsible for the nation’s corruption and worsened the unemployment rate in the country.
Nigeria would not benefit from a system which allows Ministries, Departmentsabd Agencies (MDAs) to look for and acquire expertise and products and services that can be locally accessed, from another country.
Patronising local consultants and goods and services would ensure that adapts to its peculiar challenges and make process of development rooted in our shores.
Discipline and accountability will be embedded in the development process while the country gets the advantage of saving its foreign currency and strengthening the power exchange of the naira with other currencies
If these measures have been adopted over the years, the country would have been the better for it because our programmes would be adaptive to our peculiar situations.
Yet, it should be said that the new presidential order should be seen as more than just effort to encourage local experts and entrepreneurs. Allowing local consultants who had the capacity to deliver foreign training for our people would engender transparency and accountability.
Through involvement of local consultants, government will be able to know from its MDAs where payments are made, when and who benefits. Adapting these measures, among others, would make the country great again, swell its foreign exchange reserve and strengthen its currency against the US dollars.