The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described calls for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari as a result of the killings of the rice farmers in Zabarmari, Borno state as not only unnecessary but a distraction.
In a statement jointly signed by Niyi Akinsiju, the group’s Chairman, and Cassidy Madueke, its Secretary, the group described as untenable and misplaced the impression being created through unguarded statements by some persons that President Buhari is not on top of the national security situation.
The BMO was responding to recent comments attributed to some individuals and sociocultural groups since after the tragic killing of the farmers by Boko Haram and challenged these groups and individuals to rise above personal interests to appreciate the broader national security picture dispassionately.
“There is no doubt that security which has received policy and budgetary priority by the Buhari administration has witnessed improvement on several fronts while new challenges are emerging and are being addressed. While present challenges seem daunting, many Nigerians seem to have conveniently forgotten how far we have come from the time leading to the coming of the Buhari administration when Abuja and our State Capitals were on practical lockdown; places of worship, markets, and public arenas were frequently targeted with bombs and Nigerians lived on the edge of great fear of the unknown.
“Criminals and criminality remain recurring a challenge for governments all over the world and the Buhari administration is working hard to secure lives and properties of Nigerians and despite the recent killings in Borno and other reports of insecurity across the country, Nigerians must not lose faith in the ability of the present Government to protect them. These are difficult times and they call for national solidarity, not distraction.
“Perhaps it needs to be restated that President Buhari campaigned for Nigerians’ mandate in 2015 and 2019 and won. Since then he has consistently focused on delivering on the promises he made, principally in the areas of security, economic diversification, infrastructural development, and fight against corruption.
“It is also to be noted that the president had in his determination to wipe out the insurgency and restore peace and development to the Northeast region deepened security and non-security collaboration with neighbouring Governments and enlisted the support of the global community to equip the military with modern weaponry.
“Today the insurgency has been decimated to the point that they have now resorted to using guerrilla tactics and mostly restricted their nefarious activities to the fringes of the Lake Chad region. We dare say that this administration has recorded milestones in fighting the insurgents and ensuring an improved livelihood for affected populations.
“While we commiserate with the families of the victims of the Zabarmari attack, it is important to counsel sociocultural groups not to hide under the cover of freedom of speech to inject their distorted and toxic narratives into the open space, especially as it concerns national security, to avoid creating fear and hopelessness among the populace.
“We want to restate for the umpteenth time that the President Buhari administration is determined and committed to eliminating the insurgency in the Northeast and other acts of criminality across the country. Actions in this regard are already yielding results and well-known to many Nigerians,” the statement reads.
