The House of Representative minority caucus has expressed concern by the claims of President Muhamadu Buhari at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The caucus said it was distressed after it extensively reviewed the president’s address at the assembly.
Ndudi Elumelu, the minority leader of the house in a statement on Saturday said the president’s claim were in disagreement with the realities of the failures of his administration.
He noted in the statement titled ‘Minority Reps Flays Claims In President Buhari’s UNGA Speech’ that the speech was a great disservice to Nigeria and does not picture the true picture of affairs in the country.
“Our caucus holds that President Buhari’s speech is a great disservice to our nation by not presenting the true picture of affairs in our country; the human rights violations, corruption, and incompetence in his administration; the excruciating hardship, escalated insecurity, national divisiveness and infrastructural decay under his watch, thereby blocking avenues for desired intervention in our various ailing sectors.
“The minority caucus was alarmed by President Buhari’s report to UNGA that terrorists have been so weakened in Nigeria that they are now preying on soft targets, when in reality, insurgents have become so emboldened under his watch, that they are now attacking military formations, kidnapping and killing our gallant officers while overrunning communities and murdering our citizens without restrain.
“As representatives of the people, the Minority caucus is depressed that President Buhari’s speech did not reflect on the kidnapping and killing of students and school children in Nigeria. The speech did not reflect on the closure of schools and crippling of education in many parts of our country, where normal life has been destroyed by terrorists, neither did it show any empathy towards the victims of terrorism attacks.”
The caucus noted that the president did not convey any personal commitments that can guarantee an end to “poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice, and inequalities under his watch.
Ndudi Elumelu urged President Buhari to always check content given to him by his handlers to ensure that his position, especially on the world stage, captures the reality as well as the aspiration prevalent in the country.
