Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo says Nigerians cannot complain about President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to tackle insecurity and still chide him when he begins to do so.
Keyamo stated this in a Tuesday tweet while reacting to a controversial comment in which the President threatened to deal with those destroying offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
No fewer than 11 INEC offices, 13 vehicles, 429 generators, and other property have been destroyed in over 41 attacks in the last few months, especially in the South-East geopolitical zone.
The attacks have been blamed on “unknown gunmen”.
Buhari tweeted, “I receive daily security reports on the attacks on critical national infrastructure, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail. Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We’ve given them enough time.
“I received a briefing today (Tuesday) from the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the series of attacks on their facilities nationwide. These attacks are totally unacceptable, and we will not allow those behind them to achieve their evil objectives.”
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President Buhari added, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
The comment has continued to generate criticism on social media, especially Twitter, where many users described it as a plot to justify attacks by security agents on innocent residents of the South-East.
Quoting the president’s tweet, Keyamo wrote, “I hope some elites who couldn’t find their voices to rein in their wards when their region burnt, will not suddenly find their voices against Mr. President!
“Those who screamed that it’s Mr. President’s duty to maintain law & order should NOT try to teach him how to do his job now.
“The anger some are displaying against the President’s resolve to be decisive in dealing with these scoundrels is an indication of their support for the destruction of public infrastructure because they want to cripple government. A pure case of cutting your nose to spite your face!
“A very unfortunate reasoning you read is that because insurgency is still prevalent in some other parts of the country, the President should just allow some villains destroy another region.
“It’s like a competition to bring the insecurity in one region at par with other regions!
“We were told they are UNKNOWN GUNMEN. But the moment the President vowed to deal with these ‘unknown’ elements, they have suddenly become known as INNOCENT CITIZENS in a part of the country!
“It is a case of ‘Cunning man die, Wayo man bury am’! A huge conspiracy blown wide open!”