A human rights activist and public affairs commentator, Dele Farotimi, has said President Bola Tinubu cannot separate himself from the failures of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Farotimi stated this while answering questions as a guest on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, on Channels Television on Friday.
According to him, Tinubu actively marketed Buhari to Nigerians in the buildup to the 2015 general elections, however, he cannot insulate himself from the failures of the Buhari government.
It would be recalled that Tinubu who convinced Nigerians to vote for Buhari in 2015, also took over from him on May 29, 2023, after winning the 2023 Presidential election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, where they both belong to.
Meanwhile, some of the members of the Tinubu cabinet including Minister of Finance Wale Edun, had blamed the current socio-economic and security challenges in the country on the failure of Buhari’s eight-year administration.
However, during his conversation with Akande, Farotimi said nothing has changed since May 2015 when the APC took over from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“The evidence of the last nine months is unimpeachable and cannot be denied. I know that the convenient excuse is that Buhari had damaged it (Nigeria) and he (Tinubu) is repairing it but who brought Buhari? Who was the chief marketer of Buhari in 2014/2015 when the ‘Change’ lie was sold to Nigerians?” he queried.
He bemoaned that nothing had been done by the Tinubu government to expect anything positive. Instead.
However, Farotimi called on Nigerians to brace up for more challenges beyond the economic hardship occasioned by the petrol subsidy removal and unification of the foreign exchange windows.
‘Breakdown Of Laws’
Farotimi said the future of Nigeria appeared bleak saying, “I am going to be 56 years old this year and in my entire lifetime, we have never been far away from greatness than we are today. The future of Nigeria appears bleak than it has ever been in my entire lifetime,” he said.
He further blamed the rot in Nigeria on “every one of us” but “most importantly the “complete breakdown of the rule of law”.
According to the activist, Nigeria has copious laws in writing but there is no rule of law in our space as “the laws are observed more in breach”. “Nigeria as it is today is not ruled by law but by impunity,” he said. “When you look beyond that, you begin to look at the institutions of state.”
The activist further explained that, for the nation to move forward, the principles of justice must be enthroned, starting with the judiciary, the legislature and the executive.
He however urged Nigerians to understand that folks from other tribes are not their enemies but those who are beneficiaries of the rot in the system of government who have refused to reform the system and have weaponised poverty, ethnicity and religion.