DESERT HERALD publisher, Mallam Tukur Mamu in a press statement on Monday said ongoing attempts to instigate a revolution of whatever form and in whatever name in view of the enormous challenges facing the nation if Government did not control it will not only consume the office and position of President Muhammadu Buhari but ALL the current structures of democracy specifically ALL those that were elected from states to the national level. Below are some of the excerpt:
“Omoyele Sowore is my good friend and I relate very well with him. In fact, my paper and his online medium have worked together in the past; sharing strategically exclusive news items. As a partner in the struggle for good governance and accountability in the management and administration of public resources, DH has authored and gave him several classified and exclusive stories for publication in his SaharaReporters before. All the stories we gave him has enjoyed unprecedented traffic in his website including our story on the former First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua which earned me arrest then by the DSS. But even as a friend with mutual respect for each other, I suspect the real motive of the Sowore group and disagreed with his idea of a revolution in a democracy and in a constitutional tenure that MUST terminate after every four years. Nigeria, no matter how bad it is under Buhari is NOT yet a dictatorship like Egypt, Cameroon, North Korea, the then Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria and even countries like Saudi Arabia where there is NO freedom to even talk not to talk of allowing a ‘peaceful protest’.
Even though we all have serious reservations in the way Nigeria is being govern today under President Buhari and the escalating crisis of insecurity that was caused by unprecedented corruption and indiscipline under his watch, a revolution in its true meaning in a fragile country that was ravaged by poverty like Nigeria will not only be an act of treason but an attempt to create perpetual chaos that will bring down even the little we are enjoying today. No matter how incompetent or bad Buhari might be, the system we build will NOT allow him to spend more than the next four years as the president. Why then the rush to topple him and in fact by implication to topple ALL those that were validly elected? If the meaning of a revolution is indeed a major change in the power structure of a country or a system, then our friend Sowore and his group are by implication working to sack ALL the elected 36 governors, ALL our national and state legislators and perhaps all the appointees under them. Are they really prepared to give Nigerians a better offer? Do they have the means to contain the security challenges in the aftermath of such a revolution?
Perhaps those supporting Sowore including the politicians that are expecting to benefit from the possible benefits of his revolution did not understand what a revolution means and the possible consequence of it’s management or failure especially in a highly divided country like Nigeria, a country where even religion is being manipulated for selfish aggrandizement. Sowore has indicted his mission by naming it #RevolutionNow. Even the United States as the Chief promoter of FREEDOM will not tolerate a REVOLUTION of whatever form under their democracy and that is why despite being the worse President in American’s history, Donald Trump is being tolerated. The CIA and other national security structures are 100 percent loyal to him as the Commander in Chief and even if they disagree with his actions and policies. They are patiently waiting to decide his fate next year. Sowore as a resident of America or its citizen has an option whenever the country is in flames. We have seen that in Nnamdi Kanu during the infamous agitation of Biafra.
We would have all supported Sowore if his intention is not #RevolutionNow. A peaceful protest or even intensive pressure for the demand for better government, good leadership, an end joblessness, a better and efficient PHCN, an end to insecurity and the massive corruption in the management of security votes etc by him would have attracted the attention and support of most of us. The views I shared here is also the view and position of the Northern Publishers Forum which I happens to be its Secretary.
Lastly, I hope our politicians particularly the opposition will understand the implications of a revolution in a country like Nigeria. Many countries have succeeded without the form of revolution being canvassed by Mr. Sowore. The President should also understand that current developments and tensions in the country are happening because of the failure of his government to meet the expectations of Nigerians, because of the crisis of poverty and insecurity that has consumed many and threatening more. We shouldn’t deceive ourselves about that. Only Allah knows the exact figures of those that were killed and kidnapped from 29th May, 2015 to date. In fact, killings and kidnappings in Nigeria is no longer news. They no longer attract even newspaper headlines anymore.
5th August, 2019