Herdsmen’s killings: Buhari gives Chief of Army Staff, IGP matching order

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Abayomi Olonishakin and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase to take immediate steps to secure communities under attack by herdsmen.

The President also ordered Olonishakin and Arase to go after groups terrorizing innocent Nigerians in communities and villages.

The President gave the matching order at the presentation of the book, “Who will Love my Country” written by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in Abuja.

President Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned that his government will no longer allow the attacks to continue.

He specifically condemned the attacks said to have been carried out by Fulani herdsmen in Uzo-Uwani local government of Enugu State which claimed many lives on Sunday.

He said, “Let me start by condemning in strongest terms the attacks by herdsmen in Enugu State on Monday.  I deeply sympathize with those who lost their lives as well as those who lost their property.

“I have directed the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector – General of Police to secure all communities under attacks by herdsmen and to go after the groups terrorising innocent people all over the country. This government will not allow these attacks to continue.”
On the book, Buhari said that the author saw the need for attitudinal change for the purpose of fighting corruption and impunity and of course the need for Nigerians to love their country.

He noted that “the author demonstrated in the book that Nigerians can only get the Nigeria of their dreams if they make bold efforts to put the nation’s interest above their individual interest.”

He said, “We should start with individual attitude of change,  if we change our ways, the society will change for the better.

 “The author urged all tiers of government to undertake programmes and policies that will enhance the living standards of the people and ensure their happiness.

“The 2016 budget is designed to bring our people out of poverty, enhance their living standards and bring smiles to their faces. The N500billion social intervention fund was designed to among others create jobs for 500, 000 unemployed graduates, provide loans for one million Nigerians including market men and women as well as artisans to start up their business.

“It also includes feeding of 4.5million students in schools. Nigerians can only have and live in the country of their dreams by shunning corruption and desist from converting public property for personal usage or divert public funds to their private pockets.

“I commend Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for investing his time and energy to write the book which is a wake up call and thought provoking.”
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) who chaired the event said that from the title of the book, it is easy to determine that Ekweremadu has set out on a journey of self discovery.

Gen. Gowon said, “It is a journey that is hinged on patriotism. I will want to believe that the motivation to write this book, derives in that part from the circumstances of our nation’s contemporary history. In itself this could be likened to bad times in which new life cannot be brought forward.

“Many years back we fought a war to remain united, indivisible nation, this was because we believe and still believe that what bounds us is far greater than what divides us.

“There is no denying the fact that Nigeria is stronger together and that the future remains very bright. Let us continue to move together as one. Nigeria has a great potential to become great, but it is left for each and every one of us to do our best to ensure and hasten the process.

“Who will Love My Country?  The truth is no one but you and I. The foreigner cannot love our country the way we will love it. Neither can you love other country more than you will like your own.

“We shall overcome all challenges if the leadership is committed to truly serve the people, and avoid corruption which I believe that the current leadership will tackle.

“Definitely not insurgency or Fulani herdsmen’s menace will divide us because with the help of God and cooperation of the citizenry and the gallant security forces, we shall soon conquer.”
Senator Ekweremadu in his speech asked Nigerians to show more love for the country by rising above tribe, ethnic, religious and political persuasions, with a view to subordinate all the aforementioned interests, to the overriding interest of the country.

He also called on Nigerian leaders to govern effectively and use power wisely, saying that was the only way to safeguard the citizens’ interest.

He noted that to love Nigeria, would entail Nigerians to critically revise and reexamine their attitudes,  values, and how they treat one another, which “demands of us some sacrifice.”

He asked: “Are we going to bequeath to our children a banner stained by corruption, bad governance, ineffective leadership, ethnicity, slacking moral values, decadence, mediocrity, and sloth? God forbid!”

He said Nigeria needed to return to the path of progress and unity charted by the founding fathers.

He said: “If you are on a journey and you find out that you are travelling the wrong road, the right thing to do is to turn back and take the right path.

“We must be ready to surrender our perceived narrow advantages to the general good. We must let go, for unless you release the man you are holding to the ground, you would not also be able to move an inch. Now is the time to offer one another a hand of comradeship and together we can move to the Promised Land.”

He reiterated the fact that he wrote the book, not as the Deputy President of the Senate, nor as a card carrying member of any political party, but as a patriotic Nigerian, who was concerned about Nigeria’s future.

He added, “I lay no claims to having the solutions to Nigeria’s problems; I simply want to challenge and inspire Nigerians to rise above ethnic, partisan and selfish interests and focus more on how to build a better country for us and our children.”

Ekweremadu, further charged Nigerian Leaders to “show fidelity to democratic imperatives of accountability and transparency, respect the laws of the land and respect the rights and liberties of citizens.

“Nobody can save or help Nigeria but Nigerians. As Timi Dakolo rightly pointed out in his thought-provoking song, Great Nation, ‘We are all we have’. That is the message of this book.  There are no problems Nigerians cannot solve if we act in good faith, guided by the nation’s best interest.

At the event, where a minute silence, at the behest of Ekweremadu, was observed in honour of those who were killed in Uzo Uwani in Enugu State as well as other parts of the country, the Deputy President of the Senate said “the sad incident further reinforces the need for this book and the ideas espoused in the book”.

“The primary responsibility of government is the security of lives and properties of the citizens. We must rethink our security system to serve us better”, he declared.

The book presentation had in attendance a retinue of serving and former governors, ministers, party leaders, federal lawmakers, across political divides.

It also recorded a high turnout of members of the academia, diplomatic corps, and the civil society.