The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) has described the statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on alleged “Fulanisation’’ and “Islamisation’’ of Nigeria as tactic to divert government’s attention from probing his administration’s expenditure on power sector.
The party said this in a statement issued by its National Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Sokoto, on Friday in Abuja.
Sokoto said that making the pronouncement at the material time was diversionary tactic to distract Nigerians’ attention from the power sector probe promised by President Muhammadu Buhari if re-elected.
“We can vividly recall that Buhari has repeatedly promised to investigate the issue of 16 billion dollars spent on power sector without delivering electricity.
“Now that Nigerians have re-elected him for a second term and the inauguration is coming up on May 29, Obasanjo knows that nothing will stop the President from fulfilling his campaign promises to Nigerians,” he said.
He advised Obasanjo to start preparing his defence on how his regime spent the 16 billion dollars on power project.
The former president was reported to have said that the twin evils of Boko Haram and marauding cattle herders were initially treated with kid gloves.
Obasanjo made the statement during the second session of the Synod, Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s Anglican Church at Oleh Isako South Local Government Area of Delta State, while speaking on “Mobilising Nigeria’s human and natural resources for national development and stability”.
He said that both Boko Haram and marauding cattle herders have incubated and developed beyond what Nigeria can handle alone.
He was quoted to have said that: “They are now combined and internationalised with ISIS in control.
“It is no longer an issue of lack of education or lack of employment for youths in Nigeria which it began with.
“It is now West African Fulanisation, African Islamisation and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change”.
Sokoto, who described the statement as unfortunate, added that it must be seen by every right thinking Nigerian as an act of highest mischief “which intent may be a dangerous and sinister motive’’.
He added that for Obasanjo choosing the period when Buhari was a guest of the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on invitation to perform lesser Hajj must have been done deliberately.
Sokoto added that the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, must be living in the past if he thinks that any patriotic Northerner believes that Obasanjo has done anything for the positive development of the region.
He alleged that the Northern people were regretting supporting Obasanjo as well demanding answers to questions on some of his actions against the region during his tenure.
Sokoto called on Nigerians to be vigilant and watchful about corrupt leaders who would stop at nothing to derail the Buhari administration.
