From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Former national chairman vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) (North West), Salihu Moh Lukman, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu has taken Nigerians back to the Hobbesian state where life is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.’
Lukman also lamented that human life has become of very little value so much that it is arguably not the priority of government to guarantee survival and protection of citizens.
In a statement he issued in Abuja, he alleged that President Tinubu is proving to more inaccessible than even the late General Sani Abacha.
He added that investment towards addressing the challenges of insecurity is at best business-as-usual, noting that the crisis of insecurity is reduced to ceremonial show of shame and public lamentations by leaders.
The statement read: “Under a so-called regime of Renewed Hope, citizens are rendered helpless. A supposedly progressive government and party is taking Nigeria back to Hobbesian state where life is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.’ Human life has very little value so much that it is arguably not the priority of government to guarantee survival and protection of citizens.”
“Existential crisis has caught up with even income earning population and governments at all levels are demonstrating both lack of commitment and inability to respond to the urgency of rescuing the country,” the statement read.
Reacting further, Lukman wrote: “Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, that appears to be the preference of the government. As it is, the issue of welfare of citizens is not the priority of President Tinubu. It is almost as if President Tinubu doesn’t give a damn about whether Nigerians are dying on account of government’s heartless and mindless policies.
“Rather than push public policy in a direction that relieved the economic burden of harsh living conditions, the Federal Government is more bent on imposing more stringent measures that drains and devalue the resources of citizens.
“More than anytime in the history of Nigeria, citizens are being impoverished on an alarming scale. Since May 29, 2023 when President Tinubu took over, it has been a downward slide for Nigerians. Being a democratic government, the expectation would have been that President Tinubu will be more accessible.
“Alas, he is proving to be the most inaccessible leader of Nigeria. Even late General Sani Abacha was by far more accessible. All previous military governments are turning out to be much more open to consultations and receptive to recommendations from Nigerians than the government of President Tinubu.
“As President of the Federal Republic, President Tinubu is showing his worst side. Some of the key projects of the last government have been abandoned. A good example is Kaduna – Abuja Road, which is becoming a death trap. But without any budgetary provision, a new project of more than N15 trillion Lagos – Calabar Coastal highway started.
“Meanwhile, public investment towards addressing the challenges of insecurity is at best business-as-usual. And the crisis of insecurity is reduced to ceremonial show of shame and public lamentations by leaders.”
He also noted: “No doubt, Nigerians are faced with the hardest of times. In the circumstance, it is legitimate for all leaders who mean well for the country to be worried. Ideally, if President Tinubu is accessible and receptive to recommendations, leaders such as former president, Obasanjo, former military president, Babangida, former Head of State General Abdulsalami and General Gusau would have prioritise meeting him.
“Perhaps, the fact that they are meeting just about a month after the meeting of the National Council of State where a vote of confidence was passed on President Asiwaju Tinubu is suggestive of possible disappointment arising from the seeming inability of the government to reverse the current downward slide and protect the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.”
