Gumi has
criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for the way he is ripping Nigeria apart
and the method he is employing in fighting corruption. In an interview with
Sahara Reporters, Gumi accused President Buhari of not making the unity of Nigeria a
priority and that this has given birth to agitation by different regions.
“The same
way that you did with South-West do with the South- South and South-East. This
is what I mean by Government of National Unity because if the militants believe
that they are represented well in the government, they will allow the oil to
flow. “If the crude oil flows, our refineries will work. The President needs to
listen; he can’t afford to be adamant anymore. He should listen to
knowledgeable individuals and not sycophants who supported him. Nigeria is for
everybody. It is not for any single political party or the President.”
On
President Buhari’s order that Niger Delta militant bombing pipelines be
crushed, Gumi said it was not the best way to deal with the situation.
“How can
they deal with the militants in the first place, when they are holding the
nation’s umbilical cord? You are fighting Boko Haram in the North, and you want
to fight the militants in the creeks. You don’t fight on two fronts at the same
time. That was one of the reasons why Adolf Hitler failed in the Second World War.
The
government should sit down with them and ask them the reasons for their
agitation. “Don’t forget; they were embittered that their man Goodluck Jonathan
was defeated. Their argument now is, ‘if you hate our man, then leave our oil.’
No section of the country has the solution of Nigeria ’s problem.
“So,
everybody should be brought on board. Even if the South-South brings Government
Tompolo as their man, we should accept him, so long as they trust him; so that
we will have stability.
“A military
solution is not the best option in this circumstance. Former President Umaru
Yar’adua could swallow his pride as president and negotiate with the militants.
Jonathan also did it. But a military man cannot do it because it will hurt his
ego. But if he doesn’t do it, he will kill the nation.”
Sheikh Gumi
said Buhari was treading a precarious path as president because there is a
tussle between the rich and the poor and his fight against corruption needed a
new dimension. He insisted diplomacy is the right way to handle corruption so
rich people would pump money into the country.
“Buhari’s
coming into politics has accentuated the class struggle in Nigeria . The
antagonism between the rich and poor can sometimes be more dangerous that
religious differences. I saw this class struggle coming because the masses will
always rush to Buhari because they believe that he will bring justice and food
on the table for them. They want him to emasculate the rich for them; he either
does it, or they will categorise him as a failure.
“So, once
you put a leader in that kind of situation, then you are already introducing a
class struggle into the already compounded problem. In addition to our tribal problems,
our religious differences, and the North/South divide, there is now a class
problem because the talakawa just want to see the rich imprisoned. And if they
are tasking the president to do that, and if he does not do it he is a failure,
then he will definitely fail because he cannot do it.
“So, the
kind of leader that we needed at that time was one who will pacify the rich and
still have the confidence of the poor. By so doing, the rich will help in
building the economy by setting up companies that will generate employment.
“So, what
you get with diplomacy, you cannot get with violence. If you want to deal with
corruption in Nigeria ,
you have to deal with it in a diplomatic way. No one should be afraid of
returning the money that they have looted. But when the poor is always rating
your administration by the number of people you have caught, then you are in
trouble because you cannot catch the big ones.
“Because if
you do so, you will destroy your government and if you don’t catch them, the
poor will say that you have changed. The president is even fighting the war on
corruption the wrong way. When you fight corruption, it will naturally fight
back. Corruption has become an international institution. You will hear foreign
leaders condemning corruption, but they are engaging in it because their
countries benefit from it.
“So, the
President needs to tread carefully in fighting corruption with the way things
are now because it will frighten the upper class of the society. It will put
them on pause, and this is not healthy for a developing economy like our own.
“You need
the rich to infuse money into the system and fund projects. For example, I went
to a fundraiser for an Islamic school. Big men came, but not a single one
donated a Kobo, not even a pledge because they may be asked where they got the
money from.
“So, there
is fright, and this is hurtful to the economy. The war on corruption should
purely be a law and order issue. Right now, if EFCC invites someone, the next
day it is in the newspapers.
“The damage
this kind of thing causes to people’s reputation is very severe, especially if
they are found to be innocent.
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