A prominent non-governmental and pro-democracy organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has berated the President Buhari-led administration, describing it as “the worst in the political annals of Nigeria as regards elevation of nepotism in appointments into strategic national security positions

The group also blamed the government for failing to protect lives and property of Nigerians from violent attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists.”

HURIWA said nepotism has become the hallmark of the current administration which has no respect for the constitutional provisions of federal character principles in appointments.

HURIWA, in a statement to the media to mark the 58th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, also condemned the government for incessantly going cap in hands to borrow loans from China and diverse foreign credit-granting institutions without greater consideration for the far-reaching implications of dragging the nation back into the toxic debts’ trap and returning Nigeria into the slavery associated with a heavily indebted developing nation which Nigeria had exited during the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

HURIWA accused Buhari led administration of borrowing huge amounts of money for infrastructures, which are never transparently deployed, but stolen and hidden away in private accounts of top officials close to the President who are beyond the reach of the politically tainted Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headed by a politically compromised acting chairman.

HURIWA lamented that Nigeria’s foreign debts profile has risen astronomically to over $22 billion USD since the last three years that the current administration came on board even when the international asking price of crude oil has risen considerably for a very long period of time.

HURIWA in the statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf further blasted the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for keeping quiet in the face of monumental corruption right under his nose such as the reported $25 billion contract scandals in the Nigerian National petroleum corporation as presented in a well-articulated petition authored by the minister of state for petroleum Dr Ibe; the nearly N1 billion alleged theft of North East development fund by his disgraced erstwhile Secretary to the government of the Federation; the N2 billion that was allegedly stolen from the wife of the President Aisha Buhari by his aide de camp; the Abdulrasheed Maina’s scandal which have all been swept under the carpets if impunity and the over $350 million repatriated Abacha loots already stolen by Presidency officials.

HURIWA faulted the 58th Independence Anniversary Speech by President Muhammadu Buhari in which he claimed that security situation had improved in the North East of Nigeria even as the Rights group condemned as empty propaganda any of such claims when, in fact, the security situations had escalated from bad to worst with several military formations and facilities coming under intensive attacks and bombardments by the Boko Haram terrorists resulting in the alleged killings of hundreds of soldiers many of whom are complaining of criminal neglects and abandonment by the Nigerian authorities.

HURIWA said: “This administration should find the best solution to the resurgence in armed violence by the Boko Haram terrorists who have once more upped their dangerous game of attacking military formations in the North East of Nigeria. The government should come clean and admit the challenges that the combatants on the Nigerian side are facing such as poor equipment and lack of motivation and delay in payments of allowances to the fighters many of whom are openly protesting. The administration should be honest to admit that hundreds of soldiers have perished in the past few months even as there are allegations that members of the military high command are burying soldiers without informing their families. These grave allegations must be investigated. The government should stop pretending and lying that it has the upper hands when the armed Boko Haram terrorists have actually carried out many successful attacks in all of North East of Nigeria with devastating consequences to the lives of the common people and the professional combatants deployed to fight in the counter-terror war.”

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