President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night came down hard on the leadership of the National Assembly, the Police as well as community leaders saying they have failed Nigerians in discharging responsibilities entrusted to them.
Speaking in a taped interview broadcast on the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Buhari expressed deep reservations on the attitude of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, towards the passage of Budget and blamed the Police and community leaders for the high level of insecurity in the country.
For the National Assembly leadership, he scored them ‘very low’ in terms of patriotism.
Commenting on the delay in passing budgets the President said, “I think a culture was developed in the National Assembly that they should dictate the terms, which was wrong. It is the executive that dictates the terms and takes it before the legislature. It will examine it and agree or disagree with it.
“But when they go around posing that they are the government and not the executive, then that’s the problem. I felt and I spoke personally to the Senate President, Saraki, and the leader of the House, Dogara. They could not deny it.
“I asked them how they felt to hold the country at ransom for seven months without passing a budget. Unfortunately, they were not hurting me; they were hurting the country. So, really, in terms of patriotism, I think I rated them very low indeed.
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Also speaking on the issue of insecurity in the country, President Buhari said the police and community leaders were to blame.
He said, “Those who are committing atrocities against communities, against the state and the country came from somewhere in Nigeria. Their neighbours know them; and we have politicians and rulers; the police are in the front line. We have the police in every major town and city in this country and I said they were not given the uniform and rifles to impress anybody, but to secure the people. I think the community leadership and the police have failed this country.”
He said it was the duty of police and community leaders to know the criminals in the communities and make them face the law.
“What the government needs to do is to provide the basic needs. People should try to expose criminals in their communities, “ he added.
He, however, assured that he would continue to do his best in the fight against insecurity.
