LAGOS—A Yoruba Intelligentsia Group, Voice of Reason, VOR, yesterday, looked at the state of the nation and warned that anarchy is looming.
Appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to be mindful of history and posterity in whatever actions and policies his administration is undertaking, the VOR said that ‘’the country may soon become the Hobbesian State of Nature if the abuse of human rights, assaults on Judiciary and disregard for court orders, and desecration of federal charter principle among others continue to reign over democratic ethics.’’
The group is made of professionals, including Dr. Olufemi Adegoke, former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tunji Alapini; Dr. Ebun Soniya, and Dr. Ladi Awosika; former Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr Lanre Towry-Cowkry; Mr. Femi Kufo, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye; and Mr. Tokunbo Ekunanim, among others.
The group, at a press briefing in Lagos, condemned the continuous incarceration of Publisher of SaharaReporters, Mr. Omoyele Sowore against court orders.
They demanded an urgent restructuring of Nigeria’s political, economic and social structures, warning that a delay in doing that would spell doom for the country. They equally called on President Buhari to take over the governance of the country and release Sowore.
‘’VOR believes that President Buhari cannot possibly be directing all these excesses of his appointed officials. He, however, needs to rise up to the oath of his office and protect our hard-won democracy. Today, he represents our hopes for its sustenance and should uphold the banner and hand it over without stain. The President is known to rely heavily on his aides. Some critics have even suggested that he does not delegate, he abdicates. It is a reminder to President Buhari that his aides were not elected and the legacy is his, not his aides’.
‘’As people who desire progress for the nation, we urge the President to impress on his aides the need to read his high spirited and soul rousing speeches, and to act in consonance with them, and would also love to see actions to convince Nigerians, and the world at large, that he believes in democracy, and will use all the powers of his office to deepen it, and uphold the rule of law, reinvigorate the fight against corruption, restore every citizen’s faith in the oneness of Nigeria and make the necessary constitutional changes to find a much more efficient and fairer governance structure for Nigeria.’’
