Prominent Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT), has expressed its disagreement with ARISE News Channel presenter and former spokesman to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Reuben Abati, over his comment, suggesting that former President Muhammadu Buhari is laughing at Nigeria’s current state from his Daura residence.
This is just as the group accused the immediate past president, Buhari, of bringing the country’s economy to its knees, and advised President Bola Tinubu to detach his government from that of his predecessor.
In a statement signed by the group’s Convener, Muhammad Yakubu, published by Thisdaylive, it sharply disagreed with Abati, saying he is only struggling to justify falsehood with the reality on the ground.
Yakubu argued that Buhari’s eight-year tenure put Nigeria into socio-economic hardship, which President Bola Tinubu inherited. He listed alleged scandals and economic woes during Buhari’s administration, questioning how the current state could amuse him.
The statement read: “How can Buhari be laughing at Nigeria when he used eight years to put the country into hunger and hardship which President Bola Tinubu merely inherited?
“How can Buhari laugh when the central bank governor under his administration is still constantly in and out of detention, and how can he laugh when his nephew is under serious investigation for allegedly embezzling billions of naira?
“How can Reuben Abati say Buhari is happy when the economy he handed over to his successor has been brought to its knees because of poor foundation?
“Arewa Think Tank is asking again, how can Buhari feet at peace when the aviation minister under his administration is in court for alleged fraud
“How can he laugh when billions of naira, meant to care for the most vulnerable people, was embezzled by his humanitarian minister? How could he be amused when he hears that his former CBN governor spent almost N95 billion to print N145 million?
“How could there be any reason for the former President to laugh when he knew he used almost 90 per cent of his daily crude oil production to borrow money in advance from foreign governments?
“How can Buhari find comfort knowing fully well that some rogue bankers and economists, employed during his administration, used his foreign reserves as collateral to borrow money?
“We are very sure that the Buhari we know would be deeply disturbed and saddened whenever he hears of all the atrocities committed during his tenure as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“Since we don’t want to be misled by Reuben Abati’s comment, we pray that history should judge Buhari kindly in accordance with his deeds while in office.
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“However, the best advice we could give President Bola Tinubu for now is for him to detach himself or his government from the immediate past government of President Buhari.
“This advice has become necessary for Tinubu to avoid the failures of the previous government rubbing off on his administration which is struggling to get out of the socio-economic woods he inherited.
“We are also advising President Tinubu that if something is not done urgently, Nigerians may revolt against his government due to a looming food crisis in coming years. So, he should walk his talk without further delay.
“Another piece of advice is that in as much as some of us are praising him for the approved local government autonomy and subsidy removal, one of the legacies that he will leave behind and people will remember him for a long time is to go frontal and defeat the bandits. They are not spirits, they can be defeated.”
