President Muhammadu Buhari
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President
Muhammadu Buhari’s statement to German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, that
Nigerians caught up in their attempt to illegally enter the Europe are
on their own.
The party said Buhari’s comments further exposed him as an
insensitive leader, who doesn’t care about the plight of his
compatriots.The PDP, in a statement released by its National Publicity
Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said while it does not, in any way,
support illegal migrations, it does not warrant incendiary statement
against citizens by no less a person than the President, who should be
seeking ways to solve the problem.
The party noted that such statements by the President fuel violent
attacks and inhuman treatment being meted out to Nigerians abroad,
including those with legitimate documents and who engage in lawful
activities.
The party said President Buhari has shown he is not bothered that
no fewer than 10,000 Nigerians died in the deserts between January and
May 2017 alone, while trying to escape the economic hardship and
escalated insecurity occasioned by his misrule.“Is it not disturbing to
Mr. President that reports by Nigerian Immigration Services showed that
more Nigerians have been trapped in detention and slave camps in various
parts of the world?
“Is it not also an act of gross leadership failure that, in his
outburst against Nigerians, President Buhari admitted that they left in
search of “greener pastures”, yet he could not articulate any solution
to mitigate the suffering his administration has unleashed on our nation
in the last three years,” the party queried
The PDP said it is the President’s duty, as elected leader of
government, to pursue the fundamental human rights of his citizens, as
well as find solution to the problems pushing Nigerians to adopt illegal
migration, irrespective of the huge risks, as option for survival.
The party lamented that in another exhibition of incompetence;
President Buhari could not articulate a strong response to the economic
proposals brought by the German leader, thereby squandering the nation’s
opportunity to benefit from her visit.