The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of taking political advantage of calamities that have befallen Nigeria under his watch, saying giving N5 million to each family that lost a relative in the Immigration recruitment exercise after one year is not only belated but aimed at currying votes.
In a statement in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party wondered why it took the
President all of one year to act on the promise he made to the
families, adding that but for the forthcoming elections, the President
would have simply ignored the families, in his usual style.
”The truth is that this President was forced to act because of the
elections. Otherwise, why has it taken one year for the President to
redeem his promise to the bereaved families? Why has his
Administration not sanctioned those who sent innocent job seekers to
their early graves after extorting them? Why is the Interior Minister,
Mr Abba Moro, who presided over the deaths, still in office, virtually
dancing on the graves of those innocent youths?
”Sunday, March 15th, will mark one year since those vibrant youths
were lured to their deaths by a callous federal government that failed
them in all ramifications, including the security of their lives and
the assurance of their welfare, the raison d’etre of any government.
It is therefore utterly reprehensible, immoral and wicked for the same
administration to seek to make political gains out of the needless
tragedy,” it said.
APC said President Jonathan, in his desperation for re-election, has
also sought to take political advantage of other tragedies, including
the Buni Yadi massacre of school children and the abduction of Chibok
girls
”After refusing to even visit the families of those school children
in Buni Yadi and Chibok, the President suddenly woke up and started
sending delegations to meet with them, all this because he needs
votes. As a parent himself, how will the President feel if he had been
so treated? Why must the President put his re-election over and above
everything else, including the welfare and security of Nigerians? Is
there no limit to desperation,” the party queried.
It said Nigerians are keenly aware of the fact that this President has
suddenly woken up from his deep slumber and become artificially
hyperactive, making repeated visits to regions that he had neglected
in the past six years and doling out hard currencies even at a time
the Naira was taking a beating, all for election purposes.
”No one is fooled by the antics of a desperate President, and in the
fullness of time, Nigerians will show President Jonathan and his
cohorts that they are not impressed by his pretend governance,” APC
said
Also, the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation has told Nigerians not to be deceived by President Jonathan’s tokenism of duplicity and its attempt to claim credibility it never has.
Reacting to the N5 million donations to each of the 15 families, the APC Presidential Campaign explained that it had no quarrel with bringing relief to the families of the victims, including automatic employment to 33 members of the families.
The Media Spokesman of the Campaign, Malam Garba Shehu, however, criticised the insincerity of the Jonathan administration in its attempt to throw dust in the eyes of Nigerians by pretending to be caring on the first anniversary of the Immigration recruitment tragedy.
According to Shehu, paying compensation to the families of the victims is a welcome idea, but the lack of sincerity by the Jonathan’s government has morally tainted what was supposed to be a humanitarian gesture.
Shehu explained that it is morally outrageous to spare those public officials whose greed had led Nigeria to the March 2014 Immigration recruitment tragedy.
He said it is not enough to pay compensation to the families of the promising Nigerians killed in that stampede, while at the same time refusing to hold those officials accountable for the incident.
The APC Media Campaign spokesman said no sensitive government would have remained indifferent to the actions of the government officials whose rapacity landed Nigeria into such avoidable human disaster.
He said in other societies, such officials would have resigned automatically and apologised to the people.
Shehu alleged that the Jonathan government is characterized by arrogant insensitivity to public feelings and “notorious tendency to promote and entrench impunity by creating sacred cows even where human lives were lost.”
He noted that accountability is the hallmark of a democratic government, adding that, the Jonathan government has disdain for accountability.
