The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said the South-East should not expect one of their own to be elected President, after continuously referring to Nigeria as a zoo.
In an article on his official Facebook page titled titled, I Miss The South East We Used To Know, Adesina condemned the rising cases of kidnappings and killings in the South-East zone.
Adesina wrote “You can’t call the country a zoo, shooting security agents and civilians to kingdom-come, and then expect leadership on a platter of gold. It’s not done anywhere in the world. Yes, there would be a President of Igbo extraction in this country, but it won’t be by intimidation or bullying. We will all team up to produce such leadership.”
He added that the people of the South East region have not been marginalised by the Buhari-led government as claimed.
He said, “In my days in active journalism (I return soon, mark my words), I had always written that there must be fairness and equity in how leaders emerged, particularly for the position of President. The South East, just like other parts of the country, must produce the number one citizen. But it must be by a combination of factors. Good politics, building alliances, negotiation, deft footworks.”
In condemning the insecurity in the South-East, the president’s spokesman wrote “I get mortified by the sheer waste of precious lives, the wantonness, malevolence and viciousness of it all. And I mean killings on both sides. The innocent law enforcement agents, mowed down in cold blood, and the misguided, brainwashed gunmen, who more often than not do not get away with their evil acts. MAD. Mutual Assured Destruction. That’s what usually happens.
“I then tell myself. This is not the South East we used to know. What happened? How did grace turn to disgrace? How did young men, who used to be moved, motivated by sonorous songs and choruses suddenly become bloodthirsty hounds, not distinguishing between friends and foes, good and evil? How do you claim you want to liberate a people, after first shooting them to ribbons? How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isaiah 14:12).
“The South East we used to know had Voice of the Cross. Oh, what a group of gospel singers! It had Sir Warrior, Oliver De Coque, Oriental Brothers, and many others. They would sing, and inspire you, and transport your mind to nobler things. Now, the soulful tunes have given way to the staccato sound of gunfire. What went wrong?”