For the
first time since President Muhammadu Buhari left the country for the United
Kingdom 50 days ago, the Presidency, on Sunday, released his voice message to
Nigerians.
The News
Agency of Nigeria reports that the voice message was released to debunk reports
that the President was suffering from speech impairment.
The audio
clip, which is the President’s voice message to Nigerians on the occasion of
the Eid-el-Fitr, is in Hausa.
The Buhari’s
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, had, in a
statement on Saturday conveyed the message of the President to Nigerians.
On Sunday,
the BBC aired a recorded audio version of Buhari’s message.
The message,
which took the President about one minute and three seconds to deliver, is the
audio version of the statement released by Shehu.
Buhari stated
in the message, “I am immensely grateful to God for his mercy in guiding us
successfully to conclude another Ramadan. My greetings to all Nigerian Muslims
and our brother Christians on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr:
“May the
lessons of Ramadan, namely piety, self-denial, prayers and generosity to the
poor and the needy, be with us for all time.
“I, again,
appeal to all Nigerians to avoid reckless statements or actions against our
fellow countrymen. We should all resolve to live in peace and unity in our great
country, which is the envy of many less-endowed nations.”
There have
been reports in the social media claiming that the President is suffering from
speech impairment and memory loss.
Some
Nigerians however expressed mixed feelings about Buhari’s message with some
civil rights organisations and prominent individuals berating the President for
speaking to Nigerians in Hausa.
It’s
propaganda, says Junaid Mohammed
A member of
the House of Representatives during the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed,
wondered what the President’s handlers intended to achieve with the audio
message.
He stated,
“Other than propaganda, I wonder what they (President’s handlers) intend to
achieve by putting out such an audio clip (message) at this time. The President
needs our prayers and we sincerely pray for his quick recovery and safe
return.’’
Also, the
pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere,
said Buhari’s statement failed to
address the issues of concern in the country, describing the audio message as
flat.
Its
spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, said he expected the President to have cautioned
Arewa youths against their ultimatum to the Igbo, noting that instead, Buhari
simply danced around the issue.
He said,
“The statement is so flat; it did not address specific issues on the ground. In
view of what is going on in the country now, I would have thought he would have
appealed to those, who are issuing notices to quit against some other tribes,
to desist from doing such a thing.
“He was
talking about reckless speeches. What constitute reckless speeches? I think he
should have been more specific in terms of what we are facing now because the
country is under stress.”
Odumakin
berated the President for speaking in Hausa in the recording, saying that was
not good enough.’’
He contended
that there were many non-Hausa Muslims.
“It’s like
the Acting President (Yemi) Osinbajo addressing the nation in Yoruba because he
is a Yoruba man.
“Addressing
the nation at this time in Hausa does not bring inclusiveness. I don’t think
it’s good enough for the President of a multi-ethnic nation to have made a
national address in the language spoken by a section of the country,” he said.
No
difference between Buhari, Nnamdi Kanu –Jonathan’s ex-aide
Reacting to
the President’s message, a former Special Assistant on Social Media to former
President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Reno Omokri, on his Facebook page, condemned
Buhari for addressing Muslims in Hausa.
Omokri
stated, “In a country, whose official language is English, President Muhammadu
Buhari broadcasts his Sallah message in Hausa! Would Trump (whose origin is
German) address America in German? So what about all those Nigerians who can’t
speak Hausa?
“Ideally,
the President should have spoken in English first; then, if he feels like it,
he may also speak in Hausa. The way he spoke only in Hausa makes it seem as if
he is only concerned with those who gave him 97 per cent of the votes while
those who gave him five per cent can take a hike!
“How would
the rest of the country have felt if President Olusegun Obasanjo had released a
Christmas broadcast to Nigerians in Yoruba or if President Goodluck Jonathan
had done so in Ogbia?
“How can a
national leader address Nigerians in a sectional language? Nigeria has never
had a leader as divisive as Buhari! There is no difference between President
Buhari and Nnamdi Kanu.
“President
Buhari is the President of all Nigeria; he is not the President of only those
who can speak Hausa! This is an outrage! (The late) President Umaru Yar’Adua
also spoke to the BBC News by telephone. He is Fulani, like President Buhari;
yet, he spoke in English because he was President of all of us!”
President’s
use of Hausa ill-advised, says CDHR
In its reaction, a civil society organisation,
the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, said the President’s use of
Hausa in his salah message was discriminatory as more than half of the
population would not understand him.
The CDHR
President, Malachy Ugwumadu, stated, “The lingua franca of Nigeria is not
Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or Ibibio, but English. Therefore, while we appreciate that
the President is not in the best of health condition, it is far-fetched that he
would communicate on this occasion in a language that is not understood by more
than half of the population. That was not well advised.
“This is a
heterogeneous society, where we have over 200 indigenous languages. I think the
President should focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. If he
mustered the energy to talk at all, he should talk in a way everyone would
understand. It is not proper.’’
IYC
surprised Buhari spoke Hausa
Also, the
Ijaw Youth Council expressed surprise that Buhari, whom it noted Nigerians had
been eager to hear from, spoke in Hausa in his sallah message.
IYC
spokesman, Mr. Henry Iyalla, said, on Sunday, that it would be difficult for
Nigerians to agree that the President was actually the person that spoke to
Nigerians on the BCC.
He explained
that the President should have spoken in English, the official language of the
country, adding that it was only English that the entire Nigeria would be able
to hear and understand if he was the person who spoke.
Iyalla
stated, “He is not only the President of the Hausa, he is also the President of
Yoruba, Igbo, Niger Delta and other ethic nationalities.
“We are not
really sure that he is the one who really spoke and this has not doused any
tension about his health.”
Nigeria, now
a Banana Republic, says Ohanaeze
The umbrella
group for the Igbo, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, declared that Nigeria had descended to
the level of a ‘Banana Republic’, if the President could address Nigerians in
Hausa.
The Deputy
Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr. Chuks Ibegbu, who spoke to one of
our correspondents in Enugu on Sunday, doubted the authenticity of the message.
According to Punch report, Ibegbu noted
that there was a big problem if the message was found to be authentic, saying
the message should be investigated.
“First of
all, we have to ascertain the veracity of the voice because in these days of
technology, a lot of things can be cloned, including human voice,” the Ohanaeze
spokesman.
“But if it
is true that Mr. President addressed Nigerians in a local language, it means
something is wrong somewhere.
“I want to
believe that the voice is not real, but if it is Mr. President that actually
spoke, then, it means that we have descended to the level of a Banana Republic.
“The Federal
Government should tell Nigerians whether it is actually Mr. President’s voice,
or not.”
Ibegbu noted
that the address couldn’t have been meant for Nigerians if it was delivered in
Hausa.
He said,
“Which message; message to who; in what language? Is Hausa our lingua franca?
If Mr. President wants to address us, he should talk to us in English, which is
our lingua franca.”
Buhari’s
Sallah message, a good development –ACF
But the
Arewa Consultative Forum said Buhari’s Eid-el-Fitr message was a good
development in view of recent happenings in the country.
The National
Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Muhammad Ibrahim, told one of our
correspondents in Kaduna on Sunday that
Buhari’s appeal to all Nigerians “goes to show the President’s belief in one
and indivisible entity (country).”
Also, the
National Chairman of the Northern Elders Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, prayed
for the President’s quick recovery.
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