Photograph — www.nta.ng

Almost 24 hours after Boko Haram militants razed down the village of Dalori in Borno state, Nigeria, the country’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, finally released a statement condemning the attacks. Buhari, who was in Addis Ababa attending the AU summit during the attacks, sent in a message through his spokesman, Garba Shehu. However, his words offered hardly any hope to the people of his country. Prior to this official statement, the citizens had been clamouring for their leader to address the nation, especially after the killings that happened in Chibok on Wednesday last week, only two days before Dalori’s, but none ever came. His statement, after the most recent assault, may suggest the country’s leader is yet to realise and fully accept the gravity of the attacks going on in northern Nigeria.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, rarely releases any press statements condemning terrorist attacks in the country, rather, all Nigerians often hear from him are the details about people being probed or arrested for corruption. News of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arresting rich politicians fill the news and media spaces. Meanwhile, the charred and smoking remains of people in Dalori are testament to the helplessness of Nigerian citizens scattered in the north east of the country, waiting for their leaders to rescue them or offer some assistance. The president’s decision to move the army headquarters to Maiduguri seems to have changed nothing, since most of the recent attacks have been in and around the city.

There have been no less than three attacks in the country since President Buhari made the classic Boko Haram was “technically defeated” statement. It seems the president, safe in his cocoon of power, really believes Boko Haram has been defeated and will like to ensure all Nigerians think so too. However, the problem is that the people have been bearing the brunt of the terrorist attacks and are unlikely to believe this propaganda suggesting the group has been defeated. Stating that the terrorists were out to “embarrass his government” seems rather ill-timed considering the fact that many people are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.

When you consider the way events surrounding this issue unfolded under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, perhaps Buhari’s behaviour is the rule and not the exception. By the time President Jonathan accepted the fact the Chibok girls had really been kidnapped, the girls were long gone. Nigerians, who knew the girls were kidnapped, clamoured for action from the government, issuing reports that they could still be rescued within a week of their abduction, but this fell on deaf ears. There was also the case of the former president dancing at a political rally in Kano just a day after Boko Haram-perpetuated bombings killed many people in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

For a man who came in with promises to find a lasting fix to the Boko Haram menace, Nigerians expect President Buhari to seek a longer-lasting solution than a “technical defeat.” Being late to offer condolences or display some form of empathy towards Nigerians who died in last week’s terror attacks shows that there may be a disconnect between the president and what is going on in the country. It has been a year since Buhari’s famous campaign slogan, #Febuhari, but the fears now are the same as they were under Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. President Buhari might continue prpoagating the delusion that Boko Haram pose no problem and that the people are secure, but, if his statement is anything to go by, “embarassing the government” is the least of his problems. Perhaps the “change” mantra, which was promised Nigerians should start from the top.

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