According to Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Alhaji Lai Mohammed‘s warning was misconstrued by the Federal Government.
Afenifere Speaks
The All Progressives Congress (APC), which rose to power on the crest of populism and profited immensely from the prevailing freedom of speech is now trying to put a padlock on the mouth of everyone,” Jare Ajayi, Afenifere’s national publicity secretary, said in a statement.
To warn everyone about the dangers of setting the country on fire is perfectly acceptable. But perhaps we should be educated on which of the two categories of people is setting the country ablaze — those who kidnap, kill, and maim, or those who call attention to the misdeeds of the first category.
Lai Mohammed’s wants bandits should be treated with respect
A look at Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s rhetoric suggests that terrorists and bandits should be dealt with, but that bandits should be treated with respect, especially once they announce that they have given up banditry.
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What matters is that they had sent thousands of people to their early graves, maimed many, and left thousands homeless. It’s important for those in power today to remember that nothing is permanent.
As a result of their criticisms, opinion leaders and religious leaders tend to be constructive. This is because they want the government’s agenda to be successful. This group of people will never wish for the country to be in a state of unrest. They can’t do their jobs in a chaotic environment.
Politicians, the government they work for, and the country at large would all benefit from seeing critics as allies rather than adversaries.'” Rather than working to restrict people’s rights to responsible speech, Alhaji Mohammed, an attorney and public relations officer, should be an advocate for freedom.”
Religious leaders should temper their rhetoric – ACF
According to Emmanuel Yawe, the group’s national publicity secretary, Christian and Muslim leaders should tone down their rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security.
He said it was necessary because religious issues could be sensitive among Nigerians.
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Remember that critics are not your enemies, Ohanaeze tells FG
According to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, those who point out injustices and unequal treatment should not be viewed as inciting statements by the federal government.
Its spokesperson, Alex Ogbonnia, said yesterday that the government shouldn’t take criticism of injustices and unfairness in the government as an invitation to comment.
You, as a representative of the government, should lay a solid foundation for things to be done in a fair and equitable manner. To tell a child not to cry, you can’t beat him”
The Alaigbo Development Foundation, an Igbo elite group, also reacted to the warning, saying Nigerians are not inciting anyone, but are only reacting to deliberate policies of the Buhari administration.
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Onyike said: “The government of President Muhammadu Buhari has maintained a deliberate policy of division, impunity, callousness, and insensitivity which has led to untold sufferings and deaths across the country as well as avoidable calamities.”
“We criticize Buhari and his extreme right-wing party, the APC, because of their neo-fascist and anti-people policies.
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To threaten and warn their critics is regrettable. So Buhari’s fascism and vicious policies against the Nigerian people are here to stay. But instead of making amends, he is thinking of ways to silence opposition voices in Nigeria so that he can prove that he is an enemy of liberal democracy.”
This is the concern of many Nigerians.
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