Again, Nigeria tells Diplomatic Community, “Don’t dictate to us”

*With Buhari as President, era of cap-in-hand to foreign nations over– Respondents

“At the end of the day, we are a sovereign nation and the line shouldn’t be crossed from exhorting us and wanting us to succeed and wanting this to be a really democratic process to dictating to us and really getting into the nitty-gritty of how we run the country which is exclusively the responsibility of this government”.

The Nigeria’s Government has once again made clear to members of the diplomatic community not to cross the line between exhorting Nigeria on good governance and dictating to the country on how to govern or run its internal affairs.

The country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, sounded this warning while briefing the diplomatic community on the rescheduled general elections in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

The meeting which held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was to interact with the diplomatic corps to clarify issues surrounding the postponement of the elections and the country’s readiness as the polls come up on Saturday, February 23rd, 2019.

In the run-up to the elections, the Federal Government had on several occasions raised concerns about what it described as interference from foreign bodies.

Onyeama said, “At the end of the day, we are a sovereign nation and the line shouldn’t be crossed from exhorting us and wanting us to succeed and wanting this to be a really democratic process to dictating to us and really getting into the nitty-gritty of how we run the country which is exclusively the responsibility of this government”.

National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mustapha Leki, who represented the INEC at the meeting, said the electoral umpire had taken responsibility for the postponement, admitting that the commission may have underestimated the job at hand.

He, however, said this time, the electoral body was ready for the polls.

“I must admit that we as a commission may have somehow underestimated the realities of preparing for such an extensive nationwide deployment for the 2019 general elections,” Mr Leki said.

While speaking on the readiness of security agencies for the polls, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, said vote buyers, ballot box snatchers and touts would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law while accredited observers will be protected and granted unfettered access across the country.

He said, “It is an electoral offence to snatch ballot box, it is an electoral offence to buy votes and it is also an electoral offence to be used as a tout to destroy properties.

“If you are engaged in that, there is no responsible security organisation that will sit back and look at you. We will arrest you”.

In the meantime, some Nigerians who commented on the continuous bold stand of the government against local perpetrators of evils trying to scuttle the successful conduct of the 2019 general elections and foreign interference in the nation’s internal affairs, though on invitation of desperate opposition, has been described as sign of good beginning in Nigeria.

Chairman of Concerned Citizens Group, Mr. Wale Ogunyemi, said: “It is a sign that Nigeria is now moving towards greatness in the comity of nations because no country can just come, under a serious leader like Muhammadu Buhari, and tell us how to run our affairs.  It is a good thing for us as a nation.”

Another Nigerian speaking, Mr. Habib Yahya, who is a human right activist in Lagos, said, “America may have had his cup full with President Muhammadu Buhari.  Don’t forget that US President Donald Trump on his own invited the President of Nigeria to Washington.  Buhari would not just run to them like we have had presidents do in the past under the Peoples Democratic Party and which is the reason they are trying to make us look like baby they can toss around.  But Buhari is saying no! and that is key.

“Trump must have thrown some conditions to Buhari during his visit to the US but which he did not accept and which Atiku, a desperate man wanting to be President even at the cost of selling of his own country, accepted and which is the reason they are backing him against Buhari, who is doing exactly what they had criticized past governments of not doing, fighting corruption in totality, ensuring security of lives and businesses and fixing Nigeria’s economy.

“Now, same Trump collected money for 12 Tucano aircrafts from us but he has delayed the delivery so that there will be change in government but he cannot see the change in government in Nigeria with Buhari in power.  And this same Trump is not even sure that he will get re-elected in America next year.  If his country had been the one doing this rail system under Buhari, they would have made it unsuccessful.  But the signing of pact with China by Buhari’s government is the big joker that will put America in permanent check.  So, let Atiku and the rest running to them beware,” he said.

Mr. Yahya added that, “What has helped the situation against opposition is that the government spoke and everybody in the system including the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai spoke and even satan knows that everybody is on the same page. If that has not happened, it Nigerians would have been discouraged but now that the government has been updating the people on what is happening and they are seeing the bold steps being taken by the President and security forces, sky is the limit.”