Governor Bello Metawalle of Zamfara State, has whipped up tribal sentiment, attacking protesters asking President Muhammadu Buhari to return to Nigeria and fix dilapidated medical facilities across the country.
Mr Buhari while in opposition engaged in several protests against the administrations of his predecessors, berating their resolve to seek medical attention abroad while allowing health facilities in the country to rotten.
One of such protests was in 2012 when he led a massive protest in Lagos kicking against the removal of fuel subsidy that his administration is now hell-bent on removing.
Towards the end of March, the Nigerian leader jetted out to London saying he is going to seek medical attention but stated yesterday that he was in the foreign country to observe a short rest.
Nigerians abroad on sighting his arrival began protesting, demanding his return to the country, an action Mr Metawalle described as uncivilized saying that was not the best approach to demonstrate grievances, refusing to discuss the unfulfilled promises of the president who vowed to revamp the health sector but yet to do so six years after.
He also said protesting against Buhari, who also berated previous governments through protests, amounts to display of hatred for the North where the president hails from.
“As a Northerner, I condemn in strongest term how in the same manner of hatred, President Muhammadu Buhari was treated by so-called protesters that could not hide their disdain and hatred for the North,” the governor said in a statement on Thursday. “Their action, no matter their grievances, is uncivilized, highly irresponsible, unpatriotic and disrespectful to the person and office of the President and has demonstrated the growing hatred against anything North.
“This is certainly NOT the way to express dissatisfaction but an act of humiliation and hatred consistent with the southern agenda as the promoters and sponsors are well known and are only looking for opportunities and slightest excuse(s).
“Responsible and civilised protest should address only issues but reducing such sponsored protests to abusing the President, his family or parents as we have seen in London is most unfortunate, uncivilized and condemnable. I am sure they wouldn’t have done that for Buhari if he is from the South as we have seen severally on matters of their interest and agenda.
“The real motive and agenda of the so called protest is not for Nigeria but to humiliate the President that is why the number of the protesters, considering the large number of Nigerians living in London, is so negligible as they could be easily counted,” the Zamfara helmsman fond of negotiating with criminal elements added.
The North is not known to protest against bad leadership as long as the person in charge is from its region but will let all hell loose if the individual is from other geo-political zones.
During the historic protest demanding extensive police reforms codenamed #EndSARS, leaders from the North whipped up tribal sentiment to suppress youths in the area from joining the protests, saying protesters mainly Southerners were out to humiliate their own in the seat of power.
During the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan, individuals from the region who consider themselves influential, including Buhari, demanded the immediate resignation of the then president.
Despite the rising insecurity in the region under the incumbent administration, none from the Northern region has asked Buhari to resign. The only person who summoned the courage to attempt that was arrested, sacked and has fled the country days after being released by the State Security Service (SSS), a secret police department attached to the presidency.
