MUCH ADO ABOUT BUHARI´S CRIME TAG

  In an interview recently granted to the media in London the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, rtd. Major General Muhammad Buhari was quoted as saying that the criminal tendencies of some Nigerians have made them unwelcome abroad and that they should desist from going to apply for any refugee status since nobody is pursuing them away from their country. This rather unsavoury statement has made a lot of Nigerians stand up in acrimony against the president. They argued that it was deeply out of place for a president to insinuate that his people are criminals, much so before an international community.

  It would be recalled that President Buhari has always had this expressed impression of some Nigerians, sometimes in 1984 President Buhari alongside his second in command Late Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon initiated a war against indiscipline and crime in the country during which time they both stated categorically that some of the problems facing the nation were hinged on the indiscipline of some Nigerians which the government is ready to combat. Like today, many Nigerians also went haywire then and questioned the rationale behind a leader accusing his people of indiscipline. It is very unfortunate that some Nigerians are eternally chained to the electioneering era even after elections are over and a president has emerged.

  I decided to get a copy of the purported interview the president granted the Telegraph in London that has caused the hullaballoo and I discovered to my dismay that the President did not say what a lot of evil intentional Nigerians on the internet were accusing him of saying, could this be that all those who were peddling this rumour cannot read, write and understand simple English?

HERE IS PART OF THE INTERVIEW THAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM;

INTERVIEWER: 

A number of nigerians use the migrant routes to come to the UK to claim assylum, saying their lives are at risk from Boko Haram is it legitimate for them to do so?

BUHARI

some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but then again some Nigerians have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in different Prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking. I don´t think Nigerians have anybody to blame. They can remain at home. Their services are required to build the country. If their countrymen misbehaved, the best thing for them is to stay at home and encourage the credibility of the nation.

INTERVIEWER:

Do you think that Nigerians have an image problem abroad?

BUHARI

Certainly but we are on our way to salvage that. We will encourage our countrymen to stay at home, work hard and make a respectable living at home

When I first heard the news, I thought probably that President Buhari had not specified in his declaration in that interview by using the word "some" to differentiate between the hardworking and law abiding Nigerians abroad but yes he did, and his statement left no doubt at all about that. See the excerpt again "..... but then again some Nigerians have also made it difficult......", note the emphasis on the word some although a lot of people have decided to ignore it for political and very selfish reasons. So what exactly is Buhari trying to say here? Is he insinuating that every Nigerian abroad is a criminal? Of course not. Is he saying that there are no noble, honest, hardworking and law abiding Nigerian citizens abroad? far from it, President Buhari never said anything like that at all. so why have some Nigerians misquoted the President? 

  Come to think of it, how many countries in the world can boast of having an ex governor serving a jail term in London for criminal activities? I sincerely think that rather than playing cheap nationalists and trying to conceal some of our vices as a people, we should learn to confront them head on, we have celebrated criminals for far too long and it is high time someone began to say things as they are and condemn criminal actions and tendencies rather than confer our national honors on criminals whether they are based at home or abroad. It is no news that some Nigerians are tarnishing the image of the nation abroad and saying it or looking for ways to stem this unfortunate trend that is fast becoming a tradition does not make anyone less patriotic, definitely not the President of Nigeria. 

  Let us learn to be serious for once, elections are over, and the West does not need Buhari or anyone to tell them that some Nigerians are indulged in illicit activities in their country, they have and keep the records, their prisons are full of Nigerians who think they can get away with crime as they easily do in our country. Those of us who live abroad know how this criminal tendencies of some of our compatriots are negatively affecting us daily, so let no one try to take Buhari´s word out of its simple context. "Let us call a spade a spade".