From Jibrin Miachi, Kaduna
As the implications of kidnapping and attacks on the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) in the early hours of Tuesday, 24th August 2021 continues to generate reactions from concerned Nigerians, a Kaduna based youth leader, Alhaji Yerima Shettima has ruled out the possibility of conducting the 2023 elections which will mark the end of President Muhammodu Buhari administration.
In his reaction to the shocking development, Yerima Shettima, National President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), decried the incident saying the development is “a national embarrassment to this country”. He feared that prevailing situation in the country is not conducive to conducting 2021 general elections as planned.
He said “the implication of it all is that, whichever way one looks at the incident, it is a clear indication that we are not doing enough. Not only that we are not doing enough, but a blow to the strength and the courage of Nigerian armed forces” with scars in the mind of right thinking Nigerians.
Shettima lamented the unfortunate incident and cautioned against a repeat of the ugly incident.
Speaking in an telephone interview with our correspondent, the youth leader feared that at the end of the day, those who are saddled with the responsibility to protect us in our travail, may eventually become the hunted.
The concerned youth leader advised the present leadership of the country to rise up to the challenges and “do the needful to bringing to book, those who are found wanting in the dastardly act at the NDA”, stressing “it is a big embarrassment for Nigeria”.
Speaking further, Shettima did not rule out sabotage in the attack saying: “honestly, for every matured person that saw what happened will tell you that certainly there is sabotage and therefore recommended careful investigations and severe punishments with a view to serving as deterrent for people of like minds
He advised government to ensure political will in its approach to addressing this problem of insecurity once and for all, saying that under these circumstances, it is very difficult to have investors bringing their money and invest in a situation like this.
“I think it is high time we dropped our differences – our religion, ethnicity, political ideology to begin to think about Nigeria. This is the time”, Yerima passionately appealed with a view to healing the bleeding country.
He lamented that before Buhari took over power, ‘’we did not reach this level of security challenge that we are. In the past we were faced with Boko Haram and banditry’’.
In the last six years of his administration to date, we are only getting assurance from Buhari and assurance is not enough, Shettima complained even as he
insisted that “Nigerians want action now so that people can move freely and sleep with their two eyes closed”.
According to him, from all indications, “we can only have hope for 2023 when there will be peace in the land. We are more divided today than we were, and the speed at which the insecurity is going, if the government cannot wakeup and address the issues, certainly you will one day wake up and see that there is no Nigeria and if there is no Nigeria, who are you organizing election for, or if all people perishes, who is going in for election if everybody is dead or everybody is held captive for payment of ransom? C
Speaking further, the Youth leather cried out saying “the entire country is burning and so, everybody in this country is challenged because it has to do with insecurity”. Thus therefore, he said if the fight against the criminals, must be successful, “we must all sit-down to discuss and proffer solution”, noting that “condemning is not enough”.
Reacting to the calls for self defense, the youth leader retorted: “I have the fear that we have not gotten to that level where Nigerians are well informed and prepared to begin to take arms and begin to defend themselves. If that is encouraged, we wil
