Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The Peoples Democratic Party says President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that anger, frustration and disenchantment among the youth are responsible for the escalation of kidnapping and other crimes in the country, is a direct admission of his government’s failure.
The party said the statement confirmed that the President was aware that Nigerian youths did not vote for him in the February 23 presidential election.
The party’s position was contained in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The PDP said the President’s statement was also an admission that he had no solutions to the nation’s problems.
It argued that the country would continue to be confronted with the ugly situation under Buhari.
The statement read, “Is it not appalling that, at a time when other world leaders are leading their youths to constructive and productive ventures and developing their nations, Nigerian youths are being pushed into situations of anger, frustration and recourse to criminality?
“Under President Buhari, our national economy has continued to slide; over 30 million Nigerians have lost their jobs and basic means of livelihood; businesses have continued to shut down; cost of essential goods and services have persistently soared, while purchasing power of citizens worsens.
“It is more disheartening that instead of finding solutions, Mr President resorted to rhetoric and begging the question to the extent of describing criminality as a ‘new occupation and a business.’”
The opposition party also criticised the President for allegedly trivialising the issue of insecurity in the country by his comment on the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed.
It added, “Nigerians were shocked at President Buhari’s insensitivity to the victims of the bloodlettings, kidnapping, banditry and other acts of violence in the country when he trivialised and made a joke of the insecurity in the land by stating that losing weight is a sign that the Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, was effectively tackling the security issues.
“It is most heartbreaking that at the time President Buhari was making a joke on the security situation, bandits were having a field day in communities in Zamfara State where they reportedly killed over 50 Nigerians, while many more compatriots are still held hostage by kidnappers in forests in various parts of our country.
“Such attitude to governance, especially on issues that have to do with lives of Nigerians, is completely unacceptable and must be condemned by all.”
