Nigerians Should Pressure Buhari To Do The Right Thing ____Sheikh Gumi

In this special interview, the erudite and outspoken Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said it all. He said the time to advise the government is over and all Nigerians need do is pray for Allah’s guidance. He also said much more on issues affecting the government and how the leadership has failed. The Sheikh offers a robust insight to what happened and also proffered solutions. Excerpts:

What is your take on the #ENDSARS protests, the subsequent lootings of warehouses and shooting of law enforcement personnel and the steps taken by the Government?

The Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad PBUH, had warned us to be wary of troubles that do not only consume those that started it, but consumes everyone. Let me reiterate it, the #ENDSARS protests actually started in Northern parts of the country.

If you could recall, the North was plagued by banditry, kidnappings, killings and corruption and it seems as if the government was doing nothing about it. So, Northern Youths got together and started a protest with the aim of drawing the attention of the Federal and State Governments but they were quickly rounded up and their leaders arrested and bundled to Abuja.

Who do you blame for the rot in the system; the corruption, decay and kidnappings?

There is this Arabian adage that says if you see a father beating drum, you may likely see the Children dancing to the beat. Similarly, if you see a shepherd goes right, his flocks will follow his trail. Therefore, if the leaders of the country are good the followers would be good.

The only way to build a better and good society called Nigeria is for us to have good leaders. These protests have shown us that there is injustice, inequality and problems in the land and they rest squarely on the leadership.

These injustices, inequalities and troubles that you referred to are caused by who?

They are caused by the leaders of course.

What should be the role of Islam and Islamic clerics in trying to see that the country gets better?

There are two types of religious clerics these days. There are those that are followers of the government of the day and there are clerics that are honest and truthful. Those honest clerics are not listened to if they raise alarm. Nobody listens to those honest clerics if they speak out. Those clerics that support and deceive people and campaign for the government should stand up and proffer solutions, let’s see.

Again, we the clerics have warned that the policies of the Buhari-led administration are disastrous and would only spell doom for the country economically and politically, but we were ignored.

There is a London based magazine called the ECONOMIST, in 2019 wrote that Buhari’s policies were so flawed and that they have imposed a lot of hardship on Nigerians. The same magazine also predicted that due to immense hardship suffered, Nigerians would not vote Buhari again.

Today, Nigerians have been pauperized, bastardized and pushed to the wall. Anyone supporting this government today is doing so because he or she is benefitting illegally from the government. Nigerians do not have access to Medicare any more. They cannot afford three square meals a day. Families are going hungry.

Let me remind you that the Buhari administration also closed down borders when Nigeria cannot produce enough to feed itself.

Take a look at what is happening in Adamawa today. The people went to storehouses and vandalized brand new tractors. Had it been those tractors were put to work on the farms, they wouldn’t have been vandalized by hungry mobs.

Palliatives meant to be distributed to the masses were hoarded in warehouses. What is happening today has the hand of God in it. God has exposed them.

However, Northern clerics have started speaking out, condemning the injustices taking place. What is your take?

That is akin to medicine after death. What effects have their actions had on the government? The reason why ordinary Northerners pulled back from the protests was because they felt the South was introducing a new dimension into the protests.

Secondly, the Federal Government was and is always quick to suppress any form of dissent from Northerners but it cannot do so with the South.

So, God Almighty decided to humiliate the Federal Government by allowing the South to expose the rots and evils perpetrated by the Federal and state Governments especially in the area of the palliatives.

But the Federal and State Governments have all come out to say that preparations were in top gear to distribute the palliatives to the people. What do you say?

That is why it was said that if you have something to do today, hurry up and get it done today and now! The Government shouldn’t joke with the issue of hunger. There is hunger in the land today. We have always warned this government to do the right thing.

We asked him to open the borders to allow food to come in but the government and its cronies took us for enemies. Why should I hate anyone? I just pity those in government. The wages of the people are on their hands. There is no point advising the President again. He doesn’t listen. He doesn’t take advice. That is why he is failing.

Why do you seem unnecessarily harsh on this government?

I have criticised Obasanjo in the past; I did so during Goodluck. In fact, when I think of what I said to Goodluck Jonathan, I sometimes shiver and asked for forgiveness. I wrote to the National Assembly once asking that Goodluck be removed before he destroyed Nigeria.

Then I cried out because of the bloodshed in the land. Today, blood is flowing like water in Nigeria. So much suffering in the land today compared to Goodluck’s tenure.

What would be your advice to the government of today?

Nothing! Time for advice is gone. In saner climes, the Government would resign and call for a snap election. We have seen it many times in democratic countries, though the constitution stipulates that there are fixed timelines for elections, but if the government of the day becomes devoid of ideas on how to bring solutions to the country’s problems, officials would tender their resignations and conduct fresh elections that would bring in new and capable hands who would bring solutions.

For now, we just have to pray that God Almighty guide our country and make sure that our leaders do the right thing.

What is the way forward and what is your advice to the masses?

Well, no food for the common man, no medical care for him. So what do you think would happen? That is why all the looting of government warehouses happened. We only hope that people would not start going from house to house seeking out the rich in the society with the aim of getting palliatives from them as well.

Let me quickly chip in, a policeman wrote me a letter once. He said that his years of service is 17 years, yet he has no house of his own, no food, no social welfare. He even has to beg for transport fare to his work place. The officer said he has to buy his own uniform.

That is how bad it is.

With that being said, I would advise that the masses put aside the political and religious differences, put aside tribal differences and put aside class differences come together and put pressure on the government and make sure the government does the right thing.