We are disappointed in Buhari, Northerners lament

With the state of the nation under President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the north may not support the Daura-born retired Head of State in 2019.

In an interview with Daily Times, the National Youth Pesident of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, did not mince words when he said Buhari had disappointed the northerners and Nigerians in general, saying the people would look for an alternative in 2019.

Read his words:

How do you assess the Buhari administration?

Expectations were high among Nigerians but, Buhari alone can not move the country forward. Yes he promised change, expectation was high, unfortunately, he can not move the country alone. Some of the ministers are inexperienced or incompetent; they do not know what governance is all about. Some of them are behaving like comedians. I’m not satisfied with this government and Nigerians are bitter about it, you can not remove all benefits and expect us to be happy. You asked people to tighten up while you are eating fat. Things are hard, you can not be flying around the world and the common man is suffering, if there is sacrifice, it should start from the leaders.

You gave Buhari your total support are you disappointed?

A lot of people that supported him are disappointed. Even the campaign slogan, the change mantra is abandoned. Most of the things the government said they would do they are not doing but behaving with impunity.

Would Arewa Support him or the APC if he decides to seek re-election in 2019?

Buhari is a Nigerian president, and not a northern president. If we run a regional system and he is a premier I would not attack him but advise him. On support him, we would look for alternative in 2019, we have been disappointed so far in his government. With the way things are going, they would say there is hope that we should be patient. But the way the things are, I would look for alternative.

Do you think the president has been fair to other regions in his appointment?

The president has not been fair to other regions. At the earlier time of his government, when he just started the appointment, but since the budget was passed you can see that things have balance up. We must commend him, even the ambassadorial appointment, how many people came from the north? Even the board appointment, you would see that after the budget, the southwest compared to the north have more than 40 percent; it favours the southwest than the north east where I came from, which has less that 13 percent. Earlier it was so, not now; and I raised alarm then.