Retired General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the Federal Government needed to take decisive action, and not keep up the rhetoric, towards tackling insurgency that is causing mass deaths in the North-East.

He spoke in Abuja at the National Summit of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), where the party’s manifesto and code of ethics were unveiled.

The former head of state blamed mass unemployment, widespread abject poverty, and an escalating insurgency on the Federal Government.

“For Nigeria to be a better country, security must be provided for its citizens. It must be secured against internal and external threats. Lives are being lost, people are being killed by insurgents and the Federal Government seems to be more interested in rhetoric than action,” he said.

“What is happening in the North-East is dangerous to the well-being of the country, and it is our responsibility to remind the government of its responsibility of protecting the people.”

Buhari lamented that the laxity with which the Federal Government has been treating the insurgency in parts of the North is leading to the loss of lives being witnessed almost on daily basis.

He said Nigeria is enveloped in an atmosphere of uncertainty and tyranny of the ruling party, which has ignored its primary responsibility of protecting the lives of the people.

He said the opposition formed a united front to stave off what he called impunity.

“We found out that if we don’t come together, the opposition parties at this level of representation in the houses of assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate and local government, the ruling party will ruthlessly rig us out of existence in the political environment,” he said.

“They will take us individually and destroy us. But when we come together and spread all over the country, this impunity will be killed. Nigeria will have to be properly managed and we all know we are lucky.

“We have tremendous human and material resources, but our failure to put credible leaders to manage them becomes our problem, and the youths are being highly agitated. This is why we have to mobilise to have a party which is unstoppable.”

Other APC leaders who spoke said fighting corruption is one of the party’s main priorities.

“Let there be no doubt in our minds at all about the link between corruption and lack of jobs in our country,” said Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola.

“If we had a government that was serious about fighting corruption, there would be financial resources to create jobs,” he added. “Instead of stopping this corruption, this government pardons those convicted of corruption and removes those who point it out.”

‘2015 could make or mar Nigeria’

Meanwhile, former head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar lamented that the power tussle between the North and South ahead of the 2015 elections portends danger for the nation.

Speaking at the second Peoples Media Limited conference in Abuja, Abubakar said while the North is determined to have power back, President Goodluck Jonathan’s body language suggested he is angling for another term.

“As political animals that we are, nothing seems to have gripped our imagination of Nigerians as the issue of the coming 2015 general elections which in my view is a watershed moment in the history of our dear country,” he said.

“The way we are able to handle this very important event will largely determine how successful we will be in our efforts at remaining a united, indivisible and stable country.

“Already, the fault lines are apparent and politicians are ready to exploit them to the fullest to achieve their sometimes not so noble objectives. The 2015 elections are, among other things, expected to determine where power will reside.

“The North is determined to have it back and its leaders are pulling all the stops to see that that happens. On the other hand, the body language of the incumbent president strongly suggests he wants another term.”

Abubakar said the tragic experience of the 2011 post-election violence was a reminder that election matters have become serious business that must be handled with the uttermost seriousness and patriotism.

“I am confident that we can collectively rise above this challenge and deliver elections that not only Nigerians but Africa and the rest of the world will be proud of and for this to happen, the Independent Electoral Commission has a key role to play in ensuring free and fair elections that express the will of the people,” he said.

In his remarks, Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said the polity is getting more and more heated by the day as the election approaches, and that parts of the country seem to have drawn the line.

“We must learn to run our government in such a manner that whoever comes to power, the rights and privileges of every citizen remains guaranteed,” he said.

“Once we stop seeing power as an opportunity to enrich our friends and cronies but an opportunity to leave positive mark on governance, the extreme views that people hold over candidates for elections will be substantially be moderated.”