POLITICIANS are the happiest people in Nigeria, albeit to the detriment of the masses who voted them into power, the founder and custodian of Sa’adatul Abadiyya Organisation of Nigeria (SOAN), Caliph Sikirulai Balogun, has said.
He said the average Nigerian had been subjected to a life of wretchedness and hopelessness.
Balogun stated this last weekend in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the 20th Biennial National Delegates Conference of the organisation.
The cleric explained that the masses bore the brunt of the economic hardship confronting the country and expressed displeasure at what he described as the “parochial and directionless” nature of the present administration in the country.
He noted that the disparity between Nigerians and those in power was nothing to write home about, adding that any government that leaves its people in untold hardship deserves no pass mark.
Caliph Balogun said, “Only politicians are happy. Common people are not happy. I cannot give any pass mark to any government that makes the people wretched.
“People are suffering, let us be frank. It is difficult, if not impossible, for some people to enjoy three square meals in a day. In such a situation, you cannot really say the government is good or bad, but let them continue to improve on what they are doing so that Nigerians can enjoy their wealth.
“They are not enjoying what God has endowed them with. There are a lot of things that have not happened before, but are happening under this current government.”
He advised the government to work harder on its weaknesses, saying “[President Muhammadu] Buhari is good but his lieutenants are his problem.”
The National Secretary of the Islamic group, Alhaji Musbaudeen Mustafa, criticised the presidency on the way it is handling issues of insurgency, crime and the stifling economy.
“It is regrettable that the Nigerian socioeconomic situation is still crawling. The problem of kidnapping and abduction is on the increase, coupled with insurgence and herdsmen here and there,” he said.
He appealed to the government to take steps to minimize the rate of unemployment.