Buhari’s aide Adesina blames Nigeria’s security challenges on ‘evil forces’

President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Femi Adesina, has blamed ‘evil forces’ popularly referred to as ‘Aiye’ in Yoruba as the reason for insecurity in the country.

Mr Adesina, who compared Nigeria to Manchester City, an English Premier League (EPL) that recently won the 2020/21 title, said “God will help Buhari to restore” the country.

He said in his weekly titled “Lessons for Nigeria from EPL”, on Thursday that “Nigeria will rise. And Aiye would lose.”

“Recall what happened in the 2019/2020 season. Man City was eyeing a treble. Three back-to-back seasons as champions, and a record in English football. But the adversaries knew the record that was to be set, so they arrayed themselves against the team.

“Just as some forces knew the record that was to be achieved by Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerian President, and which he had begun to show since 2015 when he got into office, they positioned themselves against the government.

“Every team, big or small, strong or weak, set its sights on Man City last season, flexed muscles, summoned superhuman skills and strength whenever they were meeting the champions attempting a treble.

“The lesson? When you are high-flying, the centrifugal forces will come against you, and it would only take the grace of God for you to attain.

“Yoruba people call those forces Aiye. When Aiye is on your case, as it was against Man City, and it is against the Buhari government, you need God, and God alone. Aiye (meaning ‘the world,’ if freely translated) is the negative part of mankind. The pernicious, baleful, sly and scheming part of humanity. If Aiye gets on your matter, you need God and God alone.”

He, however, said he was convinced that like Manchester City recently won the league, “under President Buhari, peace and security would be restored.”

“Aiye was in full force against it. And the 2020/2021 season was initially not looking promising either. Eight weeks gone, the team was placed 13th on the table. It had lost 2-5 to Leicester City at home in Etihad Stadium, Tottenham drubbed it by two goals, played a draw with teams that couldn’t hold a candle to it in the past, and was generally forlorn and limp. Aiye was having a ball, laughing Man City to scorn.

“Aren’t they doing the same thing against the government in our country today, due to unrelenting security challenges, some of them possibly instigated by Aiye themselves?” he wrote.

“Victory came after victory, to the extent that the team was unbeaten in 21 consecutive games in the different competitions it was involved in. From the ashes, the Salamander had risen. Fire could not consume it, and today, Man City are champions, fifth time in 10 years.

“Who says Nigeria will not rise from its current travails? Who says Aiye will always win? Not where God is involved. And God is involved with Nigeria, our own dear na Under President Buhari, peace and security would be restored. The economy would rebound. Life would be abundant for the people, and Aiye would be left standing small, holding the rump of the flag of a country it thought had gone into oblivion.”

Nigeria’s security challenges have continued to deteriorate, to a level where even state governors, with their retinue of armed escorts, are not spared.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the attacks on different state governors – Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Babagana Zulum of Borno, and Hope Uzodinma of Imo, among others who have been victims of the violence; as they or their properties were attacked.

Mr Ortom lambasted the federal government for being complacent in the face of insecurity, saying not less than 70 lives were lost in two weeks in Makurdi Local Government area of the state.

Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State in early May told journalists that Boko Haram terrorists have been occupying some communities in the state. The governor said the terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities.

The United States government also recently issued a travel advisory, warning its citizens against travelling to Nigeria over the worsening security situation in the country.

Just like Mr Adesina, former president Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, in a similar article in 2016 said there were spiritual forces in Aso Rock.

In his own case, he blamed the ‘evil spirits’ for fire outbreaks and other deaths, recorded during the administration.