An International Law expert, Dapo Thomas has criticised the speech made by President Muhammadu Buhari at the United Nations General Assembly in New York saying it didn’t address direct issues affecting Nigerians.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Breakfast Show, Sunrise Daily, Thomas said the president spoke from a general perspective, rather than address specific issues as it affects his home country, Nigeria.
“There must be a particular issue you want to raise. Do you want to raise the North Korean issue? Do you want to raise the asset recovery issue? Do you want to talk about child mortality in Nigeria?
“When you look at the speech, it adopts a generalist approach instead of a particularistic approach. A generalist approach in the sense that so many issues were discussed and this should not be.”
The United Nations GeneralAssembly is a platform where major issues affecting world countries are discussed. Thomas said Buhari should have used this international platform to raise cogent issues affecting Nigeria and Africa in general.
“When you have a platform to exhibit and discuss things that are germane to your continent, to your region or to your country, you pick only one and then other issues you want to raise may be tangential, may be subsidiary to the main one. The president did not do that. From what we read in his speech, we do not even know which one is the substance,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ comment is coming barely 24 hours after President Buhari addressed world leaders at UN General Assembly.
The president in his speech called on world leaders to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, modern-day slavery among several others.