Restructure Nigeria Now To Avert Doom- PGF DG Tells APC

The ruling All Progressives Congress has been asked to restructure the country now to avert impending doom.

The party’s delay in adopting the Governor Nasir El Rufai APC Committee Report on restructuring the country is said to be responsible for growing agitations across the country.

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The Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salisu Mohd Lukman, expressed this worry in an article to the media.

Lukman urged the governor Mai Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Committee to hasten the implementation of the recommendation of the Governor Nasir El-Rufai APC Committee on True Federalism.

According to him, the delayed response of the party to restructuring the polity is bolstering hate mongers and ethno-religious champions.

A situation he said portends dare consequences for national unity.

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He added that the situation has also made it impractical to summon national consensus on problems confronting the country, including rising criminality.

The NGF DG further explained that recent utterances by Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, over the quit notice by Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to killer herdsmen to vacate forests reserves in the state; has tended to misrepresent President Mohammadu Buhari.

” As our society and nation is more polarised, the problem of criminality gets bigger and overwhelming. Unfortunately, rather than pushing leaders of political institutions and actors to strengthen their relationship in the country in order to initiate uniform responses in tackling common challenges across the country, we seem to be more disposed to getting them more polarised.”

He insisted that leaders must identify with the country’s peculiarities if they must continue to enjoy their support.

The APC,he insisted, must find a way out of the challenge; one that contrasts with the posture of the presidential spokesman.

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“There has to be a way out of this mess. Our political leaders and our party need to assert their authority in mobilising alternative responses, which should inspire Nigerians to rise above the current high wave of ethnic and religious hatred in the country that is weakening our capacity to arrest and prevent criminal activities.

“No doubt every Nigerian must be worried about what is going on. Much more troubling is the fact that pronouncements of Mallam Garba Shehu on these issues tend to unfortunately accentuate our polarisation. While recognising that it is necessary for government to make some public responses to most of these developments, should it come from the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President? …

“The way things are, it is difficult not to conclude that mandated agencies of government are unable to discharge their statutory responsibility as required because once the President spokesperson makes public statements, capacity to initiate any response may be obstructed.

“At this point, as APC members and as Nigerians, it is important to appeal for moderation in the way this issue is being managed. With the level of polarisation in the country, crazy responses from people such as Sunday Igboho and their likes in every part of the country are further worsening the situation. That can never be the goal of the government.

“The PGF DG therefore challenged the APC CECPC , working with the party’s tripartite committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to consider unfettered implementation of the recommendation of Gov El-Rufai committee on True Federalism.

“Certainly, if the party was able to move recommendations contained in the report of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Committee to the level of implementation, the current levels of misplaced anger against the APC and the Federal Government in the country would have been moderated. …

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“What may be required in the circumstances is for the APC Caretaker Committee led by His Excellency Mai Mala Buni to initiate internal processes of consultations both within the party and across the executive and legislative arms of government.

“Given that there already exist APC tripartite consultative committee, chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo with both the party Chairman, HE Mai Mala Buni, Senate President, HE Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiala and PGF Chairman, HE Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Gida Mustapha and Chief of Staff to President, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari serving as members, the initiative to commence processes of implementation can be started.

“We need to appeal to our leaders and our party to rise to the occasion of this challenge facing our dear nation beyond the current public anger.

“Our leaders should be reminded about the words of Malcom Gladwell in the book, David and Goliath to the effect that ‘much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of …lopsided conflicts, because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty.

“And second, that we consistently get these kinds of conflicts wrong. We misread them. We misinterpret them. Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the source of great weakness. And the fact of being an underdog can change people in ways that we often fail to appreciate: it can open doors. And create opportunities and educate and enlighten and make possible what might otherwise have seem unthinkable. We need better guide to facing giants.’

“While it is tempting to continue to interpret our current disagreements based on our deep momentary anger and hatred for one another, it may be the true catalyst for our attainment of greatness.

“That can only happen if our leaders are able to insulate themselves from being among the drivers of public anger and hate based on which they are able to painstakingly lead the country in a new direction of unity and national co-existence. May God guide our leaders to lead us in a new direction that can guarantee peaceful co-existence founded on love for each other across all our ethnic and religious divides.”

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