The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Don’t politicise

  • Don’t politicise lives in Akwa Ibom, youth group cautions 

    The Akwa Ibom Youth League (AYL) has urged federal lawmakers from the state to project a good image.

    The group was reacting to Tuesday’s shouting match in the Senate during an observation by Senator Albert Akpan of an alleged plot to cause mayhem in the state in 2019

    In a statement, the group expressed concern over what it claimed was a move by some senators to suppress what it claimed was the purposeful motion to bring to the centre stage the increasing efforts by some political actors to disrupt the atmosphere of peace that Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration had ushered.

    “For three years, Governor Emmanuel projected a template of peace that has made Akwa Ibom one of the top destinations for Foreign Direct Investments.

    “This was notably absent in the past when insecurity drove investors away from the state.

    “It is in this light that we welcome the initiative of Senator Akpan to draw attention to the growing sense of unease as some political actors who are not happy with the Governor Emmanuel administration plot to distabilise the state as a way of pursuing their election agenda.

    “Such plots we dare say are against the collective interest of the people of Akwa Ibom and urge those who want to turn the state into a killing field to have a rethink. The death of any one person in Akwa Ibom is a reduction in the population of the state and by that reduces the collective esteem of the state.

    “We applaud the Senate leadership for receiving the motion and we dare say, the lives of Akwa Ibom people should not be subjected to political considerations as some senators from the state and their allies sought to do on Tuesday.”

  • Don’t politicise butchers’ relocation, Ajimobi tells opposition

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has cautioned opposition politicians to desist from playing politics with issues that impact on the welfare of the residents.

    In a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, the governor’s warning came against the backdrop of insinuations that the relocation of butchers from the city to the central abattoir in Akinyele had ulterior motive.

    He said some politicians had been spreading false information on his administration’s efforts to sanitise the operations of the butchers and attain a high hygienic environment at the abattoir.

    The statement said: “…We wish to place on record that the original concept of the abattoir was muted by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala’s administration, which also engaged the technical partner under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

    “Also, when the present administration came on board, the governor ordered the review of the PPP agreement, which led to a reduction in the stake held by the technical partner from 70 per cent to 50 per cent, while various stakeholders, who had hitherto been excluded, were accommodated.

    “Under the new arrangement, the state government reduced its stake from 30 per cent to 10 per cent, conceding 36 per cent to the 11 local government areas in Ibadan and four per cent to the state butchers’ union.

    “It is, therefore, unfair and mischievous for any responsible political leader to attempt to mislead the public, through outright falsehood and deliberate distortion of facts, by suggesting that the governor has personal interest in the project and its operations.

    “Heading a government that is completely committed to the welfare of the people, Ajimobi chose to put the interest of the people over personal and political considerations by insisting on relocating the butchers from the unhygienic environment in the city where they currently operate and which poses a threat of epidemic to the citizenry.

    “We seize this opportunity to encourage media organisations to carry out their independent investigations on the current state of the abattoirs in Ibadan and also the new facility that government has provided.”

  • Ooni: don’t politicise Ife clash

    Ooni: don’t politicise Ife clash

    Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has warned against politicising the clash between Ife indigenes and Hausa in the town.

    Oba Ogunwusi gave the warning yesterday while receiving leaders of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation,  Afenifere.

    The monarch said the crisis might have an ethnic outlook, mainataining that it must not be turned into an avenue to gain cheap popularity and influence.

    According to the traditional ruler, Afenifere’s efforts on the issue is commendable but should be pursued with care.

    He said: “The efforts of the Afenifere on the treatment of the Yoruba is commendable. However, we should not be too reactionary on this matter so as not to cause more harm.

    “My people, how many times have the people of Sabo received politicians who came to greet them ? But when there is crisis, you have them all around.

    “So, I will want us to be careful and not let them play politics with this issue. Please, let us remain peaceful and let the brotherly love continue.

    “The unity of this nation is very important and we must all defend it. We must all ensure peaceful co-existence. We all should persevere and realise that people of various tribes live in other parts of the country. It is patience that we need to get this case resolved.

    The leader of the Afenifere group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, described the incident as  “unfortunate”.

    Adebanjo, who bemoaned the “one sided” arrests by the police, called on the authorities not to hide the truth.

    “The mode of arrest  is partisan, we want true justice and thorough investigation on the crisis. We are not happy with the crisis.

    “The reason for the clash is still surprising because for over 40 years that Yoruba and Hausa have been co-habiting, there has  been no record of violence.

    “The police are to be blamed for this crisis. They caused the crisis. They arrested only Yoruba. It points to the fact that the arrest was pre-planned.

    “What Afenifere is saying again is that the arrest is one-sided. Some of the people who died in the clash are Yoruba and their houses torched. Nonetheless, we are here to sympathise with both the Yoruba and Hausa,” he said.

    The Afenifere leaders later moved to the Ife City Hall to address the people before visiting the scene of the incident.

    Dignitaries who accompanied Adebanjo  include Chief Olu Falae, Yinka Odumakin, and former Osun State  Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore.

  • ‘Don’t politicise girls’ abduction’

    ‘Don’t politicise girls’ abduction’

    A youth delegate to the National Conference, Comrade Clifford Abur, has urged politicians to avoid politicising the abduction of the over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, over a month ago by the Boko Haram sect.

    The youth leader said politician should cooperate with security agencies to ensure the safe return of the innocent girls.

    Abur, who is representing the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at the conference, noted that the inability of the security agencies to rescue the girls, after a month, and the arrival of foreign military assistance, meant the situation needed fervent prayers.

    He said: “What should matter most to all Nigerians at this time is how the girls will be returned unhurt, since terrorists all over the world wage war indiscriminately against anybody.

    “This is not a time to blame anybody for what he did not do, because terrorists will not ask you your political affiliation or religious belief before they perpetrate their evil acts.