The Nation Newspaper

Tag: exodus

  • Ending the youth exodus

    In my estimation, out of every 10 young Nigerians, eight of them are thinking of how to exit the country. I don’t know if there is a record of the number of young people leaving the country on a daily basis. But the desperation is real. The desperation to “escape” to a land where they think their dreams will be fulfilled is what has emboldened many to embark on risky adventures. Not too long ago, the whole world was shocked at what was going on in Libya slave camps where young people were auctioned like commodities.

    It is perplexing that Africa, a continent with the world’s youngest population is not doing enough to harness its tremendous asset. Its brightest brains hardly find the atmosphere or the necessary support system to unleash their potential.

    Just recently, a friend of mine sent me a piece of news about a Nigerian doctor, Professor Olutoye Oluyinka, who along with his partner, successfully carried out an operation on a foetus – a feat that has been celebrated across local and international media.  As I savoured the piece with delight, a question crossed my mind. “If this man had stayed back in Nigeria after studying medicine at the Obafemi Awolowo University in 1988, would he have achieved this feat?” You know the answer based on the reality on ground. There are so many geniuses that never had the opportunity to travel out and expectedly have not been able to do anything spectacular. This is not just about Nigeria, but about Africa as a whole.

    As a youth enthusiast, I have interacted with so many young people and the feeling is almost mutual. They feel their potential cannot be maximized in Nigeria. This is almost the situation across Africa – young, talented people with stupendous potential striving to travel out of their countries. If this ugly situation persists, our future would be dry and bereft of innovators, talents and geniuses.  Now, the pertinent question: What fuels the exodus of youths?

    On reasons why young people desperately seek to leave their countries, a professor of New York University and expert in Latin American politics and culture, Alejandro Velasco gives some critical insights: “One of the major reasons is the lack of prospects and the lack of jobs and the lack of confidence that things are going to change; a lack of hope about the future domestically,”.

    For me, this captures the genesis behind this exodus.

    In the coming decades, the exodus of youths will explode if our leaders refuse to take concrete steps. The onus is on the government to give strong reasons to our youths to stay in the country and convince those who have prospered overseas to come back home to add value. How can we have our own people coming up with inventions, performing feats and touching lives positively in other countries while our own country is in dire need of their expertise?

    Bad governance is a reason why young people leave. Who does not want to live in a system that works effectively? Basic social amenities such as water supply, electricity, roads, housing, recreational facilities, social welfare and the likes are still somewhat luxuries. That is why the news media is awash with encomiums whenever a governor is spending taxes paid by citizens to build roads and bridges. We are not yet used to good governance, we are overly impressed when we see a governor or commissioner who is development-driven and determined to make a difference. It is high time Nigerian leaders at every level provided good governance. Good governance reflects in the standard of living of the citizens and in the speed of development.

    Lack of confidence that things are going to change is a critical factor. Most of the young people I have interacted with have this sense of helplessness and hopelessness when they talk about the possibility of Nigeria changing for better. The current administration rode to power with the change mantra. Nigerians want a positive change, they have great expectations.

    The body language of the Nigerian government hardly shows that it appreciates the value of human potential. We are regarded as the most populous black nation on earth. The question is this, how have we harnessed the potential of our people? How much is invested in education? What is the quality of our graduates compared to graduates in the developed countries? Do we have equipped laboratories?

    Based on a report prepared by Mercy Corps, Nigeria has the largest number of children who are out of school in the world — 10.5 million. Good governance helps unleash, not undermine, the potential of her people. The education sector needs urgent attention from primary to tertiary. Funding is one big issue. Our curricula need to be reviewed across board. Particularly, the ugly trend of strikes must be stopped. There is hardly a year when teachers/lecturers don’t go on strike and what is ridiculous is that the burning issues that triggered the strike action hardly get resolved. A four-year course of study in a typical Nigerian university, for example, can take six years to be completed. This situation has made many parents send their children to study overseas or ensure they get admitted in a private university.

    Unemployment is a global phenomenon but every country has to figure out how to resolve it at their end. In Nigeria, there are so many mineral resources that could have been cultivated and developed into industries. From time, we have had farsighted leaders. Just imagine the thousands of jobs that would have been created by these industries. When are we going to have visionary leaders with the tenacity and political will to maximize the resources nature has endowed us with? The economy will be revved up when steel, limestone, uranium, columbite, tin, coal, bitumen, kaolin and the likes are cultivated and harnessed into exportable products. More foreign exchange would come in and the naira will experience a significant rise in stature. Unemployment rate can be drastically reduced if those in the corridors of power do the needful.

    At the moment, there is no exciting Nigerian dream that any young person can believe in and weave his or her aspirations around. Level of patriotism is awfully low and it is difficult to find any youth that would refuse the opportunity to relocate to a developed nation with a high standard of living and better opportunities. Elections are around the corner. Young people of voting age should use their demographic advantage to vote in honest and visionary leaders that can move the country forward and help youths unleash their potential.

  • Operation Exodus to save Israel

    Title: Operation Exodus – Prophecy being fulfilled.
    Author:Gustav Scheller
    Publishers:Sovereign World, England
    Reviewer: Edozie Udeze

    IN the beginning, God made it clear that the Jews were his chosen race.  He never minced words when he made the promise to Abraham and later reiterated it when he changed the name of Jacob to Israel.  In Operation Exodus written by Gustav Scheller these promises are manifested through the efforts of Ebenezer Emergency Fund, a Christian outfit based in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom.  Led by its founders, Gustav Scheller and his wife, Elsa, some Christians in 1991 set in motion the necessary mechanisms to bring back the Jews in exile from different parts of the world, more so, the defunct Soviet Union, referred to as the north in Old Testament times.

    The book Operation Exodus situates various biblical quotations on what God said that would happen in these days to return His people to the promised land.  When God told Gustav that he should spearhead this mission to return His people of Israel to the Middle East, he didn’t seem to understand God’s voice and direction.  But in His ways God kept him on his toes that Gustav began to get the call clearer.  Gustav remembered that in Jeremiah 3:18, God said …”they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers …”

    But how did the Jews get to the Soviet Union (Russia)?  How come they were more in numbers in the countries to the north as it is written in the Bible?  The book traces the origin of the second and third exiles of the Jews to the time of Pilate.  “History tells us that just before Pilate turned Jesus over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified, the chief priests and elders had goaded the crowd to such a frenzy that they cursed themselves – His blood be on us and on our children, Matthew 27:25.  Therefore in AD 70 the Roman Emperor Titus came and sacked Jerusalem, scattering the Jewish people across the earth.  God dispossessed His people of their land.  Remarkably they maintained their identity for almost 2,000 years, experiencing all the curses of Deuteronomy 28, until God chose to give them back their land and bring back His chosen people.  The State of Israel was reborn in 1948 which in itself is a miracle.  It has survived war after war, and the process of immigration still continues to this day”.

    In Jeremiah 16:14 – 16, Gustav discovered pointedly that that call by God that His chosen people have to go home.  “Therefore, behold, the days are coming” says the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, ‘but The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them’.  For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”

    This discovery amazed Gustav and his team for God usually makes His words abundantly clear.  But what amazed the Ebenezer missionaries most was that God said in Isaiah 49:22 that it is the same Gentiles who scattered His chosen people that would still gather and bring them back to their home land.  “This is what the sovereign Lord says”, Isaiah proclaimed to his people.  “See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples.  They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders”.

    So from all the corners of the Soviet Union before its disintegration, the mission began its Operation Exodus.  Within months, many Jews in different locations in the north had begun to nurse the hope to go home.  Within ten years millions had been ferried and airlifted home, some old, some sick, others young and vibrant that by the end of the Gulf war more Jews in Russia had gone home to Israel.  God’s promises to His people can never be in vain.  It is everlasting; it is for eternity.  The book reminds the people of the world the role Christians ought to play to fulfill God’s vision and promises to His people.  The Jews remain Gods apple and special people; no amount of doubts by the Gentiles or other developments in world history that can obliterate it.  God’s covenant is sacrosanct; it is for years and seasons to come.  The Operation Exodus rummages deep into the scriptures to capture these stages of promises and what they mean to the Jews and to the world.

    This is why in Isaiah 41:9, God said, “I have chosen you and have not cast you away” And when eventually the Jews rejoiced in Psalm 126:1 – 2 they said, “when the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamt.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy”.  And so for all time to come there will continue to be rejoicing in the camp of the Jews as God uses the Gentiles to resettle His people.

  • Doctors’ exodus

    Doctors’ exodus

    •Nigeria must address the challenges leading to migration of its doctors 

    For a country with an acute shortage of medical doctors, media reports that 10,000 – 15,000 doctors have left the country in search of greener pastures overseas is troubling.  Dr Mike Ogirima, President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), who revealed this added that between 40,000 and 60,000 doctors are currently working in the country.  A top member of the association was quoted as saying that in 2015 alone, 715 doctors left Nigeria. “Annually, the number of Nigerian doctors departing the country to work abroad ranges between 500 to 700”.  In April, over 500 doctors took examination for possible recruitment placement abroad.

    “Their final destination is, however, the United States (U.S.), which offers them better remuneration and welfare package. For these Nigerian doctors working in the UK, Canada and other countries, including the Caribbean, is a stepping stone,” the source said. The fact that not many people can watch helplessly as their patients die due to lack of working tools compounds the migration. Indeed, the frustration has made many doctors to abandon medicine for more rewarding ventures while some are not even keen on renewing their registration.

    The trend is particularly worrisome because the exodus means more workload for doctors in the country. Whereas the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended one doctor to 600 patients, the doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is one to 4,250 patients! Nigeria may not be the only country in Africa with such a huge doctor-patient ratio deficit; its case is worsened by the fact that it is a country with enormous resources unlike some African countries.  Cuba has the best doctor-patient ratio – one to 170; the United States is one doctor to 390 patients and Australia, one doctor to 400.

    It is sad that the exodus of Nigerian doctors which gained momentum in the late 1980s is worsening rather than abate. The issue back then was usually about low remuneration and lack of working tools. Indeed, in 1983 when the soldiers sacked the then Shagari administration for corruption, one of the major issues adduced for the coup was that our hospitals had become “mere consulting clinics”.

    It is regrettable that not much has changed since then. An evidence of this is the inability of many doctors who graduated for the past three to four years to get suitable health facilities as placement for residency training because most of the state hospitals do not meet the criteria for the programme. There is also the problem of non-payment of salaries for months. Indeed, the environment is too hostile for comfort.

    We join stakeholders in calling for a better welfare and improved working conditions for doctors to check the dangerous trend. Many Nigerians resort to quack doctors while many turn to alternative medical practitioners, many of whom are not competent to practice. Many people simply turn to their churches for miracle healing.

    Our governments must rise to the occasion. Hospitals should have constant electricity supply, water supply as well as basic equipment to treat patients. Doctors must be well remunerated for the special service they render. Many of our hospitals need upgrading; they should be upgraded. We have seen that there is nothing wrong with our doctors as they are in hot demand outside the country. What they lack are the necessary tools to work with. These should be provided.

    Our efforts to reduce costs on medical tourism will come to naught if we continue to neglect the health sector. A situation where the country continues to lose its young and bright doctors to other countries can only compound our health challenges in the future. We must make concerted efforts to redress the situation.

  • Exodus of 40 Kogi varsity lecturers worries ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kogi State University Ayingba chapter, has expressed concern over the exodus of academics from the state owned-institution.

    It bemoaned the depletion of lecturers, a situation it blamed on the state government.

    ASUU in a statement signed by Dr D. O Aina and Dr. M. Abula, Acting chairperson and secretary, said more than 40 lecturers have quit their jobs at the university in recent times.

    They listed some of the issues causing lectures to leave as irregular salaries, non-implementation of tax holiday as promised by the government, and regularizatization of the university law, without which they said the school has been operating illegally.

    “The lack of the foregoing has turned Kogi State University into a breeding ground for other universities as mass exodus of senior academic staff cadre is being witnessed and standards in the system are seriously being jeopardized.

    No fewer than 40 has been witnessed in recent times.

    “We also wish to reiterate that apart from the current action on salary, the other issues are already before the ASUU NEC for necessary permission to press for their implementation,” they said.

     

  • Exodus hits troubled 3SC

    Exodus hits troubled 3SC

    The problems of struggling Shooting Stars appear to be compounded as several of the top players will exit the Ibadan club during this transfer window due to unpaid salaries.

    The players have been on half salaries for the past three years and have not been paid in the last five months.

    Top of the stars set to dump the Oluyole Warriors are striker Ajani Ibrahim and veteran midfielder, Cletus Itodo.

    Both experienced campaigners are discussing personal terms with Lobi Stars.

    Big striker Babatunde Bright is also believed to be on his way to FC IfeanyiUbah, who have budgeted N100 million to snap up quality players ahead of the second round of the season.

  • Exodus

    THERE is a mass movement of people across the globe today. Many of them are refugees seeking solace in countries where they will be far, far away from the suffering in their countries. Others are those the western media dubbed economic migrants. These people are fleeing their countries to seek greener pastures in territories where they feel their lot will be better. No matter the status of these people , one thing ties them together – the hardship they have to endure to get to their promised land, be it Germany, Britain or France.

    Many of them, especially the Europe migrants prefer Germany and Britain. But Britain is not ready to open its doors wide to them. The European saga is being replicated in other parts of the world. There are millions struggling to enter the United States (US), Canada and other countries where they think the grass is greener to escape the crisis in their own fatherland. It is not the wish of some people to leave their homeland, but circumstances have forced them to do so.

    Syria is burning; Iraq is on fire; the Middle East is forever sitting on a keg of gunpowder. In Africa, the situation is even worse. Poverty is ravaging the population in countries where there is no crisis. Asia too is not left out. The world is in turmoil even though there is no global war as we know it on the scale of the Second World War, which ended in 1945. Seventy years after the war, the magnitude of its human catastrophe seems incomparable to what we are witnessing in Europe alone today. People have been moving in droves from war-torn Syria, Libya, Iraq and Africa into Europe in search of asylum.

    They risk everything on the journey. They travel on the sea, using rickety vessels that cannot withstand strong wind. When the boats capsize, many drown, going down with their dreams of a better and improved life in exile. Exile is not the best place to be; many are forced into it by circumstances beyond their control. If such people have a choice, they will prefer to remain at home. But where your safety is at stake, the next option is to opt for exile. An exile is like a beggar, who lives at the mercy of others. In the country where he finds himself, he is treated as a nobody. He has no rights, forget what the United Nations (UN) says about treating exiles as the human beings they are.

    In the past few weeks, we have been witnesses to what is happening in some European countries, especially Hungary, which thousands of migrants tried to pass through to reach their destinations. It was hell on earth for those migrants as the Hungarian government hemmed them in under the guise of taking their data before they continued on their journey. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who said his country was carrying out the order of the European Union (EU) in dealing with the migrants, became bad guy in the eyes of the world.

    To the migrants, he was the devil incarnate because of his stand. Orban added insult upon the migrants’ injury when he advised them to remain in Turkey, which he described as safe, instead of trying to cross over to Greece before getting to their final destination in Europe. For days, the migrants and the Hungarian authorities engaged in a battle of wits. The migrants refused to disembark from an Austria-bound train when it was diverted to a camp in Bicske, about 12 miles from Budapest, the Hungarian capital. They endured heat and hunger inside the train for days. At a point, they resorted to trekking – this was how desperate they were to get to Germany – before buses came from Austria to convey them on the remaining leg of the journey The world watched in awe as this drama unfolded.

    The most shocking of it all was the accompanying human tragedy. Many died in transit. Even at that, others were undeterred. A survivor of a boat mishap from Damascus, the Syrian capital, was quoted by The Mail on Sunday of London, as saying : ‘’Even if we are banned 10 times, even if we sink 10 times, we will definitely get to Europe’’. Getting to Europe was a matter of life and death for many of the migrants. The indisposed were ready to get to their destination even on  wheelchairs rather than return to what they considered the Egypt they have left behind.

    The face of this global horror remains the heartrending image of the body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi. The boy died while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece with his family. He was with his father, Abdullah, mother, Rehan, and brother, Galip. Only the father survived when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean sea. Aylan’s body, which was washed ashore a Turkish beach, was beamed across the world by the Cable News Network (CNN). It sparked global anger and Europe was forced to wake up to the reality of the human calamity waiting to happen at its doorstep.

    For the Kurdis’ death not to be in vain, the world must act to fast to ensure that peace reigns globally. If Syria had been peaceful, the Kurdi family would not have embarked on the disastrous journey to Europe. Abdullah Kurdi wanted a better life for his family, which he could not get in war-torn Syria. His case is not different from that of many others also streaming into Europe, the magic continent, which to them is filled with milk and honey. With the throng of people heading towards their continent, European leaders must by now realise that they have a big role to play in finding solution to what gives rise to refugees and ‘’economic migrants’’. If this problem is not urgently addressed, Europe will continue to bear the burden of accommodating these people.

    Back home, we are faced with the same problem, though on a small scale. Those displaced from their homes by Boko Haram and Togolese asylum seekers abound all over the place. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and refugee camps are virtually bursting from the seams because of the heavy task of taking care of them. One thing is, however clear – the world cannot,  afford to stand aloof in the midst of this human suffering. It must act now or it will go down with the crisis.

  • Mass exodus from Taraba

    Thousands of Tiv farmers have fled their homes in Taraba State, following continuous attacks by Fulani herdsmen.

    At least 15 Tiv farmers have been massacred and over 100 injured in separate attacks at the weekend.

    A deputy inspector-general of police, at the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan, toured the affected areas at the weekend.

    His visit did not deter the assailants, who continued their onslaught on Ibi, Wukari, Donga, Takum, Gassol and Bali local government areas.

    Six Tiv farmers were reported killed while 14 escaped with injuries when the assailants invaded three villages in Wukari on Friday.

    The carnage spilled to Ibi where more than five Tiv villages were torched by over 400 Fulani fighters on Saturday.

    The authorities were not certain on the number of casualties in Ibi and Gassol.

    Acting Governor Garba Umar has asked the fleeing Tiv to return to their homes as he imposed a 24-hour curfew in Ibi yesterday.

    Umar will today meet with senior public servants from the affected areas in Jalingo.

    His Senior Special Assistant (SA) on Media and Publicity, Aaron Atimas, told The Nation that a security meeting was also held with a presidential team, where the Fulani, Tiv and Jukun elite signed a peace deal.

    He said: “The acting governor also directed the local government chairmen to ask victims not to leave.

    “The council chairmen are to also ensure that no one occupies any land belonging to Tiv people, who have fled their homes.”

    Thirteen trucks of relief materials would be distributed to the affected persons, said Atimas, who described the insurgents as “strange fulanis with criminal motive.”

    Umar will speak on Radio Benue today.

    The acting governor appealed to community leaders to talk to their people.

    A member of the House of Assembly representing Wukari II, Daniel Ishaya Gani, blamed the Fulani violence on “ government’s laxity”.

    Gani said the acting governor had been informed since the crisis started in Benue State.

    “The Taraba State government has been “nonchalant” towards the issue.

    ”We share boundary with Benue so when the crisis started in Benue, we knew it would spill to Taraba someday, so we complained to the government to take a proactive measure, but it did nothing.

    “It is unfortunate that Taraba has inherited what was started in Benue and Nasarawa states,” he said.

    The lawmaker accused the government of not prudently utilising the monthly security vote that Umar “jacked up” from N80 million to N200 million.

    Gani urged the government to act fast to ensure that people’s lives and property were protected

  • Turkey 2013: Dolphins fear players’ exodus

    Turkey 2013: Dolphins fear players’ exodus

    Dolphins football club of Port Harcourt have expressed the fear that the success of their players at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, may lead to a mini exodus.

    Dolphins’ aces, Abduljeleel Ajagun, Chidi Osuchukwu, Chizoba Amaefule and Emem Eduok all starred for the Nigeria U-20 team in Turkey, and Stanley Eguma, head coach of the side, has said that the imminent loss of these lads has made the recruitment of new players necessary.

    “We had four of our players in Turkey with the Flying Eagles and they stayed away so long. We are not even sure how many of them will return to us because they all did well there. So, going to the market was number one priority for us, Eguma said.

    The mid-season transfer window of the Glo Premier League will afford teams the opportunity to re-tool for the last part of the season.

  • Educational exodus

    Educational exodus

    ONE of the most significant of Nigeria’s many paradoxes is the glaring disconnect between the academic prowess of its students and the decrepit state of the tertiary institutions available to them. This situation was recently decried by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities who claimed that Nigerians spend about U.S. $500 million, or about N78.5 billion, on foreign universities annually.

    For a country that produced intellectual powerhouses like Professors Ayodele Awojobi, Kayode Osuntokun, Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, among others, as well as centres of learning like the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Nigeria, such news is tragic. Much of the money spent on acquiring education in European and American universities strengthens their economic prospects and enhances their teaching and research capabilities, while their Nigerian counterparts steadily decline into international irrelevance.

    Encouraged by their embassies and high commissions in Nigeria, foreign universities regularly stage so-called “education fairs” in order to aggressively market themselves, and the high attendance figures are a testimony to their popularity. To make matters worse, the Nigerian thirst for foreign learning has spread to countries in Africa and Asia which at first glance might be deemed to be no better than Nigeria. It is said that Nigerian students constitute the biggest source of external funding in Ghanaian universities. Such is the demand that Nigerian business and educational groups are actually building tertiary institutions outside the country’s borders.

    The increasing readiness of Nigerians to pursue tertiary education abroad in spite of the often-prohibitive cost is a testimony to how bad things have become in the country. Age-old challenges like incessant strikes, inadequate infrastructure, cultism, and low levels of teaching and research have worsened rather than improved. Government policy is lamentably inconsistent, veering between demands that tertiary institutions become financially independent, and the refusal to grant them the autonomy vital to achieving that goal.

    Instead of focusing on the comprehensive rehabilitation of public universities, the Jonathan administration appears to have adopted the strategy of facilitating the establishment of private universities which are accessible only to wealthy citizens. The recent setting-up of nine new federal universities in spite of the challenges facing their older counterparts is yet another example of the dubious policy framework that has aggravated already-intractable problems.

    There can be little doubt that the huge amounts being spent on tertiary education outside Nigeria could have very beneficial effects on the sector if a larger proportion of it was utilised within the country’s borders. For that to happen, however, there has to be a comprehensive programme aimed at the revival of tertiary institutions. Their major requirements should be identified and concretely addressed, especially those relating to classrooms, laboratories, libraries and accommodation for staff and students. The curricula of the various institutions must be re-examined where necessary; this will involve the rationalisation of some programmes and the expansion of others. Universities must be given the freedom to charge commercial rates for their services, while a robust scholarship system should be established to ensure that capable students are not denied tertiary education simply because they cannot afford it.

    It is clear that the long-standing opposition between tertiary education as a right, as opposed to a privilege is in fact a false choice. A truly qualitative tertiary education is relatively expensive and will have to be paid for. The Nigerians spending millions of dollars outside the country’s shores have already realised this to the disadvantage of their own country. If Nigeria can offer an educational experience that meets global standards, it will result in positive benefits for all citizens, and for the country as a whole.

  • How we can stop exodus of members, by PDP

    How we can stop exodus of members, by PDP

    Apparently worried by the exodus of its members to opposition parties, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has resolved to reconcile factions thrown up by conflict of interests among its members nationwide.

    National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur made this known yesterday while receiving the report of the peace committee that reconciled factions in the Benue State chapter.

    Tukur said the party cannot win elections when members are split into factions, adding that the party would ensure that all factions are reconciled before the next cycle of elections.

    He acknowledged the fact that there will always be problems arising from disagreements and conflict of interests, but stressed that the leadership at all levels must be prepared to listen to the grievances of aggrieved members with the view to settling them.

    He said: “We will continue to reconcile warring factions within the party nationwide because we need to be united before we can win elections and deliver the goods to the electorate.

    “There will be problems but we need to listen to the grievances of aggrieved members for us to build a strong party. We need to be united to build a strong government and to build a strong nation”, Tukur added.