The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Unity

  • Abdulsalami, Tambuwal, Mark, others canvass unity, love

    Abdulsalami, Tambuwal, Mark, others canvass unity, love

    EMINENT Nigerians, including former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Senate President David Mark have emphasised that the country’s peace, unity and security must not be compromised.

    The former Head of State,  Tambuwal , Mark, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),  General Gabriel  Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) , General Tukur Bruratai and  former COAS , General Alwali Kazir, at the weekend  in Kaduna, said every strategic step must be taken to protect and preserve Nigeria’s corporate entity.

    A statement by the Media Assistant to Mark, Paul Mumeh, said the leaders spoke separately at the 50th anniversary of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA ) 3rd Regular Course of 1967.

    It said General Abubakar, who was the special guest of honour at the golden jubilee dinner, told the military officers that in or out of office, they must make the security, unity and peace of Nigeria the cornerstone of their endeavours.

    The former head of state was quoted to have said the country has made enough sacrifice in the past to keep the nation one.

    He said: “Whatever needs to be done to ensure peace, good neighbourliness, unity, equity and justice to all must be done.”

    Mark noted their conviction on entering into the military institution in September 1967 as including patriotism to defend and protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

    That conviction, Mark stated, still binds them even after their retirement.

    Tambuwal, the statement said, expressed appreciation to members of the armed forces for their war against insurgents, especially in the Northeast.

    He urged them to remain steadfast and a shining example of patriotism and unity in diversity.

    General Olonisakin thanked the retired officers for making their professional experiences available to the younger generation in the noble task of safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity and in responding to contemporary threats to national security .

  • Dickson urges Ijaw to insist on unity, peace

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has called on Ijaw people, groups and stakeholders to insist on unity and peace in the country.

    Dickson said instead of dissipating energies on divisive tendencies, they should address issues affecting them, such as underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation.

    Speaking in the Government House, Yenagoa, while inaugurating his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, on Monday, the governor said he would promote Ijaw national interest.

    Dickson said his administration kept faith with its policy of integrating Ijaw sons and daughters through appointments and scholarship.

    He urged the Ijaw not to denigrate one another, particularly at a period the country is facing economic and security challenges.

    The governor promised more appointments to deserving Ijaw sons and daughters.

    Describing Soriwei as one of the best hands in the media, Dickson urged him to be a team player in the restoration government and build cordial relationships within and outside the government.

    Until his appointment, Soriwei, who hails from Arogbo Ijaw in Ondo State, was a sub-assistant editor at Punch, with 19 years experience in information management.

  • Sanusi prays for sustained peace, unity

    Sanusi prays for sustained peace, unity

    The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, yesterday  prayed for the sustenance of peace and unity of the country.

    Addressing the people of the state, shortly after he led the Eid prayer at the Kofar Mata Central Eid ground in Kano, Emir Sanusi stressed the need for the people of the state to also continue to pray for the peace and progress of the state and the country at large.

    He advised them to shun rumour mongering and acts capable of causing misunderstanding and ill-feelings, especially among the leaders of the state.

    The emir, who also prayed for bumper harvest in the state, however, advised unemployed youths to engage in useful ventures in order to be self-reliant and contribute to the development of the country.

    He also called on traders to reduce the prices of their goods in view of the economic situation in the country.

    “I want to use this occasion to call on the traders to reduce the prices to alleviate the sufferings of the people, as we expect bumper harvest,” he said.

    The monarch also urged Muslims to fear God in all their activities, reminding them that each and every one of them must give account of his or her deeds hereafter.

    Among  those that attended the prayer at the Kofar Mata Central Eid ground were  Governor Abdullahi Ganduje; the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abdullahi Alhaji; Senator Kabiru Gaya; Senator Barau Jibril-Maliya; APC National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Gwagwarwa; members of the state’s House of Assembly; members of the Emirate Council and other top government functionaries.

    Security was tight during the prayer as armed policemen and other security personnel were deployed in various Eid grounds and other strategic places in the area.

  • Governors preach sacrifice, love, unity, tolerance, others

    Governors preach sacrifice, love, unity, tolerance, others

    Governors have urged Muslims to imbibe the values of sacrifice, love and keep  fostering unity as they join their counterparts globally to celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festival.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in his message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, said the period of the celebration was a clarion call for Nigerians to imbibe the lessons of the season such as selfless service to God and humanity, sacrifice and sincere commitment to righteous conducts in their private and public life.

    He explained that the significance of the season should be beyond the festivities, adding that as Muslims prepare to offer animal sacrifice in the prescribed days of the festival, the real essence was not in the meat or the blood of the animal but to encourage piety, self-discipline and sacrifice.

    Ambode, therefore, called on all Nigerians to exhibit these values for the good of the country and shun any act capable of heating up the polity or causing distrust among various ethnic groups in the country.

     

    Akeredolu, Ahmed, Ugwuanyi greet Muslims

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) yesterday felicitated with Muslims over this year’s Sallah celebration.

    Akeredolu advised them that even as they wine and dine during this period, they should not forget to extend their hands of love to the downtrodden in the society.

    The governor asked the Muslim community to also use the celebration to pray for the prosperity of the Sunshine State and the country.

    Kwara State Governor Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed has congratulated Muslims on the celebration, urging them to be peaceful, generous, law-abiding and prayerful.

    In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, Ahmed said the opportunity by Allah “to enable us witness yet another celebration should be used to pray for peace and unity in the country”.

    Ahmed, who urged Muslims to pray for safe return of pilgrims from the holy land, said Nigerians should be ambassadors of a united and prosperous Nigeria rather than engaging in hate and inciting speeches or fanning embers of disunity.

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi felicitated with Muslims on the celebration, urging them to use the period to continue to promote and abide by the core values of Islam for the sustenance of peace, progress and unity.

    Ugwuanyi, in a message, noted that there is every reason for the country to celebrate the goodness of God, pointing out that the continuous engagement of both Christians and Muslims in prayers for the sustainability of the peace, unity and development of the country, has ultimately proved that with God all things are possible.

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has felicitated with Muslims on the celebration.

    In a yesterday, Wike urged Muslims to pray for the unity and peace of the nation as they celebrate.

    The governor called on the Muslim faithful to use the celebration  to re-dedicate themselves  to the ideals of peace, security  and  friendship.

     

    Ajimobi cautions against hate speeches

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi admonished Nigerians to shun acts capable of disrupting the unity, togetherness and peaceful co-existence of the country.

    In his message to Islamic faithful, he said it was only in an atmosphere of peace and unity that the country could achieve the desired greatness.

    Ajimobi, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi layinka, condemned what he called hate speeches and the ember of discord being stoked by ethnic agitators in some parts of the country.

     

    Time to fix Nigeria, says Bello

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration is working hard towards fixing the nation after years of decay and mismanagement.

    Bello urged Nigerians not to allow the zeal and commitment of the present administration to slip away.

    In a message signed by his Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Mr. Jide Orintunsin, the governor stated that the administration will not allow the present opportunities to slip off, adding that all is being put in place towards ensuring that the future generations do not meet a nation of decay and mismanagement.

     

    Umahi seeks unity

    The Chairman of the South East Governors Forum and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi felicitated with Muslim faithful. He urged them to identify unity and religious tolerance as panacea to achieving peace and growth.

    Umahi, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, described unity and religious tolerance as sine qua non to achieving cohesion and peace in any country.

    He called on Muslim faithful to preach peace as they celebrate.

     

    Fayose urges sacrifice

     Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday advised Nigerians to be ready to make the necessary sacrifices for the country’s progress.

    In his message through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, the governor urged the people to imbibe the spirit of love, obedience, sacrifices and sharing that the festival teaches.

    “We must appreciate God for sparing our lives and giving us good health to be part of the celebration of this year’s festival. As we celebrate, we must not forget the lessons we need to learn from the event.

     

    Amosun Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun advised Muslim faithful to demonstrate the virtue of selfless sacrifice as they celebrate this year’s  Eid-el-Kabir festival.

    Amosun urged Muslims to live a life that mirror selflessness, love and peace.

    In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Otunba Dayo Adeneye, the governor said Muslim brothers and sisters should reflect on the essence of the festival as they celebrate it.

     

    Lalong: pray for Buhari, economy

    Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong urged Muslim faithful to use the Sallah period for continuous prayers for improve health for President Muhammadu Buhari as well as for the faster recovery of the nation’s economy from recession.

    A message signed by his Director of Press Emmanuel Nanle said: “The governor also expressed delight that with the deepening of the gains of democracy and the consolidation of peace and security by the APC led government, the nation was surely on the threshold of progress.

    “He noted that, as people of faith, Moslem faithful should continue to demonstrate the virtue of love, good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence always.”

  • Ondo APC hails President’s commitment to unity

    Ondo APC hails President’s commitment to unity

    THE Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his stance on united and indivisible Nigeria.

    Its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Abayomi Adesanya, spoke in an interview yesterday with reporters in Lagos after a nationwide broadcast by the President.

    Adesaya said: “The President’s commitment to the unity of this country is highly encouraging and must be commended and emulated by all Nigerians.”

    He said Nigerians’ commitment to the nation “must be evident in our attitude and behaviours, in our love for one and another and in the defence of the sovereignty of Nigeria and her citizens anywhere in the globe”.

    “The task of repositioning this country for greatness rested not only on the shoulders of President Buhari and his cabinet members, members of National Assembly, but on all Nigerians all over the world,’’ Adesanya said.

    He advised Nigerians to be more patriotic and constructive to “Project Nigeria’’ and the President.

  • Agege Durbar: Organisers call for unity, peace

    Agege Durbar: Organisers call for unity, peace

    The Seriki Hausawa Agege, Lagos State, Alhaji Musa Muhammed Dogon Kadai, has appealed to Nigerians to let the unity of the country be uppermost in their hearts.

    He said those agitating for secession should be careful, saying nobody should call for another civil war in the country.

    He made the plea at the Durbar cultural celebration held in Agege. He said Nigerians irrespective of tribes, religious leanings or ethnicity should promote those things that bind us together instead of those that separate us.

    The Seriki said Nigeria cannot afford to break up because the nation’s progress and advancement are tied to its unity, adding that as a nation, ‘we really need unity to advance our potential for growth and greatness.’ He appealed to Nigerians to work assiduously for the unity of the country.

    He advised Nigerians to shun discrimination, tribalism, ethnic and religious sentiment that are causing crisis within the country, put all hands on deck and think on how criminality and other social vices increasing daily can be eradicated.

    The monarch prayed for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari, while he canvassed support for his government.

    Senior Executive Assistant, Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Abdulkadir Musa Sidi, appealed to agitators to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign in the country.

    He said “What we are doing here today is to further strengthen the unity of this country. Many have died in their bid to unite the country, we should not allow their death to be in vain.’’

    He said the nation should support the good government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who he described as a messiah that Allah sent to redeem the country from doom.

    Sidi thanked the monarch for strengthening the unity of the country through the establishment of Durbar celebration in Lagos State. He enjoined other traditional rulers in the state and the country to go beyond maintaining peace in their domains to enhancing national cohesion

    All Hausawa emirate Councils in Agege and other parts of the state converged to celebrate the historical event with the monarch.

    The event began with a procession of all the district heads and title holders on their horses from Seriki’s Palace at Isokoko through many quarters in Agege community and back to  Jibrin Martins Memorial School in Agege where guests were entertained.

    The event was attended by thousands of Arewas’ and other ethnic groups across the country. It brought out the rich culture of Hausas.

    The celebration, according to organisers, was the first of its kind in Agege and it shall be a continuous, which would be observed a day after the Eid el Fitr of every year.

  • Maitama Sule stood for unity, says Peace Corps boss

    Maitama Sule stood for unity, says Peace Corps boss

    The National Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), Ambassador Dickson Akoh has described the late Maitama Sule as somebody who stood for the peace and unity of Nigeria.

    Reacting to the elder statesman’s death, the PCN boss in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja said: “The Peace Corps of Nigeria commiserate with the Federal Government, the Kano State Government and indeed Nigerians in general over the demise of an illustrious Nigerian, an orator par excellence, Elder Statesman, Alhaji (Dr) Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

    “Before his transition into eternal glory at a ripe age of 87 years, resonated de persona which actually defined his leadership qualities in all ramifications of our National life; he exuded the candour of an astute politician and selfless Nationalist and his fidelity to the indivisibility of the Nigerian project was not only legendary, but simply unbeatable.

    “As a man not easily convinced by multiplicity of men fighting a particular course, but would always seek out reasons before venturing into either declaring supports or opposition to an idea on display, he stood as an eagle with uncompromising standard as he offered his continuous and total support towards the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps before the National Assembly at that time. His supports for the Bill no doubt acted as a clarion call on many leaders of thought in our nation, as Peace Corps of Nigeria got an overwhelming support from all across the Nation, indeed he will be forever remembered by Officers and Men of the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    “He will always be in the minds of Nigerian youths for the unprecedented support and policy initiatives he championed which has led to the emancipation of the youth into the main stream of activities of our dear nation.

    “We recount with mix feelings of fulfillment and sadness how he magnanimously Chaired our 18th Anniversary Celebration held at Eagle Square with colorful event such as the Anniversary Parade  just a year ago, despite his age, he was not weary as he equally Honored us by making it to the Gala Night held at International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja later that evening, his charisma and oratorical prowess were on display, a development that made that event a reference point in the annals of such occasions in Nigerian history.

    “We join the good people of Kano State to mourn the Elder state man that stood for the Unity of our dear Nation even till death; his Nationalistic spirit is cherished by all our members across the Nation.  May the ever merciful and most benevolent God grant his departed soul eternal rest!”

  • Groups call for unity in Rivers APC

    Four groups in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called for unity in the main opposition party, while kicking against anointing of governorship candidate for Rivers APC in 2019.

    The groups, the Movement for Progressive Change, the Rivers Network for Positive Change,  M30 and Ogoni Democratic Movement, in their separate meetings in Port Harcourt yesterday, urged the APC leader in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the Transportation Minister, to ensure a level-playing field for governorship aspirants.

    The President of the Movement for Progressive Change, Prince Akwekwe, decried the wave of intimidation that had permeated all levels of the APC in Rivers State.

    Akwekwe said: “Sadly, most of the people who took risks for Rivers APC before, during and after the 2015 general elections have been abandoned. Party loyalty has been reduced to loyalty to an aspirant that has been programmed to be anointed by those who believe they own the party.”

    The Publicity Secretary of Rivers Network for Positive Change, Bethel Chigozie, also stated that the biggest problem confronting the Rivers APC was disunity.

    The President-General of M30, Amb. Anosike Orduwa said: “For the past two years, our members have been suffering. There is no empowerment  from any quarter.

    The President of Ogoni Democratic Movement, Goddy Bazaari, called on the leaders of the APC to concentrate more on how to create jobs for members of the party.

  • Balkanisation, unity and politics

    IN my Political Science course at the Great Ife, a visiting Professor from the University of Wisconsin taught us that once Broz Tito, the then president of Yugoslavia died, his nation would collapse. His prediction proved true. After Tito died in 1980, Yugoslavia erupted in the nineties with the Balkan Wars leading to its fragmentation into its six component parts of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia Hercegovina , Montenegro, and Macedonia. Balkanisation is a geopolitical term used to describe the fragmentation of regions or states into fractious often hostile entities .

    Painfully then, but now with nostalgia, I witnessed the balkanization of Yugoslavia as a staff writer at Times International, a publication of Daily Times and I still recall the roles of Kofi Annan and US President Bill Clinton to prevent, albeit unsuccessfully the massacre of Croats and Slovenes by Serbs as well as the gory ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims by Serbs Commanders at Sbrebrenica. I therefore can claim to be a student of history and a witness to the bloody carnage that attended the dismemberment of Yugoslavia and it is in that capacity that I treat, no, attack indeed, the topic of today in all its ramifications.

    Let me make it clear here that I do not suffer any‘ Yugostalgia‘ well enough to wish balkanization on my country Nigeria. But let me also state equally clearly that I hear the drums of war beating ominously on the horizon of the Nigerian state, given the current strident calls for self- determination, expulsion, secession and the on going insurgency in the North East of our great nation. However, I take solace in the fact that in a turbulent world that we live in today this danger is not peculiar to Nigeria.

    Qatar, one of the smallest nations in the world, but clearly the richest, is being held by the balls by its senior Arab nation brothers namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain, and is being asked to literally surrender its sovereignty or autonomy, close Aljazeera and because it has been seen to be supporting Iran and funding terrorist organisations like Hizbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt. Of course Qatar has refused to play ball for the simple reason that no nation or person can be asked to preside over its liquidation or funeral with its eyes wide open, which really is a lesson from afar, for Nigeria and Nigerians.

    In Qatar’s case however the Arab nations were balkanized diplomatically and disunite by an American president who asked them to fight terrorism being enacted in the name of their religion by letting charity begin at home, and driving terrorists away from their midst and indeed away from the world. But the US President Donald Trump has not been particularly discriminatory against the Arabs alone with regard to fighting terrorism. He has gone on to Poland enroute the G20 meeting in Hamburg today to polarize the European Union and NATO its military alliance, by stating clearly in Warsaw the capital of Poland that what is at stake is the survival of Western civilization.

    Which then downplays his serious disagreement with the EU nations on trade, migration and climate change. If you add to this the new Donald Trump quasi – military diplomatic objective of countering N Korea’s nuisance incessant nuclear missile threats and launches, you will see that Trump is preparing the mind of the civilized world to call once and for all, the bluff of N Korea by force if necessary, and that again means war. Let me now go back to the lesson to be learnt by Nigerians from the breakdown of Yugoslavia or the attendant’ Yugostalgia‘, which is a phrase I picked up on the internet recently.

    Obviously, the rhetoric on our unity as a nation nowadays is anti – unity and fractious, as agitators on all sides call for secession, expulsion, and self – determination in the midst an intractable insurgency bloodily going on in our North East in the name of Islamic terrorism and militancy. I however wish to divide the agitation into the pro and anti unity camps. In the unity camp are the Acting President who said the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable and is backed by Ohaneze, and the NBA Chairman. In the anti unity camp is human rights very anti- military dictatorship, legal luminary Olisa Agbakoba and Massob. On the periphery are the expulsionists Arewa Youths and the Middle Belters who say they are not from the North and the Arewa cannot speak on their behalf to expel anybody including Igbos. Actually is expected of the Acting President or AP Osinbajo to say that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable and it is in order for the NBA president to say that anti unity talk is slowing down our economic development.

    I am however aghast at Olisa Agbakoba saying that there is nothing sacrosanct about the unity of Nigeria because it came into being without consultation of Nigerians in 1914 and that self determination call by MASSOB is sanctioned by the UN and is not punishable by treason in Nigeria. I disagree with Olisa Agbakoba and state clearly that the issue at stake is political and not legal and that the politics involved is greater than the fine points of law he painstakingly elaborated on. Indeed saying that self determination is not akin to secession and is not treasonable is a fallacy as far as the political stability and security of the Nigerian state is involved. A call for secession or self determination is a call for the dismemberment of the Nigerian state and is at once a security challenge that the government must curb unless of course that government is agreeable to the dismemberment of the Nigerian nation.

    That was what Abe Lincoln did to preserve the United States during the American Civil War and that was the duty General Yakubu Gowon performed by saying – to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done -and went on to quash the Biafran rebellion in the Nigerian Civil war. That remains the duty of any Nigerian government worth its salt and that includes the Buhari government for now led by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo. That is the security and political bottom line on these agitations which must be within the ambits of the Nigerian state and its laws to be worthy of any consideration. With regard to the contempt for the Amalgamation of 1914 it is like asking a party who was neither a wife or husband at a wedding to ask for the divorce of a marriage consummated in his absence thus exposing himself or herself to the odium of irrelevance or lack of locus or even focus. A word surely is enough for the wise. Once again, long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • That there may be unity in APC

    The discharge and acquittal of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of all cases of alleged corruption and false assets declaration charges for which he stood trial for two years by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), must have come as a huge relief to his followers. But more importantly to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party and the National Assembly (NASS) members, who, understandably, have been on the edge as the number three citizen and its public face, faced a trial with the potential of ruining his political career, as well as hugely casting doubts on the integrity of the NASS.

    Notwithstanding the doubt on who the plaintiff was; whether it was actually supposed to be the Code of Conduct Bureau, (CCB) as required by the law, or, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), the trial worsened and deepened the obvious divide in the party such that it remained a sore point in selling the APC change mantra.

    Saraki, a two-time governor of Kwara State and a political god-head of the Saraki political dynasty, has over the years become one of Nigeria’s emerging political tacticians following in the footsteps of his late father, Olusola Saraki, who also then occupied a plum political position at the National Assembly in his days. Saraki’s two years’ track record as Senate President speaks volume of his enigmatic and uncanny leadership qualities. In two years, the 8th Senate under his leadership has broken a 17-year jinx by passing into law a record 95 Bills; 50% above two previous senates combined.

    Interestingly, Saraki seems to be one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented politicians in the APC power family. This probably explains why his trial affected nearly everything the APC represented. The trial almost pitched the National Assembly against the presidency, as well as against presumed power brokers in the party. But Saraki remained calm and focused.

    Perhaps, Saraki’s trial evoked so much emotions and passion following the believe that he was being punished for working his way into the Senate presidency as opposed to perceived party arrangements. Or, punished by some political hawks who see him as a potential threat to their political ambitions and so starting out with him in an intriguing kick-start of arm-twisting politics ahead of 2019 political permutations.

    In the wake of the trial, for instance, fingers were pointed in the direction of former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, many believed played an instrumental role in the electoral victory of the APC and therefore, sought to determine who becomes what regarding the party’s appointments.

    No matter what, it cannot denied that Asiwaju is a political colossus, generalissimo of the progressive forces and a man of great vision, who has continued, and still, pushes for the united Nigeria project. The eight years of his administration in Lagos marked a new beginning for the centre of excellence. This explains, perhaps, why, he could hold his own and continued developing Lagos State through the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population in the state at a time the-powers-that-be insisted he must not. He suffered for it, but today, it all counted for blessing as Lagos did well through that initiative. No doubt, Tinubu knows what Nigeria needs and he is never afraid to go for it.

    With Saraki’s discharge and acquittal, there could not have been a better opportunity for these men of astute political knowledge to come together in the larger interest of the APC and for Nigeria. Both men see beyond and across the present and possess huge understanding and knowledge of humanity. It is still fresh what happened when Saraki teamed up with Tinubu and other forces for the emergence of the then General. Muhammed Buhari, as the presidential candidate of the APC, for which some still hold against the Senate President. It cannot be cheaply waved aside fact that Saraki sacrificed his personal comfort for the success of the APC; rarely at home with his people during and after the campaigns despite the obvious threat of opposition at home. Today, it is clear to everyone that the desperation to “flush out” Saraki from Kwara State led to a mindless frittering of huge sums of money in what we know, today, as the Dasukigate by the PDP in the state.

    Saraki and Tinubu have worked together and can still work as a team, which would only point to one thing: a chance of a fresh start, especially as the party looks ahead to the 2019 general elections. This, perhaps, underscores the significance of the Saraki acquittal more than anything else and the need for Saraki and Tinubu to bury whatever real or perceived political differences they have in order to salvage the APC.

    There is no doubt that Tinubu and Saraki political ships have the potential of a laser speed sail and high deliverables not just for the party, but also for Nigerians and country at large. With Tinubu’s political clout and achievements as a former governor of Lagos State and Saraki, who, himself, delivered every single vote in Kwara State and massive votes in the north central and performed the miraculous as governor, including delivering the state from the opposition to the ruling party, APC would galvanize itself to retain power at the centre, as well as competing for space in some of the few states controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    This has become even more auspicious in the face of the growing unrest, disaffection and division amongst ethnic poles across the land, worsened by the growing hopelessness, poverty and unemployment in the land. Let Saraki and Tinubu showcase passion for the unity of party and country by working together in the interest of peace and general development, but more than anything else, so as to reassure Nigerians that there is still hope in the ability of the APC leadership to deliver on its promises to Nigerians.

    My submission, therefore, is that only a coalitional consciousness where everybody and every interest are brought together can revive the unity in the APC and sustain its electoral victory for the benefit of all and sundry. God bless Nigeria.

     

    • Oba is Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State governor.