Gbolahan Salman Sokoto
Former Governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has advocated for a convergence of eminent Nigerians, that will centered on offering solutions and douse the tensed atmosphere currently ravaging the nation.
He described the current situation in the country as National problem which cut across every region, therefore should not be narrowed down to South East or any particular place.
Bafarawa in a press statement called on all politicians across the political, tribal and regional divides to come together for the common good of our country.
The Sokoto-born politician further warned Nigerians to henceforth be wary of making any comments bordering on the issue of zoning or rotation of the position of President to any part of the country.
His words: “For a long time now, such agitation are getting increasingly strident to the extent that they are causing politicians and social commentators to add their voices to the issue and in many respects misplacing priorities as regard to what crucially affects our dear country.
“To my knowledge, first as a Nigerian politician with considerable political and governmental experiences, I did not know when and how anybody in the country has arrived at zoning the position of the President to any zone, whether to the South or to North.
“I have no faintest idea that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or even the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has made any proclamation to the effect that the position of President is zoned to a particular section of the country.
“In recent time, such a sensitive issue along with other similar issues are either being canvassed or deliberately touted thereby causing a lot of political tension and widening the gap of our common unity of the country.
“It was high time that our politicians pipe down on such political issues and concentrate mainly on the issue of good governance so that our country would eventually breath some peace and tranquility.” Bafarawa stated.
He however urged politicians across tribal and regional divides to come together for the common good of the country, saying; “We should do everything possible at our disposal to contribute our quota towards peace and security of the country.”
He admitted that the country is been faced with insecurity challenges such as Boko haram, armed banditry, kidnapping, threat for secession, slow economic growth resulting from increased level of poverty as well as clamouring for a division.
Bafarawa noted that such challenges are important issues that call for deliberation.
He said, “we should do everything possible at our disposal to contribute our quota towards peace and security of the country.
“Our advise should be centered on offering solutions to solve the problems of insecurity as well as solution to our economic problems so that we could douse the tensed atmosphere brought about by the present predicament of insecurity, and similar problems.
“I have the hope and confidence that by the time our politicians and social commentators talk less about rotational or zoning of Presidency to zones or regions thus concentrating on substantial issues affecting the country, there would be less tension and or hypes which further divide the country along regional, religious and tribal lines.
“We should imbibe the culture of reducing political bickering, agitations, sounding drums of war and exhibiting primordial tendencies. The idea of having peace and peaceful existence in this country should be our watchwords rather than advocacy calling for zoning, secession, and whatever in the midst of severe economic problems, Boko Haram, kidnapping, banditry and many other forms of unwanted and unwarranted challenges affecting us as a nation, he stated.
The former governor noted that, if politicians and other social commentators on politics, continue to dwell on what region or zone should be the next to produce the President, tension would continue to heighten thereby escalating the already tensed general socio/political atmosphere in the country.
He said no group especially from the Northern part of the country has a mandate to say where the next President is zoned to, saying every region has the right to context including the South Eastern part of the country
“We should rather gauge our contributions and concentrate on how best the country get rid of all these menaces of insecurity which appears to be taking us several years backward. We should not glee at the happenings and see it as a means of playing politics or perhaps a failure of a certain system or incapability of the government to deal with the situation.”
