Stop Playing Politics With National Challenges, FG Tells PDP

*Faults PDP over Recommendations on National
Security

The Federal Government on Tuesday admonished the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) to stop playing politics with national
challenges.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
gave the admonition at a media briefing he addressed in Abuja on
topical national issues.

Mohammed specifically berated the PDP, saying the party was
playing cheap politics with the issue of security during a media
briefing the party addressed on Monday.

He said the party, at the briefing, had accused President
Muhammadu Buhari and his government of running a ‘government of
exclusion’.

The minister, however, said the party was playing the ostrich by
refusing to face the “painful facts and unpleasant truth’’ on the
efforts of the Federal Government in engaging relevant stakeholders
and tackling security challenges headlong.

“The PDP accused this Federal Government of not engaging and of
running a government of exclusion, forgetting, conveniently, that
this Federal Government has consistently engaged Nigerians on
topical national issues.

“The issues included security, the fight against corruption,
terrorism, infrastructure and farmer-herder conflict.

“The Town Hall Meeting series, which we launched in 2016, has so
far been held 18 times across Nigeria.

“It’s always a no-holds-barred opportunity for the government to
engage with critical stakeholders, briefing them on government
policies and programmes and getting their feedbacks, thus ensuring
inclusion and deepening of democracy,’’ he said.

The minister said the suggestions reeled out by the opposition
party as way out of the current challenges facing the nation were
already contained in the outcome of the town hall meeting on
national security held in Kaduna on April 8.

“Unfortunately, the recommendations by the PDP have exposed the
opposition party’s gimmickry, and the fact that it was merely
playing politics with serious national issues, especially
security.

“Had it not been so, and had it done its homework properly, the
PDP would have known that most of those same recommendations were
already contained in the outcome of the town hall meeting,’’ he
said.

The minister listed the 10-point recommendations from the town
hall meeting which included an urgent need for political
restructuring and not separation.

He said the meeting also recommended that governance should be
based on law rather than the whims and caprices of human beings and
must be obeyed as all persons are equal before the law.

Mohammed said it was also recommended at the meeting that the
judiciary should be decentralised and reformed through
constitutional amendment to remove the unitary control of the
Supreme Court.

He said the meeting also recommended: “That governments at all
levels should ensure free, qualitative and compulsory Primary
Education for all children of school age.

“That the military, police and other security agencies should be
expanded in number, retrained, provided with modern equipment and
technology to cope with emerging security challenge.

“That both religious and traditional leaders should encourage
and promote inter-marriages for unity as contained in the 1999
Constitution

“That the establishment of State Police should be supported by
the National and State Houses of Assembly to enable State
Governments have firm control in addressing security issues.”

Mohammed also said that it was recommended at the meeting that
traditional rulers should be given their age-long role of
maintaining peace and security within their domain.

He said stakeholders further agreed that local government
autonomy should be actualised to enable local councils have control
of their areas, including the ungoverned spaces in tackling
security challenges.

The minister said the forum agreed that farmers-herders clashes
should be addressed by establishment of ranches and grazing
reserves with modern amenities.

“Conveniently, the PDP did not acknowledge this national
engagement that featured panelists from academia and civil
society,’’ he said.

Mohammed disclosed that the resolutions had been presented
before the National Economic Council (NEC) for consideration and
action.

He said NEC, as a prelude to adopting the recommendations, had
directed all governors to engage in state-wide consultation on them
and revert to the Council at its next meeting.

The minister admonished the opposition PDP to stop “fooling
itself’’ by playing politics with issues of national security.
(NAN)

*Faults PDP over Recommendations on National
Security

The Federal Government on Tuesday admonished the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) to stop playing politics with national
challenges.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
gave the admonition at a media briefing he addressed in Abuja on
topical national issues.

Mohammed specifically berated the PDP, saying the party was
playing cheap politics with the issue of security during a media
briefing the party addressed on Monday.

He said the party, at the briefing, had accused President
Muhammadu Buhari and his government of running a ‘government of
exclusion’.

The minister, however, said the party was playing the ostrich by
refusing to face the “painful facts and unpleasant truth’’ on the
efforts of the Federal Government in engaging relevant stakeholders
and tackling security challenges headlong.

“The PDP accused this Federal Government of not engaging and of
running a government of exclusion, forgetting, conveniently, that
this Federal Government has consistently engaged Nigerians on
topical national issues.

“The issues included security, the fight against corruption,
terrorism, infrastructure and farmer-herder conflict.

“The Town Hall Meeting series, which we launched in 2016, has so
far been held 18 times across Nigeria.

“It’s always a no-holds-barred opportunity for the government to
engage with critical stakeholders, briefing them on government
policies and programmes and getting their feedbacks, thus ensuring
inclusion and deepening of democracy,’’ he said.

The minister said the suggestions reeled out by the opposition
party as way out of the current challenges facing the nation were
already contained in the outcome of the town hall meeting on
national security held in Kaduna on April 8.

“Unfortunately, the recommendations by the PDP have exposed the
opposition party’s gimmickry, and the fact that it was merely
playing politics with serious national issues, especially
security.

“Had it not been so, and had it done its homework properly, the
PDP would have known that most of those same recommendations were
already contained in the outcome of the town hall meeting,’’ he
said.

The minister listed the 10-point recommendations from the town
hall meeting which included an urgent need for political
restructuring and not separation.

He said the meeting also recommended that governance should be
based on law rather than the whims and caprices of human beings and
must be obeyed as all persons are equal before the law.

Mohammed said it was also recommended at the meeting that the
judiciary should be decentralised and reformed through
constitutional amendment to remove the unitary control of the
Supreme Court.

He said the meeting also recommended: “That governments at all
levels should ensure free, qualitative and compulsory Primary
Education for all children of school age.

“That the military, police and other security agencies should be
expanded in number, retrained, provided with modern equipment and
technology to cope with emerging security challenge.

“That both religious and traditional leaders should encourage
and promote inter-marriages for unity as contained in the 1999
Constitution

“That the establishment of State Police should be supported by
the National and State Houses of Assembly to enable State
Governments have firm control in addressing security issues.”

Mohammed also said that it was recommended at the meeting that
traditional rulers should be given their age-long role of
maintaining peace and security within their domain.

He said stakeholders further agreed that local government
autonomy should be actualised to enable local councils have control
of their areas, including the ungoverned spaces in tackling
security challenges.

The minister said the forum agreed that farmers-herders clashes
should be addressed by establishment of ranches and grazing
reserves with modern amenities.

“Conveniently, the PDP did not acknowledge this national
engagement that featured panelists from academia and civil
society,’’ he said.

Mohammed disclosed that the resolutions had been presented
before the National Economic Council (NEC) for consideration and
action.

He said NEC, as a prelude to adopting the recommendations, had
directed all governors to engage in state-wide consultation on them
and revert to the Council at its next meeting.

The minister admonished the opposition PDP to stop “fooling
itself’’ by playing politics with issues of national security.
(NAN)