The Senior Pastor of Lagos-based church, Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has joined other prominent Nigerians to call on the president, Muhamma
The Senior Pastor of Lagos-based church, Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has joined other prominent Nigerians to call on the president, Muhammadu Buhari to urgently restructure the country to save it from collapse.
The cleric stated this in an apparent response to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. The Presidency had in the statement described recent calls for the restructuring of the country as “recurring threats to the corporate existence of the country.
It said, “This is to warn that such unpatriotic outbursts are both unhelpful and unwarranted as this government will not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time when the nation’s full attention is needed to deal with the security challenges facing it at a time of the COVID-19 health crisis.”
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had on Saturday called on the President to restructure the country “as soon as possible”. Adeboye, who spoke at a symposium warned that it was either the country restructured as soon as possible or it broke up.
Adeyemi, who disagreed with Shehu that the calls for the restructuring of Nigeria threaten the corporate existence of the country, stressed that effective leaders must listen to the views of citizens and take appropriate actions.
“When did it become a threat for citizens to express opinions, even if strong, about the structuring or restructuring of their country? Effective leaders listen,” Adeyemi wrote on his verified Twitter handle, @sam_adeyemi.
Similarly, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has described as “very uncouth and rude warning”, the statement issued by Garba Shehu against patriotic organisations and responsible individuals like the respected Pastor Enoch Adeboye that Nigeria should be restructured to avert a break-up.
But the SMBFL in a statement by Yinka Odumakin (South West), Chief Guy Ikokwu (South East), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South South) and Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), accused the regime of the President, Major General Muhammad’s Buhari (retd), of talking down on Nigeria in very intemperate language.
The statement titled, ‘Stop playing Pharaoh’ partly read, “We are perturbed that instead of giving assurances about rebuilding the country towards inclusivity, the regime is talking down on Nigeria in very intemperate language.
“We want to make it clear to the regime that it cannot cow us by using cantonment approach to national issues. We will not accept turning us to second class citizens on our land not even with threats of arrests or assassinations. Should we be clapping for the government and not talk when the Customs appoints eight Deputy Comptrollers from a section of the country? Are we expected to be saying well done when DSS recruits 535 cadets from North West and North East and only 93 from the entire South and North Central?
“If Garba Shehu is not lexically challenged, he should know that those calling for restructuring are more patriotic than those running Nigeria towards implosion. Patriotism is to corporate Nigeria for all and not the sectional idea of Nigeria by the nepotists. We will not succumb to their narrow idea of Nigeria fully assured that this too shall come to pass. Therefore, let us restructure now and withdraw from the path of implosion forewarned by patriots at home and abroad.”
In the same vein, the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria has cautioned the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, against insensitive utterances in reaction to calls for the restructuring of the country. The Director-General, DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, who described Shehu’s comments as unfortunate and unwelcoming, said the President should carefully consider why the people are making the call rather than discountenance it.
Punch
