Against the sustained attacks on some security institutions including Police and Correctional centres in the South East allegedly by some secessionists, the Presidency has warned that President Muhammadu Buhari can’t be intimidated or bullied into paying anyone huge sums of money as was done in the previous governments.
Speaking at the APC professionals Forum in Abuja on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu also said Nigerian military is well equipped and has the capacity to deal with any insurrection in the South East.
Garba Shehu said there won’t be another national conference under the present administration even as he noted that kidnapping had existed even before 1960 and globally, and that Nigeria is not an exception.
According to the Presidential Spokesperson, though insecurity maybe on the rise but government is hopeful that Nigeria will countine to remain a one and united nation.
He said, “Look, one thing with this President, you can’t intimidate Buhari. You can’t bully him. A lot of these people who are calling for secessions are the problem of this country and I’m happy that reasonable voices are now rising. Is it not only yesterday we are reading Afenifere, the most credible faction of Afenifere saying we’re not for secession.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, I said this over and over again; this thing about secession, they had used it in the past. You create secession and break up Nigeria and then you intimidate the sitting leader and then he opens the booth and he brings money to settle people. President Buhari will pay no one. He is not going to pay and now, it is clear that, having not ignored all of that, reasonable opinions are coming from those states and from those regions. The governors in the South-West, we have all heard them, they have denounced all of these things. So it’s a sham, Nigerians want to be one, they want to continue.
“Now, the thing about the Southeast, criminals are fighting to gain the upper hand but I tell you that no criminal or terrorist is bigger than this country. None of them is mightier than our armed forces. This structure has been there. They were certificated and praised for World war one, World war two, they stabilize the entire West Africa region. Without Nigeria, would there be Liberia in its present form, would there be Sierra Leone in its present form, even Gambia? So just give it time and support and pray, we will win against these forces.Thank you very much.
“Yes, there are problems and we are hoping that as people united and loving of one another, we will come together and solve our problems, and that leads me to the next question, whether there should be National Conference?
“What can National Conference do more than a parliament? Anyone who is a democrat in heart, in practice, in their beliefs; they should believe in the tripartite structure of government. Governments that are democratic, there must be a parliament, the executive arm and the judiciary; each one being independent and cooperating with the other. We have an elected parliament, which mandate is to be the custodian of the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.
“Look, a lot of these people crying for this secession, they are unelectable. If you think you are electable, go for a parliamentary seat, whether House of Representatives or Senate and come and table an Amendment for the Constitution. The process is ongoing, as we speak now, under the Deputy Senate President, they are calling for memoranda, why can’t you present what you want?
“So the issue is that people who are not democrats want a parallel parliament to be set up and this Constitution does not recognize two parliaments in this country. We have one parliament that is sovereign, that is the custodian of the sovereignty of the Nigerian people. If your member representing you fails to present this request that you want, whether it is change of structure at state, local government or national level, pull him out four years after, don’t vote for him. Put another representative who will do what you want. This is how democracy works, periodic elections.”
On the frequent breach of security across the nation, Garba Shehu said, “this thing about security that no day passes without media reporting killings. It is tragic, nobody is happy that deaths are being recorded. But the point I want to make is that, it is in human nature. We don’t know any country in the world today that is crime-free. When the question was raised, I was going through my WhatsApp message, an interesting conversation recently was around the publication of a New Nigerian newspaper Tuesday, November 16, 1966 and on the front page of this Newspaper, there is a story saying: “Midwest police rescue 10 kidnapped men”. If you open the press today and some people are reporting kidnapping you will think that this is the first time crime in the country. I’m not saying it is welcome home, please I shouldn’t be misunderstood. Even in the United States of America, two days ago people were shot and killed, eight of them for no reason.”
In his remarks, the APC Caretaker Committee Secretary, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe praised President Muhammadu Buhari for transformation on going in the nation.
He said, “There has not being a government like this in the history of the nation. And i am not playing politics. Show me any government that has done much than President Buhari that has direct link with the masses. If you go to the villages, the camps are full with people taking their N20,000 from the PWF. Everywhere in Nigeria. People are having access. The president has thrown his door open for everybody. It doesn’t matter which party you belong. In the days of PDP, it was not so. It is either PDP or nothing. The President allows everyone to key into his program. As i am talk with you now, people are collecting loans and Covid-19 palliative. Go to the ministry of labour and you will find people collecting 450k to 1 million. And they are not saying anything. Nigerians are enjoying the program. And he is a listening President.”