April 06, (THEWILL) – Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday said that the current wave of insecurity, where nobody can travel safely on the road, air and by train, is drifting away from the unity of the country.
Okowa, who disclosed this when he visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta, urgently called for a lasting solution to the problem of insecurity and economic hardship in the nation.
This was contained in a press release by the ex-president media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The governor stated that there was a need to consult former leaders of the country including Obasanjo, stakeholders as well as traditional rulers in the country to resolve the current challenges of insecurity and others troubling the country.
He said that the troubled situation of insecurity and economic downturn is becoming more worrisome that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration could not solve alone, adding that all hands be on deck to proffer lasting solutions.
Okowa said, “It is time the country has to come together, all well-meaning people, all stakeholders must come together to think of Nigeria first. We need the collective effort of all at this period.”
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“This is something that is threatening the fabric of our unity and not something we have to play with”, the statement quoted Okowa as having said, adding, “the situation is getting worrisome and it’s time we all have hands on deck to be able to find a solution.”
“As it stands today, the APC-run government cannot alone be able to deal with it and they need to find wide and a far-reaching consultation, not with those in government alone, but, all stakeholders, particularly those who have been part of running this country before and now, including even religious leaders, we need to sit together and discuss the way forward.”
The governor, who said that he was not yet to decide whether he would contest for president or not, said that what matters is to improve the security and economic situation of the country, which should be everyone’s major concern.
He described Obasanjo as someone that truly understands the situation of Nigeria, saying that the present administration needs to tap from his wealth of experience to shape the country.
Okowa, who said that he came to share ideas with the former president on happenings in the nation, said that Nigeria is so much stressed in unemployment, inflation, unity, among others, because things were not the way they are supposed to be
“As someone who truly understands Nigeria through and through and we bless God for having somebody like him. We need to tap from him, especially at a time like this, which will help to shape this nation. And I thanked God for the wonderful discussions that I had with him.
“I came to share ideas with Obasanjo, in addition to the situation in Nigeria. He was ready to give fatherly advice. I also discussed with him some issues concerning my state and he willingly advised me too. He is a repository of knowledge and experience.”
“As of today, I have not made up my mind. The important thing is not about myself, it is about the nation, Nigeria. The future of hope. What level of consensus can we build in order to achieve our dream? Our dream is to see Nigeria begin to have an improvement in our security and in the level of economy. These are some things we have not achieved at the moment.”
“The country is so stressed, so much stress in the land. So much unemployment, so much inflation and unfortunately the things that unite us are badly threatened and we cannot even be sure of tomorrow. These are the things we must discuss. We must all come together to stop this tide of drift at the moment, that is the type of things we should be more concerned about”, he added.
