Govt policies geared towards retaining power in 2027 — Yari

On Thursday, former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari met with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja, saying afterward that politics and programmes being put in place by the government are for the sake of retaining power in 2027.

Addressing correspondents after the meeting, the Senator representing Zamfara West Senatorial District said that no government will want to leave office without having its political party succeed it.

He said: “As you are all aware when the election is over, the programme of government and the policies put in place is for the next election. Name that programme whatever it is because no government wants to lose out and no government wants to leave without having someone who will take over from it, who is from the same party with it.”

Yari stated that he was at the presidential villa to encourage President Tinubu for the good work he has started, saying that even though his task is difficult, the president cannot complain because he asked for the job.

He added, ” I came first to congratulate him and also to encourage him on the work he has started. Iit is not an easy one; it’s a very difficult task, but to remain focused and determined because Nigeria is a huge country.

“But as he said earlier, he has no reason to complain because he asked for the job. We know there are a lot of challenges from time to time. As a chieftain of the party, the party in government, and one of the founders of this great party, I, Yari, deemed it necessary to see my President from time to time to encourage him and to advise where necessary, and how we’re going to make Nigeria a better place.

“So, I came in, and we discussed, and I wished him well and prayed Almighty God to guide him and give him the wisdom to lead Nigeria right for its betterment.”

On the security situation in Zamfara State, he affirmed that there are indications that sanity is gradually returning to gold-rich communities following President Tinubu’s deployment of security forces to the area.

According to him, “ President Tinubu has been doing his best to deal with the insecurity in the region. I can tell you that the issues of mining and insecurity may have a relationship, and I believe the President is doing his best because he has started talking with the National Security Adviser on the issue of insecurity, and the many progress has been achieved from I think last one month

“ Now, in the Shinkafi area and part of Zurmi, they are working to check insecurity also in parts of Anka and Chaffe, based on security reports that I regularly get from my colleague who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Security”

“When I was there, I didn’t believe that the issue of mining was one of the problems, but when I got out, I began to look at it, attending so many lectures. There is a relationship between the people who are causing the trouble, the miners, and the insecurities in the area.

“This insecurity is either through cattle rustling or human abduction. So, if you look at it and then you see mining. But at one time, I was attending a programme in Netherlands, and someone told me that the issue is, if you have since settled that there will be no security issue, it will attract the investors to come in for the real activity of the mining.

“But when there’s this issue of insecurity, those that are working against you, wherever they are, maybe in the country, maybe outside the country, then they will succeed, encouraging those issues of insecurity to be there so that you can’t get the benefits of the endowment that God has blessed the country with, then I began to start thinking about it.

“A year after I left the office, some groups protested in Kaura Namoda local government and said they didn’t understand why we’re saying the relationship between the insecurity and the mining are not together.

“The locals will be attacked almost on a daily basis, whereas the people doing the mining are free, there’s no trouble. So they started to put one and two together and said, “Okay, either those doing the mining are supporting the bandits.

“If it is money, they have the gold mine or some minerals that they should go and attack them, but there’s no attack in that area, and they’re neighbours just by the border. So what is happening? So, they now protested that those people must leave the place.”

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