OPC slams Buhari’s govt over increase in electricity tariffs

Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), on Wednesday, accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of being insensitive to the plights of Nigerians, describing the sudden increase in the electricity tariffs as brutish, inhuman and an attempt to fuel national crisis.

This was just as the group restated its support and commitment to true federalism on the basis of regionalism, declaring that Nigeria cannot make any meaningful progress with the 1999 Constitution, which it described as democratic albatross.

OPC led by Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland land, Iba Gani Adams, gave this position in a statement, shortly after the first marathon meeting of the leadership and National Coordinating Council (NCC) of the group which held in Lagos.

The group in the statement signed by its General Secretary and Publicity Secretary, Barristers, Babajide Tanimoowo and Yinka Oguntimehin respectively, said the call for true federalism became imperative given the present situation in the country.

OPC, while expressing concern about the state of the nation regarding the current political structure, state of the economy and the security situation, queried: “How do we explain the fact that in the first week of the new year, the Federal Government came up with a sudden increase in the electricity tariffs?

It described the move as sad and brutish, declaring that the Federal Government can no longer save the situation from degenerating further.

“OPC is concerned about the state of the nation. We are worried about the current political structure. We are also worried about the present state of the economy. We are particularly worried about the security situation in the country.”

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“For instance, how do we explain the fact that in the first week of the new year, the Federal Government came up with a sudden increase in the electricity tariffs, it is sad and brutish. FG can no longer save the situation from degenerating further,” the group said.

Speaking further, OPC urged the Federal Government to urgently overhaul the security architectures in order to guarantee adequate security in the country, saying all the service chiefs had overstayed their tenure as it was evident that they had nothing new to offer considering the nature of the various security challenges confronting Nigeria.

“We urged the Federal Government to urgently overhaul the security architectures in the country in order to guarantee adequate security in the country. All the service chiefs have overstayed their tenure.

“It is evident that the service chiefs have nothing new to offer considering the nature of the various security challenges confronting the country, so there’s no doubt that the Federal Government must heed the advice of prominent people and overhaul the nation’s security architectures,” the group said.

Meanwhile, OPC has enjoined all the South-West governors to rededicate themselves to the struggle to tackle the security challenges in the region, using the South-West security Network (Amotekun).

This was just as it called on the Ogun State governor, Mr Dapo Abiodun, and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to emulate other states in the region by fast-tracking the recruitments of Amotekun corps in their respective states, even as it warned all criminal elements, including marauders and herdsmen to stay away from the region or face the wrath of the group.

The group, however, expressed its readiness to support the governors and the Amotekun Corps in their quest to reduce the spate of insecurity across the region.

“We will not condone lawlessness in the region, we also enjoined the South-West governors to synergise and give Amotekun the needed support to operate effectively across the southwest,” it said.

OPC, while urging Nigerians to be tolerant and peaceful in the face of the various challenges, said Nigeria is a secular nation, and, therefore, the urgent need for peaceful coexistence among the religious faithful.

The group expressed readiness to join the Office of the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland to celebrate the Maolid Nabiy festival in February to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammed (SAW) as it had done with the Christmas Carol organised last year by the office.

“OPC will continue to preach peace and religious tolerance across the country. We need to change the old narratives by insisting that religion has the potentials to unite us as a people, but sadly the same religion has now become the reason for our division,” the group stated.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE