Presidency tasks media on national cohesion, tranquillity

The Presidency has challenged the Nigerian media on the need to ensure national cohesion and tranquillity for unfettered development to take place while assuring Nigerians that the current challenges confronting the nation would be overcome by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina spoke during the weekend in Abuja, at a dialogue on national issues organised by Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD).

He said that President Muhammadu Buhari has done so much in addressing the challenges of insecurity and development of the country, urging Nigerians to see things from a neutral perspective for the country to be better for it and that the quality of discussion about the polity would Nigeria would be better.

“What we hear today about discussions and interventions on national issues is coloured with and tainted by political considerations. There is too much politics in our lives and it is not good to play politics with everything, particularly security.

“Everybody in the country could see how the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is spending money in billions on security, yet some come to play politics with that. So, I thank Comrade for being objective and seeing things from a neutral perspective.

“My message to Nigerians will be that let there be less of politics in what we say, in what we do and decisions we take and let there be more of Nigeria in our discussions. When there is more of Nigeria, then things will be a lot better for our country.

“The security situation is dire, nobody can deny that. But the government has risen to the challenge and we can see what the government is doing daily in the theatres of this insecurity via our armed forces.

“It is the duty of the media to ensure that there is balanced reportable. Often time when the insurgents or bandits do some atrocious things, they are played up more than what the security forces do and our security forces are doing very brilliantly. Let us also play up what they are doing.

“It is our country, we do not have another country. If Nigeria goes in flame, it will affect journalists, it will affect you as an individual and everybody. So, let’s realize that it is our country and we have a duty in its cohesion, tranquillity, in its togetherness.

“Forces of disunity, of dismemberment, should not be the ones we yield our attention to; in fact, they are the ones we should yield our scant attention to because it is the resolve of Nigerians to stay together.

“I have not seen any people in this country who have said no, we want to opt-out of the federation. It is just a few people speaking for the generality of the people. If you ask the majority of Nigerians, they want to stay together in this federation.

He assured Nigerians that President Buhari would continue to do his best to salvage the country and return it to a path of development, saying as a military officer, Buhari had been in the forefront fighting for unity of Nigeria.

He added that Buhari wants the best for Nigeria and the least that Nigerians could do would be to team up with him in the efforts to transform the country.

The Convener and National President of VATLAD, Comrade Emmanuel Odafe Igbini, lamented what he described as worrisome challenges of insecurity, the poor state of the economy and the fuel crisis of late.

On the fuel scarcity being experienced in some parts of the country, Igbini, said it was unfortunate, noting that the belief of every Nigerian was that the assent into law by President Buhari of the Petroleum Industry Bill in 2021 would have ended the issue of shortage of the product in the country.

Igbini, however, blamed the state governors for most of the national challenges, saying if all governors could perform by developing their states and empowering the people, President Buhari would have fewer problems.

Hon. Kingsley Chinda, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives Caucus, speaking at the event, said contrary to what the public have been made to believe by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government, corruption is now more entrenched than it used to be during PDP era.

He also called for capital punishment for corrupt public officials who deplete the nation’s resources for personal gains.

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