By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
With the rising cases of attacks on the Police formations in his domain, the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma on Friday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at Presidential Villa, Abuja, behind closed doors.
Although the details of the meeting was not made available to journalists, the Governor thumbed down seperatist movements in some parts of the country, calling on those trumpeting messages of cessation from Nigeria to jettison the idea.
Uzodinma also tasked security agencies to name politicians funding banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other types of criminality.
Addressing State House Correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Uzodinma said he will not support calls for cessation in any form, but disposed to a more united indivisible Nigeria no matter the current circumstances prevailing against the nation.
He noted that Nigeria’s strength laid in it’s diversity especially as the country continues to play a leading role on the continent.
Responding to the myriad of sectional and ethnic crisis dotting some parts of the country, the Imo State Governor said notwithstanding the odds, an attempt to go seperate ways will whittle down the country’s strength.
Said he: “I don’t think that I will support any call for cessation, I want a united, strong Nigeria. Our strength is in our diversity and today, we are supposed to play a leading role in this continent.
“We don’t want to whittle down our strength. Rather, what I advise is that we must appreciate the gift of nature, in our land and support the government.”
The Governor said that the citizens should be more concerned with the issues of job creations and infrastructure development among others, rather than dwelling on inane issues.
“Let me tell you something, this country is blessed by God. From 2015 till today, I thought what the problem would be is people saying that there’s no job creation, people are not feeding, salaries are not paid, infrastructure are going down, social interventions are not approved by government.
“Now, people are no longer talking about that, rather what they are doing is to sponsor crisis, to the extent that those funding this banditry are politicians, which I challenge and call on security agencies to make their names available to the press because what they want to do is to distract a government that is focused.
“If this government is not doing well, I’ll be one of those that has declare the government as not doing well, but a situation where you’ll live the formal way, ethical way of doing politics, and you are now sponsoring banditry to bring down a government, for Christ’s sake, we should rise up and condemn it, all of us.”
Further, Governor Uzodinma, while calling on the opposition to partner the administration to facilitate development programmes for the people generally, he said only ‘an enabling environment’ could make those things realistic.
He said, “for those things to function, we need an enabling environment. That is why the enemies, not deterred by the progress the government is making, are now out to scuttle good governance.
Continuing, the Governor said, “Opposition and politics are about the people. Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. Why are people hiring people to kill the people? There is no responsible government that will not want those who voted him or her to power to be happy and this government I have seen is a responsible government.
“However, I think we are rising to the occasion. I can tell you that sooner than later, today will become a thing of the past and Nigeria will move forward.”
