This press release is intended to release a message to our teeming political class most especially and perhaps to other fellow Nigerians who may share the same opinion with me on matters affecting our political development /or happenings in the midst of our present socio-economic challenges bordering on insecurity and the hardship people are facing in the country.
Added to these challenges are the issues of agitation, for one enclave or another or zoning of one position or another especially the position of the President of the country. For a long time now, such agitations are getting increasingly strident to the extent that they are causing politicians and social commentators to add their voices to the issue and in many respects misplacing priorities as regard to what crucially affects our dear country.
It was high time that our politicians pipe down on such political issues and concentrate mainly on the issue of good governance so that our country would eventually breath some peace and tranquility. All politicians across the political, tribal and regional divides should come together for the common good of our country.
We should do everything possible at our disposal to contribute our quota towards peace and security of the country. The country is faced with challenges of Boko Haram, armed banditry, kidnapping, threat for secession, slow economic growth resulting from increased level of poverty, clamoring for structuring or restructuring, call for one division or another etc.
All these are important issues which call for considerable degree of attention not only by the government but also by our political and traditional classes so that at least the country would make a headway towards unity, peace, cohesion, growth and development.
To my knowledge, first as a Nigerian politician with considerable political and governmental experiences, I did not know when and how anybody in the country has arrived at zoning the position of the President to any zone, whether to the South or to North.
I have no faintest idea that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or even the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has made any proclamation to the effect that the position of President is zoned to a particular section of the country.
In recent time, such a sensitive issue along with other similar issues are either being canvassed or deliberately touted thereby causing a lot of political tension and widening the gap of our common unity of the country.
The agitation for the rotation or zoning of the position of the Presidency has been our greatest political quagmire for a very long time in our political growth or evolution in the country. It has always caused tension, bringing mistrust and threat of restructuring or secession or similar challenges signaling breakup of the country or mistrust among our major tribes and religions. We should be wary of making any comments bordering on the issue of zoning or rotation of the position of President to any part of the country.
At this crucial period of time when the country is enmeshed in various challenges, I use this opportunity to offer advise to our politicians as well as our numerous socio-political commentators spread across the country to delve less in politics and instead offer more constructive advise on how best the government could get the country out of this mess.
Our advice should be centered on offering solutions to solve the problems of insecurity as well as solution to our economic problems so that we could douse the tensed atmosphere brought about by the present predicament of insecurity, and similar problems.
I have the hope and confidence that by the time our politicians and social commentators talk less about rotational or zoning of Presidency to zones or regions thus concentrating on substantial issues affecting the country, there would be less tension and or hypes which further divide the country along regional, religious and tribal lines.
Perhaps the gullible public would further appreciate the meaningful contributions of the upper class towards solving the problems that affect them as a united country. I have the belief that since no political party, especially the two major political parties, the APC and PDP or any other socio political, cultural or regional association or group has on its own resolved to zone the Presidency, we should, by this, endeavor to create strategies that would douse the tension and serve as outstanding feature of our confidence and hope for the country.
As politicians we should embrace culture and sprit of serving as bridge builders across the length and breadth of this vast country to call for understanding of our people so that we could all eschew bickering, mudslinging and any form of advocacy that would tend to create political, religious and ethnic tensions which ultimately serves no one any good.
Also, as politicians we should extend our hands of friendship and camaraderie and best ways possible for positive growth and development of our country. We should have it in our minds that as Nigerians, we are not only concentrated in this country but we are everywhere across the Diaspora and we are no others other than Nigerians.
We should imbibe the culture of reducing political bickering, agitations, sounding drums of war and exhibiting primordial tendencies which clearly are intended to either cause mischief or tear the country into pieces through unnecessary advocacy. The idea of having peace and peaceful existence in this country should be our watchwords rather than advocacy calling for zoning, secession, and whatever in the midst of severe economic problems, Boko Haram, kidnapping, banditry and many other forms of unwanted and unwarranted challenges affecting us as a nation.
I have the greatest conviction, therefore, if politicians and other social commentators on politics, on what region or zone should be the next to produce the President, tension would continue to heighten thereby escalating the already tensed general socio/political atmosphere in the country.
We should rather gauge our contributions to the political development to a measured level and also concentrate on how best the country get rid of all these menaces of insecurity which appears to be taking us several years backward. We should not glee at the happenings and see it as a means of playing politics or perhaps a failure of a certain system or incapability of the government to deal with the situation.
The sympathy, in the present circumstance, is to play less politics and play the role of our brothers’ keepers at safe guarding the interest of Nigeria. It is my hope that this advice is seen in the light of advocacy for peace growth and development of our dear country and therefore not for any sundry political motive. The safer this country is the better for our common unity.
Thank you
Alhaji (Dr) Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa,
(Garkuwan Sokoto)
Former Governor
Sokoto State.
6th June, 2021
