Voice of Reason (VoR), a group of
Yoruba entrepreneurs, professionals and academics, has called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to quickly address national issues of concern in order to
prevent the disintegration of the country.
The group made the call during a
press conference which held in Lagos, on Friday.
In a statement, Olufemi Adegoke,
chairman of the group, said the call became necessary to save the country from
sinking into a state of anarchy.
“Many problems in the polity have
been identified as being worthy of statesmanlike deliberation and
contemplation. All these issues, if not properly addressed would lead to chaos
and finally, the disintegration of the country,” the statement read.
Among the issues raised by the
group are the “hurried release” of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic
Movement in Nigeria (IMN), and the arrest of Omoyele Sowore, presidential
candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 elections, by
members of the Department of State Services (DSS).
While Sowore was arrested by the
DSS two days before a planned “RevolutionNow” protest, El-Zakzaky, who has been
in detention since 2015, was recently granted permission by a court for a
medical trip to India.
The group said the case of Sowore
and El-Zakzaky should send a signal to the Buhari’s administration.
“The arrest and subsequent
detention of Omoyele Sowore, the erstwhile presidential candidate of the
African Action Congress, for the “crime of a call for revolution” which is
neither known to Nigerian statutes on criminal law nor to the Constitution of
the country, is a worrisome development,” the statement read.
“The hurried release of
El-Zakzaky after the protests by IMN turned bloody and the subsequent subtle
threat from Iran is another case in point.
“VoR advices the government of
the day to thread cautiously in the minefield of global geopolitics and seek a
diplomatic of political resolution to the problem. We are a Democracy, and it
is necessary for governments , just like individuals to respect The Rule of
Law. This includes the prompt obedience of Court Orders.”
The group called for equity and
transparency in government, saying “the shoddy conformation process in the
Senate is disgraceful and gives the impression that we effectively have a
Rubber Stamp legislature in place.”
VoR also demanded a stop in the
use of policemen as bodyguards, adding that the practice is “depleting the
number of policemen available for conventional police wok.”
“In their place, a corps of suitable
trained and licenced ex-servicemen may be made available for citizens and
officials who require bodyguard functions and are ready to pay the appropriate
fees,” it read.
Other issues addressed during by
the group include security in the south-west and the rest of the nation; the
security architecture of Nigeria; restructuring; welfare and equipment for
members of the armed forces; economy; power; youth unemployment; and RUGA
settlements.
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