Sen Girei calls for calm as nationwide protest enters day one
• Says protest has awaken govt to its responsibilities
Senator Abubakar Halilu Girei has called for calm as the nationwide #Endhunger/Badgovernance protests tagged take it back enters day one.
In a statement he made available to newsmen on Thursday, the APC chieftain noted that the agitation in the build up to the protest has awaken the government to its responsibilities making it to start implementing peoples friendly policies that have started touching lives.
“The latest stand by Civil Society Organizations and other key stakeholders to hold #Endhunger/Badgovernance protests as far as I’m concerned is already a success because it has for the first time in record prodded the leadership to become responsive to the yearnings and concerns of the masses and pander to the whims of the people.
“It has precipitated swift actions, changes, and reforms by the government in deference to the agitations for good governance, which has been ongoing for decades without much success. In simple terms, the agitations have humbled us all to appreciate the sufferings of our citizens.
“The agitations has forced the leadership at all levels to adopt some far reaching measures including tax waivers on imported food items, addressing the minimum wage conundrum, signing the minimum wage act into law and giving incentives to farmers and providing palliatives amongst many far reaching measures the governments took.
“Based on the foregoing, I will, therefore, say without fear of contradiction that the proposed protest is already a huge success.
“But while the agitators have succeeded in making the government to listen to the precarious living state of millions of Nigerians, the government for the first time seems to be working round the clock to avert what I may call the dooms day. So for me, the intricate interplay of forces have come to an equilibrium as both the demand and supply sides have become responsive to the compelling need for a shift in attitude for a sustainable solution in what has coalesced into a win-win situation for the people and government,” he said.
The politician urged the government to maintain the tempo of implementing peoples friendly policies so that Nigerians will have a reason to smile.
“I wish to urge the government to as a matter of expediency address,
” The social insecurity bedeviling the land by proactively championing the state police, re-equipping the security personnel in terms of equipment and welfare, and tackling the rampant corruption in security systems especially in procurement processes.
“As I have mentioned in my first intervention in February, may I appeal to our dear president to consider suggestions emanating from Bretton Woods institutions, including IMF and World Bank, with maximum caution.
The federal government should also ensure the total rejuvenation of our national currency, the naira, considering the fact that Nigeria is an import dependent country.
” The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, revive our grounded refineries, overhaul NNPCL and its sister agencies, and address the endemic corruption in the whole of the oil industry. A new set of management teams should be put in place to clean the stables.
“The government should also incentivize the agric sector through a supplementary budget of one trillion naira for immediate passage by NASS for Bank of Agriculture to fund credit delivery to all the value chains in the Agricultural and Livestock sector.
” In the same vein, another sum of two trillion naira to be approved by the national assembly as an additional supplementary budget to tackle security challenges nationwide, including the establishment of state police when passed into law.
“Complete the implementation of “Oronsanye Report” already sterted by this administration to rationalize the MDAs and reduce the cost of governance,” he said.
