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Why Buhari should run inclusive government, by Plateau group

By Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
21 October 2016   |   4:19 am
The challenges confronting the country, which seem to be compounding by the day since the inception of the present administration have been a source of concern to many Nigerians.
Muhammadu Buhari

Muhammadu Buhari

The challenges confronting the country, which seem to be compounding by the day since the inception of the present administration have been a source of concern to many Nigerians.

Besides, against peoples’ expectations, most critical minds and activists that are expected to stand in the gap and put the government in checks have more or less become unusually constrained.

Political watchers contend that there was need for more people particularly the elites and members of the upper class to speak out always to compel the government to decisively embark on policy and programmes in favour of the masses.

For instance, this informed the recent call by former governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Attahiru Bafarawa on President Muhammadu Buhari to form all ‘inclusive governance.’

The argument is that this would promote national unity, cohesion, sense of belonging and confidence in the government that will in turn engender overall peace, development and growth.

This is the position of Compass, a Plateau State-based pressure group that is determined to institutionalize good governance and promote economic prosperity in the country.

National Chairman of the group, Dr. Daniel Kokong, said that they have come to the conclusion that the current political tension and mutual suspicion in the country was adverse to the progress of the country.

Speaking in Jos, Kokong disclosed that members of the group deliberated on the challenges facing the country and came to the conclusion that there was need for the nation to run an inclusive government.

“We came together, brainstormed and came up with the idea of the need for inclusive governance which would mitigate political tension and mutual suspicion which are inimical to societal progress; that would eventually promote national unity, cohesiveness in order to tackle the teething problems of contemporary Nigeria,” he stated.

According to him, such inclusive approach to governance assisted previous civilian administrations to achieve peace and stability.He cited the era of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, which entered into alliance between his party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) where the latter was allowed to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Edwin Umeh Ezeoke while in 1983, a similar alliance with NPP produced Sen. John Wash Pam as the Deputy Senate President.

He added that during the era of President Olusegun Obasanjo, similar alliances were entered between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition parties where ministers, Special Advisers, Board Appointments etc. were included in the Government while establishing a strong working relationship with all State Governors irrespective of party affiliations which led to the monthly publication of Federal Allocation from Federal, State and Local Governments.

Similarly, Kokong asserted that the then administration of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan employed same tactics, which they perceived was responsible for the relative economic stability then.

He urged people to speak up in reaction to decisions, actions and inactions of government that impact on the people negatively, stressing that this difficult period of recession is not the time for leaders to be mute.

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