Bajowa tasks Tinubu on governance, excesses of govt officials

A retired military General, Dr Olu Bajowa, has urged President Bola Tinubu to enforce sanity in the governance of the country, particularly the excesses of government officials that engage in impunity in the course of serving the people.

According to the elder statesman, who appealed to the President to review the “immunity” and “impunity” among elected and appointed office holders at all levels, all must be done to reduce the cost of governance amid the economic challenges facing the country.

Bajowa, while expressing concern over the violence that rocked the #EndBadGovernance protest, said that the Federal Government should devise urgent means of alleviating the plight of vulnerable citizens.

The retired general, who described Nigerians behind the songs of war sang during the 10-day protest as ignorant, said: “Nigeria must avoid falling into the traps of foreign and domestic enemies by all means possible.

“Let us learn from Libya that allowed itself to be lured into an avoidable war. Let Nigerians protect Nigeria, and let those who gleefully brandished the flags of some foreign countries during the recent protest be told that no country loves Nigeria more than we Nigerians. And no country is free from one form of challenge or another.

“The President should do whatever he could to bring sanity to governance by enforcing severe consequences as deterrents for the excesses of all top government functionaries. The President should do whatever he can to reduce the cost of governance drastically to reflect the true state of the economy.

“With the help of hindsight and speaking as a retired first-generation general of the Nigerian Army, I commend the Military High Command and the security services for a job well done. I also salute the professional standards they exhibited in the management of the early warning signals and how they prevented the country from sliding into anarchy by resisting the call by some unpatriotic people for a regime change through undemocratic means.”

“I, therefore, appeal to all Nigerians across social, political, religious, tribal, and ethnic divides to consider the grave implications of making sensitive statements that tend to fan the embers of war and also threaten the unity and peace of this great nation, for which many paid the supreme sacrifice and also for which some of us dedicated the prime of our lives?”

He added: “My position is not in any way to downplay the enormity of the economic hardship now being faced by ordinary citizens, but to encourage us to stand strong together as one indivisible nation throughout this trying period and accept it as nothing but a sacrifice for a passing phase in our nation’s history.

“Without sounding political, I believe that our elder statesmen and leaders across the board should seize the opportunity of a time like this to send messages of “hope” to our people instead of spreading hopelessness and despair.

“I, therefore, appeal to all Nigerians to sheathe the sword, forsake all forms of bigotry, and work together for the unity, peace, and prosperity of our country. We are better off and stronger as one united nation with love.”