Fasehun marks 80th birthday, cautions govt on appointment, probe, others

• Urges Buhari to see critics as partners in building bridges
AS part of activities marking his 80th birthday, Founder and National Leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, yesterday called on the government to see other Nigerians, especially its critics, as partners in building bridges of strong national cohesion.

In a statement he read out in Lagos yesterday, Fasehun, who is also the National Chairman of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), said: “Lopsidedness in public service should be avoided. Vilifying past public servants should be avoided. Probes, if and when necessary, should be tacitly and comprehensively carried out; or else, it wears the toga of witch-hunting. No public servant who served at any time could have added absolutely no contribution to our national life.

“Truth is that in nation-building, every regime will add some level of building blocks to the entire superstructure. No objective person can condemn any government as having made zero-contribution to national development. And no single government can achieve everything and score 100 per cent.”

Saying that security operatives and security agencies must especially be counselled to do their work with conscience, Fasehun pointed out that no position is permanent, saying: “One government comes and goes, but institutions must remain.”

At the event, the Labour Party (LP) lauded Fasehun as he clocked 80.

His wife, Mrs. Iyabo Fasehun, was grateful to God for sustaining their marriage for the past 43 years.

She said: “My husband is a loving man. A man of the people. He wants peace, love and unity to reign in the country. Not minding whether you are a Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo, he wants everybody to love one another according to the words of the Lord. That is what he has been fighting for all the time.”

In a congratulatory letter by LP National Secretary, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, the party described Fasehun as a patriot who contributed immensely to Nigeria’s well-being, democratic growth and unity.