The Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum has flayed political and religious leaders who pick holes in the policies and actions of the government based on narrow, selfish or sectional interests.
He also chided those ‘leaders’ and clerics who criticize the federal government’s approach at fighting insurgency and banditry, and seem to furtively support criminality.
Such ‘leaders’ suggest that rather than an all-out onslaught on the insurgents and bandits, the millions of naira voted for such campaigns would better be given to religious leaders “to pray for the bandits to come back to their senses.”
Lukman particularly singled out controversial cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who had asked for amnesty for bandits in the North, the type offered the Niger Delta militants by the administration of the late President Umar Yar’Adua.
He said anyone who argues that way is part of Nigeria’s national security problem.
“Nigerians need to rise to the challenge of regulating the conduct of so-called leaders, including religious clerics. Being jaundiced makes most of these leaders antagonistic to initiatives towards nation building,” he said.
According to him, any leader or elder – politician, religious, traditional, irrespective of gender, age, and social class, who is promoting politics of ethnicity or campaigning against initiatives of government to fight criminality, such a leader or elder is also a security risk.
“As part of Nigeria’s common purpose, strong national bond to eliminate criminal activities of bandits and insurgents is irreducible. The act of judging leaders, however well intentioned, must not serve as a cover to protect criminality,” he noted.
Lukman said apart from religious clerics, there are also other categories of ‘leaders’ in the country with similarly “jaundiced views”; who are very vocal, almost virtually against every decision and action of the government.
The PGF DG stressed that there is no way a nation can be built with leaders and elders whose views are antithetical to national development.
“Nigerians cannot be facing the challenge of insecurity and some leaders are working to undermine the efforts of the government to crush the criminal elements responsible for all the pains citizens are going through.
“Anytime leaders dismiss actions of the government against bandits and insurgents, they embolden these criminals to continue with their nefarious activities.
“Yes, Nigerians may be angry with the government and our political leaders. On no account should anyone take advantage of the anger of Nigerians to furtively support criminal activities. There must be some defined boundaries to these debates if at all the Nigerian nation is to have a common purpose and a strong national bond.”
But he singled out the chief executive of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, who on Monday, September 6, 2021 addressed Super Eagles players onboard Air Peace to Cape Verde for their World Cup Qualifying match.
“Mr. Onyema told the players that ‘you are not just going to play a football match; you’re going to carry on your young shoulders the aspiration and the hope of a nation almost in distress.’ He appealed to them to do everything they can to win the match for the country. He pledged an award of N20 million once they win the match.
“Mr. Onyema’s inspiring words of encouragement to those young Nigerian players, among many other positive factors, must have contributed to the 2-1 victory of the Super Eagles against Cape Verde on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.”
He said Nigeria needs more leaders of Onyema’s type, especially in politics.
“If Nigerian democracy is to develop the capacity to drive processes of nation building, our political parties must develop the capacity to recruit leaders like Mr. Onyema,” he said.
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