FCT residents urge Buhari to tackle unemployment, insecurity in 2nd term
Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday advised President Muhammad Buhari to work towards tackling mass unemployment in the country during his second term in office.
Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday advised President Muhammad Buhari to work towards tackling mass unemployment in the country during his second term in office.
A cross section of residents interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja disclosed this urging the president to also tackle the problem of insecurity in the country.
A Businessman, Mr Meshach Ikwe who congratulated the President on his inauguration for the second term said there is need to address youth unemployment which is the bane of the country at present.
“The youth need to be busy and off the streets.
“We need stable power supply because the cost of doing business in the country is pretty high and as a result private companies are either closing up or relocating to other countries.
“These need to be tackled effectively,” he said.
President Buhari participates in Swearing-In Ceremony at the Eagle Square in Abuja on 29th May 2019 (Facebook/Femi Adesina) On the choice of the President’s cabinet members, Ikwe said that Buhari should know that Nigeria is a heterogeneous society and so his appointments should reflect same.
He also said that the federal character should be observed in order to give the citizens sense of belonging.
“This is against the background of his ministerial, heads of government agencies’ appointments.
“A particular group seems to be having upper hands in terms of appointments and we are not happy about that.
“Similarly, the President needs to distance himself from partisan politics and see himself as a statesman and father of the nation, and every part of the country as his constituency,” he said.
He also urged Buhari to intensify the fight against corruption.
“The fight against corruption should be holistic.
“As it is now, the narrative is that, no matter how corrupt you are, once you join the ruling party your sins will be forgiven and cleansed as though you have never been found corrupt.
“All these need to be changed,” he said.
President Buhari participates in Swearing-In Ceremony at the Eagle Square in Abuja on 29th May 2019 (Facebook/Femi Adesina) He further said that he would want to see improvement in security and the power sector.
“There cannot be any meaningful development in an insecure society.
“No one will make investment in a place where there won’t be return on investment.
“The local farmers cannot even go to their farms. So if security is not tackled headlong, feeding ourselves will sooner or later be a herculean task,” he said.
Mr John Alierono, a clergy said that the President should use his second term in office to demonstrate to Nigerians that he belongs to everybody and belong to nobody as claimed in his first tenure in office.
“This is because he is no longer going to seek for re-election anymore so he should not be scared of being any body’s stooge because they can’t blackmail him anymore.
“Buhari should really take the bull by the horns and deliver dividends of democracy irrespective of whose ox is gored.
“If he really means business, I believe the starting point should be for him not retain a single minister in his cabinet because they all under performed and are all only playing to the gallery and too many display of sycophancy among them.
“So he should get a whole new set of them particularly technocrats, tested professionals, business moguls, entrepreneurs among others,” Alierono said.
The clergy decried the level of decay in the nation’s industries calling for the revival of moribund industries.
“Industrialisation is the bedrock for economic growth, yet the power sector seems to discourage the influx of investors into the country.
“Government should solve the incessant rot in this sector for good.
“There is no point trying to achieve many things at the same time and end up not achieving any.
“If government in this tenure concentrates only on providing stable power supply, it will have achieved a land mark success by 2023 when it will bow out.
“This is the time for Mr President to stamp his foot in the sands of time; will he take the challenge? 2023 shall tell,” he said.
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On her part, Mrs Odinakaonye Lagi, Senior Programme Director, Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI), advised Buhari to address the problem of human right abuse by security personnel.
“However, all sectors need improvement. Human rights abuse by security personnel and lack of security if not restored, there is no point in saying we have a country.
“The free reign of terror and kidnapping and the sectarian approach to fixing it by indulging the perpetrators will only result in a society with no respect for the rule of law,” she said.
Source:
FCT residents urge Buhari to tackle unemployment, insecurity in 2nd term- gist culled from
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April 02, 2016, 07:01:26 PM