Osinbajo rules out break-up, says Nigeria must remain one

By ABIODUN LAWAL

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday appealed to Nigerians to resist any attempt to destroy the unity that people had lived and worked together for.

Osinbajo made the appeal during the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) revalidation and registration exercise and also revalidation of his membership of the APC, held at Ward 1, Unit 3, Egunrege, Ikenne in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun.

The vice president stated that the government would continue to attend to the cries of communities for justice, equity and fairness, saying that Nigeria was stronger together than apart.

He said that security challenges currently being experienced in the country were not insurmountable.

“We are in government at one of the most challenging times in history. The pandemic has made matters worse and we have also had security challenges that have stretched our law enforcement capacities all over the country.

“What we must ensure is prosecution of all those who have been arrested for kidnapping, banditry and all other forms of criminality.

“There must be evidence that justice is being done. This is achievable by stronger collaboration between the police, states Ministries of Justice and the Federal Ministry of Justice.

“With the new Service Chiefs, we have a fresh set of eyes, intellect, skills and a fresh look at strategies against insurgency in the North East as well as banditry and kidnapping elsewhere.

”In this new approach much greater emphasis is being placed on technology for surveillance, intelligence gathering and attack,” he said.

Osinbajo also said that that there must be state police structure, saying that it was important to speed up and strengthen the community policing structures.

According to him, the states must continually train, educate and formalise their local security structures so that they complement the Federal law enforcement agencies.

On the revalidation of his APC membership, he said he was pleased to participate in the exercise.

“Permit me to welcome you all to Ikenne my home town and more importantly, the home town of Pa Obafemi Awolowo, the father and progenitor of the great movement that we call “the progressives” today.

“It is on the broad shoulders of the social democratic philosophies of the maximum happiness and well being of all the people that we in our great party the APC, stand firmly and confidently today.

“Party registration and revalidation is important because it offers us an opportunity to have a credible roll of members such that we are able to reach our members from the polling booth level all the way to the wards, local government and Federal constituencies.

“Why do we want to reach our people? The people are the party and the party is the people. Ours is a grassroots party. A party of the people.

“Our focus is on the welfare, prosperity and wellbeing of all our people,” he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Osinbajo for going back to their respective wards to revalidate their membership of the ruling party.

He said that the registration and revalidation exercise would be successful in Ogun, adding that new members would be mobilised for the party during the exercise.

On his part, the Southwest Team Leader of Registration and Revalidation Committee, Sen. Lawan Shuaib, said the exercise was to establish that ward remained the power base of the party.

He pointed out that anyone who desired to join the party do so at the ward level, declaring that ward executive had power to discipline erring party members.

Also speaking, National Chairman of the APC Registration and Revalidation Committee and Niger Governor, Abubakar Bello, said since 2014 when the party held similar exercise, the party had lost some members and gained more members, hence, the imperative of the 2021 exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Abiodun also revalidated his membership of the party at ward 3, unit 1, Ita Sonyin, Iperu. (NAN)