By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The National chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tínubu has approved the deployment of a sophisticated military technology to decimate bandits in the country.
Ganduje made this revelation while hosting members of the APC North Central Elders Forum, led by General Lawrence Anebi Onojah, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja yesterday.
According to him, “The President has agreed to employ technology in the management of security in Nigeria, in particular, our forests that have become cities for bandits.
“Mr President is fully conscious of that. He is ready in order to make the institutions strong, the army, Air Force, the Navy, the DSS, Civil Defense, even the NIA.
“He is rejigging our Constitution to ensure that we conquer the insecurity situation in the country.”
Expressing confidence in the capacity of the President to carry everybody along, the APC chairman said “we have to thank Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for emerging our President; a democrat who fought for democracy, somebody who led by example and created institutions that led to the development of Lagos state. So far, he has taken the right step to make Nigeria a much greater country.
“The North Central geopolitical zone is a good example of unity and diversity, a diversity in geo political zone and diverse diversity strides in Nigeria, so we appreciate that. Coincidentally, Mr President is the one who is an expert in managing diversity.
“If you look at the composition of his cabinet when he was the governor of Lagos, the issue of tribalism is put aside, the issue of ethnicity, the issue of religion is also put aside as he is muslim and his wife is a pastor, so he is living by example, as far as managing diversity is concerned”.
He therefore assured the group that the government has taken every step to see that all ethnic nationalities are brought into the management of the country.
“We have to thank him for appointing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) from the North Central zone.
“As requested for inclusiveness in the appointment in agencies, I think the SGF is the focal person. We will rally round to ensure that we host different support groups, that they get a big share of that distribution”, he said.
Speaking earlier, leader of the North Central APC Elders Forum, General Lawrence Anebi Onojah (Rtd), said Ganduje’s knowledge, wealth of experience in governance, as a mark of credible leadership credentials, a peacemaker and unifier stand out.
He said the group has no doubt that he will bring these experiences to bear in his leadership as national chairman.
While pointing out that the North Central zone has witnessed the most prolonged state of insecurity experience in the fourth republic, especially in the form of terrorist and banditry attacks, the forum said this has had adverse consequences on the social cohesion of the people, food security and education among others.
“We request that you use your good offices to help/encourage us to develop new strategies that will address the security challenges we face, once and for all.
“As you are already aware, the North Central zone is the home of solid mineral deposits in Nigeria and the food basket of the country. We request the government under the leadership of our party to come up with policies that will encourage our patronage of local miners instead of patronizing foreigners.
“We will need a Development Agency such as NDDC (in the South), North, East development commission (in North East). Similarly, we will require a North Central development commission that will coordinate strategies for harnessing the rich Agriculture, Tourism, Educational and human potentials of the zone in the interest of national development”, APC North Central Elders Forum said.
